HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội’s Department of Transport has submitted to the city’s People’s Committee the route for a double-decker bus tour, the first of its kind for tourists in the capital city.

If approved, the service will be initially conducted on a trial basis for visitors to the city centre.

After a period of research, the city’s departments of transport, culture, sports and tourism and Hà Nội Transport Service Company (Transerco) have agreed the route for the bus.

Departing from Hà Nội Opera House, the service will operate twice a day through 19 streets including Tràng Tiền, Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Lê Thái Tổ, Tràng Thi, Điện Biên Phủ, Độc Lập, Hoàng Văn Thụ, Hùng Vương, Thanh Niên, Yên Phụ, Phan Đình Phùng, Hoàng Diệu, Lê Hồng Phong, Nguyễn Thái Học, Cửa Nam, Phan Bội Châu, Lý Thường Kiệt, Phan Chu Trinh and others.

On weekends, the bus will again depart from the Opera House but avoid certain streets around the walking areas of Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

The city’s People’s Committee has asked the departments to study measures to ensure the safety of tourists on the second floor of the bus. The measures must be submitted to the city for approval.

The committee has also required Transerco to review ticket prices for the tour and submit to the Department of Finance for approval.

Last December, the Prime Minister agreed in principle with Hà Nội, HCM City and five other areas to pilot double-decker bus tours within five years.

The bus, painted a cheerful red, costs between VNĐ7 billion (US$311,100) and VNĐ9 billion ($400,000). It has 14 seats on the lower level and over 30 on the top. It is equipped with WiFi and is accessible for disabled passengers.

The city planned to conduct the first trial run of ten buses in July. However, the Ministry of Transport later asked the city to halt the operation of the buses to avoid overlapping with the operation of others public means of transport for tourists and ensure traffic flow. The new plan for the buses will be announced upon receiving guidelines from the Government. — VNS