The Hanoi City People's Committee has allowed Hoan Kiem District to expand the tramcar tours, to gradually replace cyclo tours.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hoa, vice chair of Hoan Kiem District, said the district has planned to stop 50 percent of cyclos from operating in the area and will remove 100 percent of cyclos by the end of 2014. The plan has been approved by the city government.
Hoa said in the past three years, 15 trams running around the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake have served more than 1.2 million visitors. The tramcar route is 7km long, taking 40 minutes to move through 28 commercial, ancient and culinary streets.
In particular, this vehicle’s traffic speed of 30 km/h is quite suitable for structure and urban traffic architecture in the Old Quarter. This vehicle does not pollute the environment, reduce traffic congestion and it has been more popular with visitors. Hoa said 15 new trams have been imported to replace cyclos.
Mr. Bui Danh Lien, President of the Hanoi Automobile Transport Association, said trams are advanced vehicles, which are more compact than cars and their speed is suitable in the narrow Old Quarter.
However, Lien said that Hanoi should keep a number of cyclos for tourism to preserve traditional culture of Hanoi.
At a meeting with leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hanoi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi said the city would gradually eliminate cyclos to make the capital civilized. The government will buy people's cyclos and help them find new jobs.