Sadly it does not climb to any ski slopes, in fact it only climbs 88.5 metres in its 2165m length in a country where temperatures generally top 30C, but nonetheless a new cable car built by The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group across Ha Long Bay in Northern Vietnam has broken multiple world records, putting all previous ropeway dimensions in the shade.
Each of the double decker cabins, provides space for 230 passengers (a world record size) and the cable car also boasts the world’s tallest cable car tower with a height of 188.88 meters (the height is also symbolic because eight is considered to be a lucky number in Vietnam).
“In fact, pretty much everything on this installation, which was officially opened on June 25, 2016, can be described as XXL,” said a Dopperlmayr spokesperson..
Vietnam’s current climate of investment in tourism infrastructure can be compared to the upbeat mood seen in the Alps in the mid-20th century.
Ha Long Bay in the north of the country also ranks as one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist attractions. With the opening of the new tramway, the seven million visitors who head for this area every year will now be able ride across the “bay of the descending dragon” in comfort. Travelling at 10 m/s (36 km/h), the lift is also one of the world’s fastest yet.
From the lower terminal located in the Bai Chay district of Ha Long City, the new aerial tramway runs to the top of Ba Deo Hill. The Sun Group, which contracted The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group to build the lift, has also built an amusement park on Ba Deo Hill, where the main attraction is an observation wheel that gives tourists an extensive view across Ha Long Bay.
The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group has already completed a number of ropeway projects on behalf of the Sun Group in the past few years. Further installations are already under construction, including a world record 3S lift on the islands of Hòn Thơm and Phú Quốc.
