An authority in digital communications has expressed his doubts about the benefits which a plan by Vietnam’s national broadcaster to build the world’s tallest television tower would bring in comparison with the exorbitant costs it would incur.

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As reported by the Vietnam Government Portal on December 9, 2014, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved a proposal of Vietnam Television (VTV) on the construction of a TV tower, which would be located in the new urban center of West Lake on a total area of around 14 hectares.

The premier assigned the Hanoi People’s Committee to steer and cooperate with the Ministry of Construction and VTV to implement the project.

The tower is expected to bring benefits to tourism and boost investment in neighboring areas, according to the Vietnam Government Portal.

However, the public have expressed concerns about Vietnam still being poor but wanting to develop a TV tower that is even taller than the Tokyo Skytree in Japan, one of the richest nations in the world.

Tokyo Skytree is now the world’s tallest TV tower, reaching a height of 634 meters. Journalist Tran Dang Tuan, former vice general director of VTV, and chair of the Vietnam Digital Communication Association, has had an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper regarding the plan to construct the TV tower two meters higher than the Tokyo Skytree.

Tuan stressed that with his long-time experience working in the television industry, he does not enthusiastically embrace the plan, which he does not find a top priority in the current situation.

“It’s not about VTV’s and its staff’s dream [as VTV general director Tran Binh Minh said earlier last month], but it’s about business,” he noted.

“I’m well informed and have sufficient knowledge to affirm that the tower is not a must regarding transmission of television signals. Undeniably, the taller a tower is, the farther it can send its digital terrestrial television signals. However, the installation of many lower-range transmitters can also help send out signals within the same radius as what a tower can but at a lower cost,” Tuan explained.

“I believe that if the proposed tower costs several million U.S. dollars to build, that colossal sum will be well enough to provide digital terrestrial television signals for the entire country for several times,” he surmised.

Journalist Tran Dang Tuan, former vice general director of VTV, and chair of the Vietnam Digital Communication Association. Photo courtesy of Tran Dang Tuan

In the old days, the height of the tower played an important role, but today's television has switched to cable or satellite signals, so that height no longer has much to do with good transmission, he said.

Tuan urged that VTV leaders and the investor work out and make public their estimates on the benefits of the project, including tourism appeal and revenue, economic growth, urban development for Hanoi and Vietnam in general, and security and defense, as claimed by Nguyen Thanh Luong, vice general director of VTV and head of the board tasked with preparing for the TV tower project, during an earlier interview with Tuoi Tre.

“In my opinion, the project should go ahead only when it is adequately proven to yield huge profits, as such a TV tower would be expensive to build and is not something that could not be done without,” Tuan said.

“If the profits to be earned outside the television industry are not justified, the project should not be carried out just to turn the future tower into one of the country’s symbols,” he asserted.

Two decades ago, VTV also put forward a plan to build a tall tower, Tuan said, adding that the plan involved several investors and was expected to generate large profits beyond signal transmission.

They also planned to build a new residential area with various new services, including a man-made river, offered beneath.

“Some 10-15 years ago, such a project to build a residential zone could indeed earn big money. However, it’s a different story now,” Tuan warned.

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