Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment has submitted to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh the appraisal report of a VND1.7 trillion (US$74.2 million) cable car project connecting two popular pagodas in Hanoi and Hoa Binh Province.

The proposed Huong Binh cable car route has a total length of three kilometers, connecting Phu Nghia Commune in Lac Thuy District, Hoa Binh Province with Huong Son Commune in My Duc District, Hanoi.

The service will shorten travel time between Hanoi’s Huong Pagoda and Hoa Binh’s Tien Pagoda from a 60-minute drive to a ten-minute cable car ride, according to Thai Binh Company, the project developer.

The project is also expected to boost the potential of festival and pilgrimage tourism by improving the connectivity between Huong Pagoda, Tien Pagoda, and Tam Chuc Pagoda in Ha Nam Province, which is about 25 kilometers from Tien Pagoda.

More than 35 hectares of land will be needed for the construction, while the total cost is approximately VND1.7 trillion, the Ministry of Planning and Investment stated.

The project developer will contribute about VND258 billion ($11.2 million) while the remaining VND1.44 trillion ($63 million) will be provided by Vietcombank in the form of credit.

Aside from the construction of the cable car route and related facilities, Thai Binh Company has proposed that a seven-story hotel and villas be built on the project’s premises in Hoa Binh Province.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has agreed with the implementation of the project.

The Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Hanoi stated that the project is suitable for the landscape of Huong Pagoda, which has been recognized as a special national relic site.

The board asked the project developer to comply with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage during the implementation.

The Huong Pagoda special national relic site currently has a 1.5-kilometer cable car route on its premises.

Operated by Huong Son Company, the service is capable of transporting 1,500 passengers every hour, with tickets costing VND120,000 ($5.2) per person.

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