Public opinion is buzzing with information that each cyclo and boat rowing trip in Hoi An ancient town is being transferred for 500-700 million VND. What is the truth?
Mr. Nguyen Ngo Lan sits waiting for cyclo passengers on the morning of November 25 - Photo: BD
At 10:00 a.m. on November 25, nearly 20 cyclos were parked in a row next to Hoai River Square, at the southern entrance to Hoi An ancient town.
Under the drizzling rain, some people sat cross-legged, others covered their heads with their hats and leaned back in their chairs, dozing off, but immediately jumped up when a customer came to ask for a ride.
The injustice of cyclo
When asked about the information that is causing a stir in public opinion about "bribing" for a single trip to drive a cyclo to transport tourists, the owners of the poor cyclos said "it's nonsense".
"If you have that much money, why bother driving a cyclo? A few years ago, when my 74-year-old father-in-law gave me the cyclo job, I still remember what he said.
He said, "Cyclo driving is a job at the bottom of society, second only to that of taking care of children. But I still try to pedal for my wife and children" - said Mr. Nguyen Nho Lan, 63 years old, living at 60/6 Phan Chu Trinh (Hoi An).
Mr. Lan's father-in-law, Mr. Huynh Hue, used to work for a road and bridge company. After retiring from the company, in 1997, Mr. Hue started driving a cyclo.
At the age of 74, seeing that his son-in-law and his wife were in difficult circumstances, Mr. Hue handed over the cyclo driving position to his son.
"I run from morning to night until I'm exhausted. Some days I earn seven hundred thousand, some days five hundred thousand. On average, I earn about 12-15 million VND a month. Anyone who wants to earn more has to run from morning to night, but where do they get the energy to run like that?" - Mr. Lan said.
Mr. Truong Manh, 32 years old, lives at 60 Thai Phien (Hoi An), has been in the profession since 2018. The driving position was transferred to him by his uncle, Mr. Truong Dong.
"The 102 drivers here all know each other. They all come from poor families, or have contributed to the revolution, or are demobilized soldiers... Instead of working as a bricklayer, I drive a cyclo and earn 10-15 million VND a month.
The couple has a fairly stable life in Hoi An. No one in the cyclo union spends billions of dong to buy a passenger seat," said Mr. Manh.
Money can't buy you a cyclo ride in Hoi An
Affirming that the current value of each cyclo ride in Hoi An is around 500 - 700 million VND, Mr. Phan Phuoc Tung, chairman of the Hoi An Cyclo Union, said that there are a few cases of such transfers. But they are just family members or fellow drivers sharing a living.
The transferee must meet the criteria such as not having a stable job, being a discharged soldier or having a family with revolutionary contributions...
In particular, each person is only allowed to own one cyclo ride and has a separate registration card and vehicle code for management. The person who buys the ride is also the owner of the vehicle and must directly transport passengers and cannot hire someone else.
"No one has money to buy a ride and then hire someone else to run it to make a profit. If the cyclo union allows that, they will be kicking their own ass."
We are grateful to the government, we don't have to pay anything, on the contrary we are encouraged and helped when we are in trouble. But people say it's not true" - Mr. Tung said.
Cyclo driver waiting for customers in Hoi An - Photo: BD
Mr. Tung said that he and his colleagues know the list of 102 cyclo drivers in Hoi An. Anyone can check and compare.
The fact that each car costs 500 - 700 million VND is not a sale, but simply an internal person in difficulty, or someone old and weak, then transfers it to an acquaintance who is still in difficulty. The government only manages the total list, the union manages its own personnel.
Miserable as a cyclo
Driver Tran Ngoc Duy (28 years old), residing in Tra Que village (Cam Ha commune), said that he had just returned from military service. In 2021, seeing that his son and his wife had unstable jobs, his father, over 50 years old, gave up his cyclo driving position.
"The union members protect each other and work together. There is no such thing as buying and selling quotas like a commodity. If you have money, you can buy them and then rent them out," said Mr. Duy.
Chairman of the Hoi An Cyclo Union Phan Phuoc Tung said that "only people who drive cyclos have to suffer, no one who is rich would choose this job".
Although he is the chairman, Mr. Tung said he is just "the chairman of the cyclo, a title that sounds like a job title". Every day, Mr. Tung also drives a cyclo to make a living like the others.
"Each portion costs hundreds of millions of dong, but none of us sell it to the public because it is a source of income. It is also humiliating for me to ride a bicycle. Some customers are not satisfied and call me "low-class", and when I see my friends dressed up and traveling, I secretly turn away because I feel ashamed" - Mr. Tung said.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/suat-xich-lo-500-700-trieu-dong-o-hoi-an-nguoi-ta-don-tam-bay-tamp-20241125140932057.htm
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