Cyclo fare 500-700 million VND in Hoi An: People say it's nonsense

Public opinion is buzzing with information that each cyclo driver or boat rower position in Hoi An's Old 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 25th - Photo: BD

At 10 am on November 25th, nearly 20 cyclos were parked in a row next to the Hoai River square, with their entrances facing south towards Hoi An Old Town.

In the drizzling rain, some people sat perched on the floor, others pulled their hoods over their backs and dozed off in their seats, but they immediately jumped up when a customer approached to inquire about a ride.

The injustice suffered by rickshaw drivers.

When asked about the widely publicized information regarding "bribes" for securing a cyclo ride to transport tourists , the owners of these low-paying cyclos said, "That's nonsense."

"If I had that much money, why would I bother driving a cyclo? I still remember vividly what my 74-year-old father-in-law said to me a few years ago when he passed on his cyclo-driving job to me."

"He said, 'Riding a cyclo is the lowest profession in society, second only to taking care of children.' But I still try my best to ride for my wife and children," said Mr. Nguyen Nho Lan, 63, residing at 60/6 Phan Chu Trinh (Hoi An).

Mr. Lan's father-in-law, Mr. Huynh Hue, used to work as a construction worker for a road and bridge construction company. After leaving the company in 1997, Mr. Hue started driving a cyclo (rickshaw).

At the age of 74, seeing the difficult circumstances of his son-in-law and his wife, Mr. Hue handed over his cyclo driving job to his son.

"I work myself to exhaustion from morning till night. Some days I earn 700,000 dong, other days 500,000 dong. By calculating everything, I average about 12-15 million dong a month. Anyone who wants a higher income has to work from morning till night, but who has the stamina to do that?" - Mr. Lan said.

Mr. Truong Manh, 32 years old, residing at 60 Thai Phien Street (Hoi An), started his driving job in 2018. His uncle, Mr. Truong Dong, transferred his driving position to him.

"All 102 drivers here know each other. They're all from struggling families, or have contributed to the revolution, or are retired soldiers... Instead of working as a construction worker, I earn 10-15 million dong a month driving a cyclo."

"The couple has a relatively stable life in Hoi An. No one in the cyclo drivers' union would spend billions of dong to buy a passenger transport slot," said Mr. Manh.

Even with money, you can't buy a cyclo ride in Hoi An.

Confirming that the current value of each cyclo driving job in Hoi An is around 500-700 million VND, Mr. Phan Phuoc Tung, chairman of the Hoi An Cyclo Drivers' Union, said that there have been a few such transfers of ownership. However, these are usually family members or fellow drivers sharing a means of livelihood.

The person to whom the transfer is made must meet certain criteria, such as being unemployed, a demobilized soldier, or having a family with a history of service to the revolution...

Specifically, each person is only allowed to own one cyclo driving license and has their own vehicle registration certificate and vehicle code for management purposes. The person who buys the license is also the owner of the vehicle and must personally transport passengers; they are not allowed to hire someone else.

"No one with money would buy a rickshaw slot and then hire someone else to drive it for profit. If the rickshaw union allowed that, they would be shooting themselves in the foot."

"We are grateful to the government; we don't have to pay anything, and on the contrary, we receive encouragement and assistance when we are in difficulty. Yet, people are spreading false rumors," Mr. Tung said.

A cyclo driver waits for customers in Hoi An - Photo: BD

Mr. Tung stated that he and his colleagues have a clear understanding of the current list of 102 cyclo drivers in Hoi An. Anyone can check and verify it.

The fact that each vehicle is priced at 500-700 million VND is not a sale, but rather an internal arrangement where someone is facing difficulties, or someone elderly or infirm is transferring their vehicle to an acquaintance who is also struggling. The government only manages the overall list, while the union manages its own personnel.

Life is tough for rickshaw drivers.

Driver Tran Ngoc Duy (28 years old), residing in Tra Que village (Cam Ha commune), said that he had returned from military service. In 2021, seeing that his son and daughter-in-law had unstable jobs, his father, who is over 50 years old, gave up his cyclo driving job.

"The members of the union protect and support each other in their business endeavors; there's no such thing as buying and selling quotas like a commodity, where you can just buy them and then sublet them if you have the money," Duy said.

The chairman of the Hoi An cyclo drivers' union, Phan Phuoc Tung, said, "Only those who suffer hardship become cyclo drivers; no rich person would choose this profession."

Although he is the chairman, Mr. Tung says he is just "the chairman of a cyclo driver, a title that sounds fitting for his profession and status." Every day, Mr. Tung also drives a cyclo to earn a living like the other drivers.

"Each booking costs hundreds of millions of dong, but none of us sell them to outsiders because it's our livelihood. Cycling is humiliating; some customers are dissatisfied and call us 'lowlifes,' and when we see our friends dressed elegantly and traveling, we secretly turn away because we feel ashamed," Mr. Tung said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/suat-xich-lo-500-700-trieu-dong-o-hoi-an-nguoi-ta-don-tam-bay-tam-ba-20241125140932057.htm