Vietnamese tourists paragliding and watching 'Crash Landing on You' for 5 million VND

During her 4 days in Switzerland, Thanh Tu stopped by Interlaken to skydive and see the scenery in the movie "Crash Landing on You" with its blue lake and majestic Alps.

Paragliding is a popular outdoor sport in the town of Interlaken, Switzerland. This place became more popular with Asian tourists in general and Vietnamese tourists in particular after appearing in the Korean drama "Crash Landing on You", which aired in 2019.

Thanh Tu, who lives in Hanoi, spent 3 weeks traveling around Europe from the beginning of June. Her itinerary included 4 days in Switzerland, visiting the city of Zurich and the town of Interlaken. This town is located between the emerald-green Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, surrounded by majestic mountains. Tu learned about paragliding at tourist destinations through watching movies and reading newspapers, and this was her first time participating in this outdoor sport.

To get to Interlaken, Ms. Tu said that tourists can take a train from France, Germany, Austria, Italy and stop at one of three major stations in Switzerland including Zurich, Geneva or Bern then transfer to Interlaken. The temperature here is colder than other areas in Europe in the summer and Ms. Tu has to buy an extra life jacket to keep warm.

Before coming here, Ms. Tu booked paragliding tickets online, according to the advice of experienced travelers, booking 1-2 weeks in advance. The number of participants is limited because each person flies with an instructor pilot.

Paragliding services are popular in Switzerland, with pilots accompanying you. Photo: Thanh Tu — Paragliding services are popular in Switzerland, with pilots accompanying you. Photo: *Thanh Tu*

There are currently three local companies offering paragliding packages. Ms. Tu booked her ticket on paragliding-interlaken.ch. Then she selected the items "summer - air activities Interlaken - tandem paragliding Interlaken - paragliding big blue summer" in turn. The "tandem paragliding" style is usually for those new to paragliding. The player will start from a gentle slope. Professional players usually start from the top of a hill or a cliff.

Next, choose the flight date and time. Ms. Tu chose 9:30 a.m. to clearly observe the whole view of Interlaken from above. The ticket price for one trip is 190 CHF (5 million VND). Tourists pay an additional 40 CHF (1 million VND) for taking photos and filming during the flight.

Once your booking is complete, the airline will send you an email confirming payment and hotel pick-up time. Return transfers are not available.

"At around 8:15 a.m., the service provider picked me up at the hotel. At that time, I was still quite nervous because it was my first time playing this adventure game," said Ms. Tu. She then asked the driver "does this game give you a heart attack?" and received a counter-question "are you scared of flying?" with the affirmation "it's very safe."

It takes about 20 minutes to travel from the center of Interlaken to the paragliding site in the village of Beatenberg, located halfway up the mountain.

Along the way is the typical Swiss landscape with the Alps covered with hills and coniferous trees. The road goes through many bends where you can observe the blue lake Thun in the distance.

Upon arrival at the meeting point in the village of Beatenberg, each visitor will be introduced to their own pilot instructor. The pilot will fly alongside the visitor to control the parachute and ensure safety. Participants only need to follow the pilot's instructions to "run quickly when taking off and stand still when landing".

Interlaken view from above. Photo: Thanh Tu — Interlaken view from above. Photo: *Thanh Tu*

Paragliding uses a type of paraglider without an engine, which operates based on wind speed. Just running about 20-25 steps, the wind will lift the parachute high.

"When I was in the air, I realized the kite was flying quite slowly. During takeoff, I didn't feel any loss of footing or shock," said Ms. Tu.

From the slopes of Beatenberg Mountain, a few hundred meters above the ground, Ms. Tu can observe the peaceful wooden houses, the crystal clear Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the snow-white Alps.

After flying for about half an hour and before landing, the pilot will ask the player "if you want to try some adventurous paragliding stunts". Ms. Tu "feared dizziness" so she refused. She said that if the tourist agrees to continue flying, they need to pay the pilot an additional fee.

Ms. Tu said "the experience of admiring the Swiss landscape from above is very valuable".

You can paraglide in Switzerland at any time of the year. However, in winter, you need to wear warm clothes. In summer, you should dress lightly but still wear a life jacket because of the cold wind at high altitudes. You should choose clothes that are easy to move in, tie your hair neatly and bring sunglasses. Paragliding tours with pilots usually provide specialized shoes and life jackets to keep you warm in winter.

With its mountainous terrain, visitors can paragliding in many other locations in Switzerland such as Luzern, Zürich or Zermatt.

Bich Phuong

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