Tours to Opera House put on hold

HÀ NỘI — Tours to Hà Nội’s Opera House, a historic landmark in the capital, have been put on hold after less than a year.

According to a source from the Opera House, tours had been put on hold while repair work was taking place, and would resume in early September.

The tour was run twice a week on Mondays and Fridays and lasted for 90 minutes, costing VNĐ400,000 (US$18).

When asked about the possibility of reducing the price, the official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “We are still running an experimental tour and haven’t decided a fixed price yet. It depends on the art programme, which has not been staged yet.”

“The tour is not that interesting and the price is fairly high so travel agencies haven’t shown much interest,” said Lê Đức Phong, director of a travel agency in Hà Nội.

“I have a feeling that the Opera House tour staff are still very busy with the shows and don’t have time for the tours.”

Lưu Đức Kế from the Hà Nội Tourism Corporation siad that if the tours were only 15-20 minutes, reasonably priced and aimed at domestic guesses, they would be better.

“I find the tour is half Vietnamese, half foreign,” said Bùi Thị Nhàn, director of Sea Ecology Tourism Company. “The price is more suitable for foreigners than Vietnamese people, but the show is not really suitable for foreign tourists.”

The Opera House was built in 1901 and completed in 1911 by the French following the design of the Opera Garnier in Paris. It has been assessed as one of the most beautiful buildings in Southeast Asia. The house is one of the most opulent building in Hà Nội, and houses major events, meetings and high-class performances by domestic and world artists. — VNS