HANOI, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A joint venture in Vietnam has been allowed to offer double-decker buses and airport transport services in seven cities and provinces whose tourism sectors are thriving.
The Transport Ministry has agreed in principle to allow Hai Van, a transport joint venture between a Vietnamese firm and a Singaporean company, to offer the services on a trial basis in five years in Hanoi, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Thua Thien Hue, Lam Dong, Kien Giang and Ho Chi Minh City, daily newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer) reported on Tuesday.
The joint venture will run many open top double-decker buses mainly to serve tourists, and other kinds of buses to transport people between the localities' centers and airports.
According to some local experts, the fact that the ministry has so far permitted only one firm to launch the services may lead to business monopoly.
Vietnam transported 317 million passengers in January, up 7.7 percent against January 2016, said the country's General Statistics Office.
Specifically, its road transport sector served 297.6 million passengers, up 7.7 percent.
