Editor's note: Happy April Fools' Day! This article was part of Saigoneer's 2019 April Fools' Day celebration. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the writer’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
A new construction company in Quang Binh is taking Vietnam’s cable cars to new heights — pun intended.
At a press conference held last Friday, March 29, Very Good Building & Development Co. announced that it recently submitted for approval an ultra-ambitious proposal for a cable car route linking Saigon and Hanoi, named VinaCable. A Very Good representative tells Saigoneer that funding for the project will come from crypto-blockchain technology, but refused to elaborate when queried about how much it will cost.
Vietnam is no stranger to outrageous cable car proposals, as many seem to think that it’s a one-size-fits-all solution to the country’s chronic traffic woes, but Very Good’s project will put previous plans to shame. Instead of letting the cable cabins dangle on wires like wet laundry, VinaCable will make use of the most cutting-edge space travel technology devised by NASA to allow the cabins to float in space.
Head of Very Good Department of Research and Development Do Minh Tien shares that, once inside the cabin, passengers will be elevated beyond the typical cable car height into the stratosphere, some 50 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The cabins then travel at a speed of five meters per second over the 1,137 kilometers between Saigon and Hanoi.
“The trip will take less than 64 hours, with provided meals, entertainment and space toilets,” Tien explains. “Obviously, this will take a while, so I don’t recommend using this service for your business trips, but if you’re into being trapped in an enclosed space for an extended period of time with your family, this will be perfect for you.”
According to Very Good Founder and CEO Bon Quang Son, if greenlit, VinaCable will be the world’s first cable car in space, putting Vietnam on the world map of astronomical advancement. “Many made fun of me years ago when we first began the project,” Son reminisces as a single tear rolls down his left cheek. “Now I’m making a space cable car, bitches.”
The site for the cable car system’s Saigon Terminal is likely to be based in the Thu Thiem Peninsula, while the Hanoi Terminal might be located near a station on the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Metro Line. While it’s unclear where the exact locations will be or when construction will begin, Very Good has gotten permission to cut down all trees in the area just in case.
News of the space cable car has since made international headlines, garnering positive reactions from the international space community. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tells Saigoneer via Twitter that he’s “stoked” about the project. “I really admire what you guys are doing,” Musk says. “But anyway I already ordered my team to make an alternative cable car and install it there in case you need it.”
[Photo/CC BY]
