Unregistered electric cars to be grounded in central beach town

At a meeting Wednesday with businesses that use the vehicles to serve tourists, Doan Tien Dung, the town chairman, said the cars need to be properly registered to ensure safety.

Several businesses want the deadline to be extended so that they could register or repair the vehicles or buy new ones.

Tran Ngoc Duong, who operates two old electric cars, said one does not have papers while the other has parts that do not meet registration standards.

"If many tourists come in a year, our family earns around VND60 million. If the cars are grounded we will face a tough situation."

Electric cars have been used in Cua Lo since 2011, when the government approved their trial to serve tourists.

The trial, with 110 cars in operation, lasted until 2014. Then the number of cars increased to 447 as businesses and even individuals began to buy them.

In 2016 the province handed the management of the cars to town authorities.

While the cars do transport tourists around, many of them are degraded or lack documentation, and some are parked illegally.

Last December the town drew up plans for managing them, and one of the requirements is registration. Owners who cannot get their vehicles registered have been offered the option of buying new ones.

Cua Lo is a popular tourist town, which has a four-kilometer beach that attracts 13,000-15,000 people daily in summer.