New heli-ride rotates perspective on Red River

Northern Helicopter Company, run by Vietnam Helicopter Corporation, has inaugurated its new "Song Hong (Red River) HeliTour," granting visitors a rare glimpse of Hanoi’s water artery, company director Nguyen Nhat Huyen said on Tuesday.

The river originates in China’s Yunnan Province, dissecting Hanoi and several provinces in northern Vietnam before hitting the Gulf of Tonkin.

With numerous tributaries, the Red River Delta encompasses a major agricultural area mainly devoted to rice, infamous for experiencing violent floods and seasonal fluctuations.

The tour, featuring the U.S.-made Bell-505 helicopter, will lift-off from Gia Lam airfield, 15 minutes from downtown Hanoi, and cross major attractions including Long Bien Bridge, Nhat Tan Bridge, Co Loa ancient citadel and Bat Trang pottery village.

The service is available daily, serving tourists from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at VND3.5 million ($151) per person.

Life on the Red River bank is viewed from Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi. Photo by Shutterstock/Ha Anh.

The tour kicks off several months after the company launched its successful Ha Long equivalent in May, allowing travelers an aerial perspective of UNESCO natural heritage site Ha Long Bay including the Thien Cung Cave and Ti Top Island, as well as Bai Tu Long, a lesser-known neighbor of the bay.

Hanoi, a top tourist destination in the country, boasts architectural gems like Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage site; Hanoi Opera House; Vietnam Fine Arts Museum; and Nhat Tan Bridge.

The city, which hosted the historic second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February, received six million foreign visitors in the first 11 months of this 2019, up 12 percent year-on-year.