Vietnamese getting taste for fancy cars

REUTERS , HANOI
Thursday, May 27, 2004,Page 12

Le Anh Hung is doing what his father and grandfather only dreamed of.

Sitting in a plush BMW showroom, the 32-year-old owner of a fire protection business in communist Vietnam watched with satisfaction as clerks counted his US$50,000 stack of US bills, to be exchanged for a gleaming new black car.

Hanoi, once renowned for its colonial charm and bicycles, now features the purr of luxury cars such as Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and even Hollywood's brawny vehicle of choice, the military-based Hummer.

"The car is not just a means of transport any more, it has to be fast and be a statement about yourself," Hung said.

Unlike in neighboring Thailand and Malaysia, the sight of an expensive sedan is still relatively rare in Vietnam, a country where average income still ranks among the world's lowest, around US$400 a year.

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