New Viet cable car judged longest, highest

DANANG, Vietnam, March 25 (UPI) -- The new Ba Na cable car system in Danang, Vietnam, is officially the longest single-string system in the world, The Guinness World Records organization says.

Guinness also has determined the Ba Na system, which was inaugurated Wednesday, is the highest cable car in the world, sporting the biggest height differential between its departure and arrival stations, the Voice of Vietnam reported.

With a total length of more than 16,500 feet and a height difference of more than 4,230 feet between its upper and lower stations, the Ba Na system was launched at a ceremony attended by State President Nguyen Minh Triet and many other Vietnamese and foreign officials, the state broadcaster said.

Transit officials say it takes 15 minutes to ride up Ba Na Mountain on the cable car, compared with 55 minutes by car along a narrow, winding road. The Voice of Vietnam said the project was built to European standards with Austrian technology and equipment imported from Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden.