Several floating restaurants on the West Lake in Hanoi are still operating despite having had their licenses suspended by authorities for safety reasons.

In early August, a working group run by the Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam Register and the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration conducted an inspection of four floating restaurants on West Lake. The results showed that three out of four, including Tay Long 3, Potomac and Nang Tien Ca 1 failed to meet inland waterway safety regulations and their licenses were expired.

Nang Tien Ca 1 restaurant failed to provide any of the required documents. So, it was suspended operation and its dossier was sent to Tay Ho District Police.

Nang Tien Ca 1 floating restaurant

However, the restaurant continues to operate and attracts a wide range of customers.

In order to avoid attention, they close most of the doors and use dim lighting and curtains. Still, staff can be seen inside serving customers at large parties.

Other restaurants, such as Potomac, Cruose, and Eureca, also continue their businesses.

Pham Ngoc Tien, of the Hanoi municipal Department of Transport, said, none of these floating restaurants on West Lake are licensed for inland waterway services.

“Licenses for inland waterway services are valid for one year and all these facilities’ licenses were expired,” Tien noted.

Concerning Nang Tien Ca 1, Tien said that this is an anchored ship that was upgraded into a floating restaurant. “We find it difficult to deal with these violations because ownership often changes. Upon inspection it is difficult to find the responsible parties."

Nguyen Duc Du, from the Ministry of Public Security, said Nang Tien Ca 1 poses serious safety risks.

“The incident that occurred on Din Ky floating restaurant in Binh Duong Province in 2011 is an example of why such safety concerns should be dealt with,” Du added