Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Same planet, different worlds…
When it comes to transport, the ultimate symbol of wealth and luxury on four wheels is undoubtedly the Rolls Royce and Hoang Khai – the man behind Khai Silk – is the proud owner of Vietnam’s first ever Rolls Royce car after splashing out over $600,000. According to the Thanh Nien translation of a Tuoi Tre story, the used, 2006-model Phantom, is a four-door sedan equipped with a 453hp, 6.75-liter cylinder V12 engine and six gears. Quoted on Yahoo at $328,750 it got nailed with import tax, luxury-item tax (a.ka. you’re-filthy-rich-and-can-afford-this-tax), and 10 per cent value-added tax. Several buyers in Ho Chi Minh City were interested but Khai out bid them all offering an undisclosed fee.

Holy moley there's a lot of rich people around in expensive cars. The same hummer keeps on driving past me near Truc Bach lake. A bleeding Hummer? says you. Yes, the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is needed to negotiate that bumpy stretch of road by the Sofitel Plaza.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Have you ever met the man behind Khai Silk? I'd be more than happy to tell you a story or two when we next meet for a bia...