A ferry service between HCM City’s Can Gio District and Vung Tau City in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau began on Monday.
A ferry service began yesterday (Jan 4) between HCM City’s outlying Can Gio District and Vung Tau. — Photo courtesy of the HCM City Department of Transport
The 15km trip will take half an hour compared to three and a half hours by road.
The service to Vung Tau from the outlying district’s Tac Suat Wharf will initially have two ferries operating at one-hour intervals and making 24 trips a day.
With double decks, the 45m long and 10m wide vessels can carry up to 190 people at a maximum speed of 43km per hour.
They can also transport around 10 cars, 50 motorbikes and goods.
The fares will range from VND50,000 to VND1 million depending on whether customers use their own vehicles.
It does not carry container trucks. The fare is VND50,000 for motorbikes and bicycles, VND350,000 for four-seat cars and semi-trucks, VND450,000 for seven- to 20-seat cars, VND600,000 for 20- to 26-seat vehicles, and VND800,000 for vehicles with 26 seats or more.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, said the new ferry would offer a convenient means of travel between the two cities, for which there is huge demand.
It also helps ease the pressure on road routes like the HCM City - Long Thanh – Dau Giay expressway and Highway 51 in Dong Nai Province, he said.
“The new service will improve Can Gio’s connectivity with neighbouring provinces and boost tourism in Can Gio and Vung Tau, top destinations in the south.”
The service was originally scheduled to start on April 30, but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Currently hydrofoil services and buses operate between the city and Vung Tau.
Developing waterway transport to reduce pressure on roads, especially on weekends and holidays, is one of HCM City’s major transport ambitions.
