A ferry service between Cần Giờ District in HCM City and Vũng Tàu in the coastal southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu is expected to start operating by the end of December. — Photo courtesy of the HCM City Department of Transport

HCM CITY — A ferry service between HCM City’s Cần Giờ District and Vũng Tàu city in the coastal southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu will be put into service by the end of December.

Nguyễn Quốc Chánh, director of Quốc Chánh Company, the project developer, said the ferry terminals at both ends of the Cần Giờ-Vũng Tàu route have been completed and the inauguation of the ferry route is planned for December 29.

“The ferry’s test run is expected to take place on December 25,” he said.

The ferry, 45m long and 10m wide, has a maximum speed of 43km per hour. It can carry passengers as well as cargo. 

Initially, two large-sized ferries will be able to carry 350 people, 20 cars, 100 motorbikes and goods. There will be 24 trips a day with one-hour intervals.

The 15km trip will take half an hour. A trip by bus from HCM City’s city centre to Vũng Tàu usually takes two hours.

The ticket price is expected to range between VNĐ50,000 (US$2) and VNĐ70,000 ($3). Different fares will apply, depending on whether customers use motorbikes or cars, according to Chánh.

The ferry was originally scheduled to open on April 30, but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the provincial Department of Transport, road infrastructure near the ferry terminal in Vũng Tàu will be improved.

Currently, hydrofoil services and coaches operate between the city and Vũng Tàu.

The new ferry will offer a convenient means of travel for locals and visitors travelling between the two cities.

There is huge demand for travel from HCM City to Vũng Tàu, which is 120km away.

Chánh, director of the ferry operator, Quốc Chánh Company Limited, said the sea route would boost tourism in Cần Giờ and Vũng Tàu, which are top tourist destinations in the south.

Developing waterway transport to reduce traffic pressure on roads, especially on weekends and holidays, is one of HCM City’s major transport goals. — VNS