There's a river, there are boats, but... there's no dock.
Ho Chi Minh City has four waterway tourist routes under 10km, of which the route to Binh Quoi currently has more than 20 businesses operating. This route has been fully invested in and includes the following piers: Cau Mong - Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi, Bach Dang, Tan Cang, Thao Dien, Binh Quoi 1, and Binh Quoi 2.
This route is becoming increasingly popular with tourists due to its sightseeing services, diverse culinary offerings, and stunning views of the city center at night.
The tourist route to District 7 also attracts many businesses, such as the Evergreen marina project (Phu My ward, District 7); the Viet Star marina (Tan Phong ward, District 7); and the South Saigon marina. The inner-city tourist route on the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal has 25 boats with a capacity of 7-40 people, with an average passenger volume of 1,000 passengers per month at each dock…
Next, the route to Cu Chi includes the main destination of the Cu Chi Tunnels historical site, eco-tourism gardens along the Saigon River, and a combination of visits to some places in Binh Duong and Tay Ninh ...
In addition, Ho Chi Minh City has 72 tourist boats and canoes, 6 high-speed passenger ships, and 4 water buses, operating an average of 50 river bus trips per day with 2,500 passengers, mainly tourists; along with routes to the Mekong Delta and through Cambodia.
Statistics show a bustling and diverse waterway transport sector, but many operating businesses are complaining. Mr. Nguyen Kim Toan, Director of Thuong Nhat Co., Ltd., the operator of river bus route No. 1, said that many passengers on this route are dissatisfied because the number of stops is too small. This limits the interaction between waterway and road transport for people, especially for combining it with sightseeing and tourism along the route.
Specifically, the design for river bus route No. 1, running from Bach Dang Wharf (District 1) to Thu Duc City, includes 9 stops, but currently only 4 stops are operational. The remaining stops have not yet had their planning approved or land allocated to investors for implementation...
Mr. An Son Lam, owner of the Indochina sailing fleet, shared that the closure of Bach Dang Wharf and some other wharves in District 4 indirectly forces businesses into a situation where they have to sell their vessels.
Meanwhile, according to Mr. Phan Xuan Anh, Director of Saigon Boat Company, an enterprise operating inland waterways for tourism, the city currently has rivers and boats but lacks wharves and accompanying infrastructure. This is a bottleneck for the development of the waterway economy.
There should be flexibility in licensing waterways.
Regarding the shortage of wharves, according to the leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, in recent years, waterway transport and tourism activities in the city have developed into various forms such as passenger transport and tourism by high-speed boats on fixed routes; passenger transport and tourism under contract; and cross-river passenger transport.
Notably, sea transport for tourists has also developed strongly, aiming to serve international tourists from around the world who come to visit Vietnam.
According to Bui Hoa An, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the city has many waterways located right in the center, making it very convenient for passenger transport and tourism by waterway, such as the Saigon River, Te Canal, Doi Canal, Tau Hu Canal, and Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal…
In addition, international cruise ships with large numbers of tourists can enter the city center directly at the Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi port area without needing to transfer passengers, helping to reduce pressure on road traffic and increase the time tourists can spend in the city center.
Therefore, the biggest challenge in developing inland waterway transport should be prioritized for resolution. Accordingly, the Law on Inland Waterway Transport requires inland waterway terminals to conform to sectoral and other planning, but since there is no sectoral plan, they must be based on the city's zoning plan. In reality, the zoning plan is still subject to approval by relevant departments and local authorities...
Another issue worth mentioning is the limited land available for investing in the construction of ports, wharves, and technical logistics services to support passenger and tourist transport; there is also no mechanism for allocating or leasing land for the construction of inland waterway wharves and related auxiliary facilities to serve the development of passenger transport combined with tourism by waterway.
To date, the city has approved 411 locations for inland waterway terminals in Thu Duc City and its districts; local authorities are currently updating these locations into the zoning plan.
Nevertheless, businesses still hope that the city will soon complete the planning of wharves and docks to create momentum for investment, exploitation, and development of waterway transport and tourism.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ben-thuy-noi-dia-cho-quy-hoach-post797547.html
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