Ho Chi Minh City wants boats to sell coffee, bread, and noodles on the river.

Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just issued a plan to develop waterway tourism products in Ho Chi Minh City for the period 2023-2025.

The above plan aims to exploit waterway tourism on all Saigon river routes (Nha Be, Soai Rap, Long Tau) by 2025, connecting Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Tien Giang, Long An, Ben Tre and inner-city canals with at least 10 waterway tourism programs; exploiting tourism connecting from seaports to river routes.

In the period of 2023-2024, Ho Chi Minh City will improve and enhance the quality of existing waterway tourism products, including:

- Short-range tourism products (river tours, inland waterway tourism routes with a radius of less than 10 km): Tourist route to Binh Quoi (route from Bach Dang Wharf - Saigon River - Thanh Da Canal - Thanh Da Wharf, Binh Quoi... and vice versa); Inland tourism route Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe (route from Thi Nghe Wharf upstream to Candaransi Pagoda Wharf on Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal and vice versa).

- Group of mid-range tourism products (river tours with a radius of 10 km to under 60 km): Tourist route to Cu Chi (route from Bach Dang wharf - Saigon River - Thanh Da canal - Saigon River - Dinh wharf, Duoc wharf in Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Relic Site); Tourist route to Can Gio (route from Bach Dang wharf - Saigon River - Nha Be River - Long Tau River - Dinh Ba River - Lo Ren River - Vam Sat River - Soai Rap River).

Ho Chi Minh City has many advantages in developing waterway tourism. (Photo: Hoang Giam)

In the period of 2024-2025, Ho Chi Minh City will invest in building and developing new waterway tourism products.

For example, in the group of short-range tourism products: Route to District 7 (route direction from Cau Mong wharf/Bach Dang wharf - Saigon River - Te Canal - Ong Lon Canal - Dia Canal), adding inland waterway wharves on the route: Cu Lao Nguyen Kieu wharf, Ton Duc Thang University wharf, Trung Son Residential Area wharf, Him Lam Park wharf...

Group of mid-range tourism products: Tourist route to Thu Duc City (route direction from Bach Dang wharf - Saigon River - Chiec canal - Trau Trau canal - Ong Nhieu canal - Tac river - Dong Nai river - Hoi Son pagoda wharf).

Long-range tourism products (from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces in the region): waterway routes departing from the city center such as: Saigon port, Bach Dang wharf, Cau Mong wharf... to provinces such as: Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Can Tho and Chau Doc - An Giang route to connect through Cambodia.

According to the plan, it is estimated that the number of waterway tourists to Ho Chi Minh City in 2023 and 2024 will reach about 500,000 visitors/year and increase by about 10% in the following years. Revenue from waterway tourism in 2023 and 2024 will reach about 300 billion VND/year and increase by 10% in the following years.

The number of international visitors arriving by sea to Ho Chi Minh City in 2023 and 2024 will reach about 100,000 and increase by about 12-15% in the following years. Tourism revenue from sea in 2023 and 2024 will reach VND500 billion/year and increase by about 12% in the following years.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City also has a plan to invest in new products and supporting services in the 2023-2025 period.

Accordingly, the locality mobilizes and supports investors in the "Coffee Boat" project and mobile fast food on waterways to serve the needs of people and tourists to create diversity and richness for tourism products.

Ho Chi Minh City wants to form inland waterway tourism routes serving typical cuisine of the South and some regions (such as Saigon bread boat, noodle boat, pho boat, Southern pancake boat...), combined with artistic activities on the boat such as amateur music, bamboo flute... to serve the culinary needs of city residents and tourists.

Tran Chung - Ho Van

Western tourists travel to Vietnam 14 times without getting bored, praise cheap prices, delicious food Returning to Vietnam for the 14th time with a month-long journey of discovery, an Australian tourist was impressed with the vibrant life in many big cities such as Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, ... and the diverse, delicious, affordable cuisine.

Source