The boat service run by Phu Quoc Express can accommodate 1,017 passengers per trip. Despite being on Saturday, the boat was quite deserted.
The Saigon-Con Dao boat service (Photo by NLD)
According to some passengers, the service is good, but the distance between the centre of HCM City to Saigon-Hiep Phuoc Port in Nha Be District is still quite far. Therefore, many passengers have to spend hundreds of thousands of VND on taxis.
Although the operator offers a transit bus service from the September 23 Park in HCM City’s District 1 to the Saigon-Hiep Phuoc Port from 5 am to those who want to use the express boat service; However, in many cases, passengers often cancel their bookings close to the departure time. For instance, a group of 55 passengers booked the transit service, requiring the company to arrange two passenger buses, but on the departure day, just some used the service, leaving one vehicle unused.
Vu Van Khuong, general director of Phu Quoc Express, said that initially, the firm expected the passenger numbers to reach 80 percent of the capacity on normal days and 100 percent at weekends. However, the rate is now less than 50 percent.
Regarding the opinion that Nha Rong Port which is near HCM City’s centre should be used to replace Saigon-Hiep Phuoc Port, Khuong explained Nha Rong Port only allows boats and ships to travel at 8 nautical miles per hour, whereas at Saigon-Hiep Phuoc Port, ships and boats can travel at 32 nautical miles per hour. So, the travel time would be longer. Meanwhile, in many countries, seaports are located to the outskirts to avoid congestion in city centres.
