Tour agencies in Saigon are calling for the municipal administration to construct more ports in the city to accommodate large cruise ships.
According to VietnamNet, the current lack of appropriate ports in Saigon is making it difficult for the southern metropolis to receive ships. Before 2009, Nha Rong Wharf in District 4 serviced large cruise vessels which held several thousand passengers.
However, when the Phu My Bridge was completed that year, such vessels were no longer able to enter the Saigon River. Instead, they had to dock at ports in peripheral areas like Rau Qua, Navi-oil and Hiep Phuoc Ports.
In recent years, however, even that has become impossible since the volume of cargo going through these ports has increased significantly, rendering them too busy to receive cruise ships. Now huge tourist ships have to dock in Vung Tau, after which visitors take shuttle buses to Saigon.
Therefore, travel firms are requesting more ports in Saigon in order to capitalize on the tourism opportunities being missed by this complicated system. Currently, ships that arrive in Vung Tau must leave during the day, while cruise ships that previously docked in Saigon spent the night in the city, allowing tourists to spend more on local services and products.
[Photo via Ponant]
