By the end of this year, Saigoneers will no longer be able to take a hydrofoil to Vung Tau.
VnExpress reports the four hydrofoils currently plying the route from Saigon to Vung Tau will stop operations when their permits expire in late December. Authorities from both cities have asked the central government to extend the permits, but there is no word on whether this may happen.
The hydrofoil service used to be a very popular way to get to the beach, according to the news source. At one point, 21 boats transported around 500,000 passengers a year between the two southern cities, however their popularity began to wane after a fire on a VinaExpress hydrofoil in January 2014 forced 85 passengers and seven crew members to jump ship.
VnExpress also explains that increased competition from bus companies has severely hurt the hydrofoil business, especially since the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway opened early last year. It takes about 90 minutes to reach Vung Tau via hydrofoil and tickets cost at least VND200,000, while bus trips take just under two hours and cost less than VND100,000.
