A ferry carrying passengers and goods plies on the Can Gio-Vung Tau route – PHOTO: NLDO

HCMC – The ferry service linking HCMC’s outlying district of Can Gio and neighboring Vung Tau City has seen an increase in the number of passengers and goods after nearly two months of operations, prompting the service operator to consider adding more ferries to meet the rising travel demand.

Data from the Inland Waterway Port Authority for Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province showed that over 400 ferry trips carrying some 31,000 passengers had been operated on the route from January 4 to February 17, with more than 200 trips transporting 15,500 passengers during the recent Lunar New Year holiday.

Given the rising number of passengers and commodities, the operator had to add one-three more trips on the weekends.

Quoc Chanh One Member Limited Liability Company, which is the investor and operator of the ferry project, said that it planned to put four more ferries into operation from 2021 to 2022. The company expects to put 12 ferries into service in 2024.

The company operates 25 daily trips using two ferries on the route. It will take passengers around 30 minutes to travel on the 15-kilometer-long ferry route.