Opening of the high-speed ship route from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao

The Thang Long high-speed ship of Phu Quoc Express will depart from Saigon Hiệp Phước Port, Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City at 6 a.m., arriving at Ben Dam Port, Con Dao District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province after 5 hours of sea travel on a distance of 124 nautical miles (230 km).

According to Mr. Vu Van Khuong, General Director of Phu Quoc Express Joint Stock Company, to prepare for this route, since 2022, Phu Quoc Express has newly constructed and launched the Thang Long super high-speed ship with a capacity of up to 1,017 passengers, tasked with transporting passengers from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao. The Thang Long high-speed ship was built by Vietnamese engineers based on the latest international technologies.

The ship was constructed in Hai Phong, with a length of 77.46 meters, consisting of 4 floors, including 2 floors for Eco-class cabins, 1 floor for VIP cabins, and the remaining floor is designated for a space for coffee and relaxation activities on the top floor. The ticket prices from Monday to Thursday are 880,000 VND/way and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are 980,000 VND/way, while VIP tickets are 1,100,000 VND/way.

According to the previous plan, the Thang Long high-speed ship was supposed to be put into operation for the Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao route, but due to waiting for the completion of some procedures, the unit had to temporarily put it into operation on the Vung Tau - Con Dao route. Immediately after the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Maritime Administration approved the proposal to allow the trial operation of passenger transportation by sea on the Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao route, Phu Quoc Express, with prior preparation, suspended the operation of the Thang Long super high-speed ship on the Vung Tau - Con Dao route to carry out inspection and maintenance of the ship (including regular maintenance and periodic maintenance according to the manufacturer's systems of propulsion engines, steering systems, ventilation systems...) to ensure safety when operating the ship at the highest efficiency to put the Thang Long ship into operation on the new route from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao and vice versa.

It is known that Phu Quoc Express has made efforts to coordinate with relevant units under the Department of Transportation, Saigon Hiep Phuoc Port Joint Stock Company... to complete the procedures for announcing the route, inaugurating the terminal at Saigon - Hiep Phuoc Port, and arranging a terminal to serve passengers. At the same time, they have implemented the connection of bus routes and other passenger transport routes from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the Saigon Hiep Phuoc port area in Nha Be District, creating favorable conditions for passengers traveling by train.

From our observation, this maritime route is not only the result of cooperation between Phu Quoc Express and departments in Ho Chi Minh City along with Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, but also the result of preparation and continuous efforts from relevant units in the past. The operation of this ship route is not only a significant step in the development of waterway transportation in Ho Chi Minh City but also contributes to the preservation and development of the culture, history of Con Dao, and Vietnam's tourism industry. Hopefully, this ship route will receive support and attention from the community and become a popular and beloved means of transportation in the future.

According to information, on May 24th, the Department of Transportation of Ho Chi Minh City chaired and, together with relevant agencies, requested businesses to actively coordinate and resolve all outstanding procedures to put the ship route into operation according to the scheduled plan. Currently, Saigon - Hiep Phuoc Port only functions as a cargo port, so the Department of Transportation of Ho Chi Minh City, together with businesses, proposed to the Ministry of Transport to allow a trial to supplement the function of a passenger port at this port to enable high-speed ship to operate.