My family struggles to reach Vietnam’s largest high-speed ferry

The opinion was shared by a reader named Ngoc Kieu Long after news that the high-speed vessel, Vietnam’s largest with a capacity of over 1,000 passengers, will suspend operation from July 29 after two months in operation due to “inefficiency.” The boat’s operator has admitted that the service failed to attract travelers due to poor access to Hiep Phuoc Port.

“On June 12, my family had an unforgettable experience with the Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao high-speed vessel.

Six members in my family including two children under 6 bought four round-trip tickets that cost a total of VND6.6 million (US$258).

At 5 a.m., I drove my car to take my family to Hiep Phuoc Port in the outlying district of Nha Be District.

Around 6:30 a.m., when we were still two kilometers from the port, the road leading to the port was blocked and we could not move further. Contacting with the vessel operator, a female ticket salesperson instructed me to take a side detour.

I turned around and that road was also blocked. After that, I had to run around the internal roads before finally reaching the port. However, we were late so we missed the departure.

While I didn’t know the internal roads of the port and Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park, the staff also made everything difficult as they could not give exact directions.

There were no instruction signs, making it really inconvenient for tourists to find their way.

In my opinion, there should be three instructions signs located at three locations at distances of 30 km, 10 km and 5 km from the port, to make it easier for people.”