River buses in Ho Chi Minh City have been upgraded into a new tourism product, taking tourists to enjoy the riverside city by double-decker train.
The new waterway tourism product “Saigon River Sightseeing” was launched to residents and tourists of Ho Chi Minh City at the end of December. This is an upgraded tourism product from the Saigon Waterbus, with differences in the river journey, the Ship services and space are expanded to the 2nd floor.
Mr. Nguyen Kim Toan, Director of Thuong Nhat Company, the owner of river buses and double-decker river buses, said that the waterway tourism product “Saigon River Sightseeing” takes tourists on a cruise on the Saigon River through central areas. heart. From Nha Rong wharf, the ship passes through large projects such as Nha Rong wharf, Bitexco building, Landmark building, Ba Son bridge (Thu Thiem 2 bridge) and famous locations along the banks of the Saigon River. The train stops at Thu Thiem train station, Thu Duc City, for tourists to admire the scenery and returns passengers to Bach Dang wharf.
The current operating frequency is 6-10 trips per day, each trip has a duration of 45-50 minutes. Currently, the journey costs from 179,000 VND to 339,000 VND per seat class, including train journey, passenger insurance, and buffet drinks on the train.
“The journey not only takes visitors to enjoy the beauty of the river, but visitors can also listen to the river tell stories, the story of the Saigon River 300 years on the wharf under the boat forming and developing,” Mr. Kim Toan said. .
Ms. Kim Lien, living in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that on weekends she often takes the river bus with her family. Hearing that the city has double-decker buses, she booked a ticket to try it out on December 24. Ms. Lien said that the second floor area is different from regular river buses, the services on the train are also more diverse, and the journey has a tour guide introducing the destinations the train passes. The ticket price is much more expensive than a regular river bus but is commensurate with the service received and is cheaper than a dinner cruise ticket.
Mr. Kim Toan said all wharf and ship systems are considered “hardware”, shaping urban architectural planning and also shaping services around the wharf. A wharf opens, many services around the wharf benefit.
“The Saigon WaterGo product or Saigon River Sighseeing river tour introduced this time is ‘software’, which will be continuously updated and developed to meet the increasing needs of domestic and foreign tourists.” , Mr. Toan said.