Hai Phong: Building a railway tour connecting the century-old station

That is the "Port Visit Train" tour connecting Hai Phong Station and Hoang Dieu Port, which is being piloted by the Hai Phong Tourism Association from mid-May 2024.

Since the Hai Phong City Tour with the focus on food tours "took off", on weekends and holidays, Hai Phong Station welcomes thousands of tourists to visit, experience and enjoy local specialties.

Talking to Nguoi Dua Tin , Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh - Permanent Vice President of Hai Phong Tourism Association, said that, based on the needs of domestic and international tourists as well as promoting Hai Phong City Tour activities, Hai Phong Tourism Association has coordinated to conduct a survey of a number of destinations connected to Hai Phong Station to build new tourism products for the locality.

Thanks to Hai Phong City Tour, Hai Phong Station has become a favorite destination for domestic and international tourists.

The railway tour connecting Hai Phong Station and Hoang Dieu Port will be tested by the City Tourism Association from mid-May 2024.

According to the survey, Hai Phong Station and the inner-city railway line were formed more than 120 years ago. In particular, Hai Phong Station bears the strong architectural mark of the French. This is also considered one of the most beautiful train stations left by the French in Vietnam.

After more than 120 years, Hai Phong Station still has many structures that are almost completely preserved, such as: the main building, the iron pillars supporting the porch inside the station, the ancient railway track that is more than 100 years old, the blue stone foundation since its construction... Hai Phong Station also has a railway line running to Hai Phong Port to transport goods from the port to other areas.

Meanwhile, Hoang Dieu Port is associated with the image of a Port City located on the banks of the Cam River, built by the French in 1874. This is also the only port in the country today that has a railway directly connected, synchronized with the national railway. On October 20, 1946, after 4 months and 20 days of visiting the French Republic, President Ho Chi Minh returned to the country.

The first place he set foot after his long trip was Ngu Wharf (Hai Phong Port). This was also the first time President Ho Chi Minh visited the cadres, soldiers and people of Hai Phong after the country's independence. In Hoang Dieu Port, there is the Hai Phong Port Traditional House and the Port Workers Monument - a symbol of the tradition of solidarity, resilience and creativity of generations of Hai Phong Port workers.

Along with that is a zinc-coated relief, 76 m2 in area, showing the process of fighting to protect and build the Port, a traditional historical page from November 24, 1929 - Traditional Day of Hai Phong Port Workers. Warehouse No. 6 is associated with the old name of Hai Phong Port - "Ben Sau Kho".

Through research, survey, and reference to similar programs in many other cities in different countries, Hai Phong Tourism Association coordinated with related units, including: Hai Phong Station, Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, Hai Phong Railway Transport Branch; Hai Phong Port... to conduct a preliminary survey of the route and the attractions on the route. All parties highly appreciated and believed that these resources could be built and developed into a new, unique tourism product of Hai Phong.

This is a program to visit relics and constructions at Hai Phong Port by train from Hai Phong Station. The program will be built in phases. In which, phase 1 is when Hoang Dieu Port is still operating, phase 2 when Hoang Dieu Port has been relocated to serve the city's planning.

Tourists visit the Port Workers Monument during a trial tour connecting Hai Phong Station and Hoang Dieu Port in mid-May 2024.

The station at Hoang Dieu Port is part of the tourist itinerary of the "Port Visit" tour.

The “Port Visit” tour helps visitors better understand the history and activities at the 110-year-old Hoang Dieu Port in Hai Phong.

“In May and June 2024, the train departing from Hai Phong Port Sightseeing Station will run a trial run with a frequency of 1-2 trips/week at 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. From July 2024, after the trial run, the operation will be expanded to 1 trip/day based on actual market demand.

When Hoang Dieu Port is relocated and ceases operation, there will be 2 trips/day scheduled from 8am to 10am and 2pm to 4pm. The ships visiting the Port will depart during off-peak hours, minimizing the impact on road traffic. Depending on the number of tourists, the appropriate number of train cars will be arranged," said Hoang Anh Tuan, Permanent Vice President of Hai Phong Tourism Association.

According to information from the Hai Phong Tourism Association, the city tour program "The ship visits the port" is designed as an independent inner-city tour program. In the coming time, the Association will consider proposing to the People's Committee and the Department of Tourism of Hai Phong City to combine with other programs such as walking tours of relics and scenic spots in the city center, food tours, tours of Bach Dang River, Do Son... with the goal of keeping visitors in Hai Phong longer.

Ngo Quang Thai

Source