Ferry to Cat Ba Island jammed for hours, cars lined up in long lines

On April 28-29, the number of tourists flocking to Cat Ba Island increased, causing the Dong Bai ferry to be overloaded from 6am, with hundreds of cars lining up for more than 1km, waiting for their turn to get on the ferry.

Du khách từ các tỉnh thành phố phía Bắc chen chân, phơi nắng tại đầu bến phà Đồng Bài chờ đến lượt xuống phà ra đảo Cát Bà du lịch ngày 28.4 — Tourists from northern provinces and cities jostle and sunbathe at the Dong Bai ferry terminal, waiting for their turn to board the ferry to Cat Ba Island for tourism on April 28.

Mr. Vu Manh Trung, Head of Dong Bai ferry terminal, said that 100% of the staff were present at Dong Bai and Cai Vieng terminals from 4:30 a.m. to carry out the work; 8 ferries (5 large ferries, 3 small ferries) were mobilized to run continuously, non-stop from 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. the same day.

The cause of the congestion, according to Mr. Trung, is due to the sudden increase in the number of passengers and vehicles, while the ferry capacity is limited and cannot meet the demand.

Hai Phong is building 5 large ferries but they are not ready to be put into operation during the April 30 - May 1 holiday.

6 giờ sáng ngày 29.4, hàng trăm xe ô tô cá nhân, xe ô tô du lịch đến từ nhiều tỉnh thành phố phía bắc nối đuôi nhau xếp thành hàng dài hơn 1 km từ đầu bến phà Đồng Bài tới nhà ga cáp treo Cát Hải — At 6:00 a.m. on April 29, hundreds of private cars and tourist cars from many provinces and cities lined up in a line more than 1 km long from Dong Bai ferry terminal to Cat Hai cable car station.

Mr. Vu Thanh Duy (residing in Ha Dong District, Hanoi), who is waiting for the ferry to Cat Ba Island, said that he departed at 5am and arrived at Dong Bai ferry at 7am. Stuck at the ferry for 3 hours but people and vehicles still have not been able to get off the ferry, Mr. Duy hopes that in the near future, Hai Phong will have a better solution so that not only the city's residents but also domestic and foreign tourists can come to Cat Ba Island more conveniently.

Many tourists could not stand being "locked" in the car for hours in the hot sun, so they had to get off the car, take their luggage, walk or take a motorbike taxi to the ferry, and go to Cat Ba Island first.

Ban Quản lý bến phà Đồng Bài - Cái Viềng đã huy động 8 phà chạy liên tục từ 5 giờ sáng nhưng vẫn không giải được bài toán ùn tắc do lượng khách và phương tiện đổ về tăng đột biến — The Dong Bai - Cai Vieng Ferry Terminal Management Board has mobilized 8 ferries to run continuously since 5am but still cannot solve the congestion problem due to the sudden increase in the number of passengers and vehicles.

Seizing the opportunity, many people in Cat Hai became seasonal "xe om" drivers, providing passenger transport services, earning a lot of money every day.

Với giá 20 - 30.000 đồng/lượt, nhiều người dân H.Cát Hải mang xe máy ra dịch vụ xe ôm — For 20,000 - 30,000 VND/trip, many people in Cat Hai district bring their motorbikes to the "seasonal" motorbike taxi service to take passengers to the ferry terminal, earning a lot of money every day.

Traffic congestion at the ferry terminal to Cat Ba Island has been going on for many years. From March 1, the new Dong Bai ferry terminal will replace the old Got ferry terminal, which Hai Phong hopes will solve the congestion problem.

However, the new ferry has not yet been completed; the current passenger ferries are old and have short blades, making it difficult for vehicles to get on and off the ferry when it docks. This is one of the causes of congestion.

Below are some pictures of the traffic jam that lasted for hours during the 2-day holiday of April 28-29: