From March 1, Dong Bai ferry officially operates, replacing Got ferry.

How is Dong Bai ferry different from Got ferry?

On February 26, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho, Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee, inspected the preparations for putting Dong Bai ferry terminal in Cat Hai district into operation, replacing Got ferry terminal to transport tourists to Cat Ba island.

In fact, the ferry terminal is completing its infrastructure, landscape, waiting room, and operating schedule to be ready for operation.

Từ 1/3, bến phà Đồng Bài chính thức hoạt động, thay thế phà Gót- Ảnh 1. — Trial ferry operation at the new Dong Bai ferry terminal replacing the old Got ferry terminal

At the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho requested Cat Ba Sun Company Limited to urgently complete procedures and hand over shared technical infrastructure works before February 28.

Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance Joint Stock Company will receive, arrange and complete the waiting area, operating house and auxiliary works at the rented Dong Bai ferry terminal to put into operation from March 1.

The Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee assigned the City Department of Transport to review and organize the installation of signs and directions to the ferry terminal and the road leading to the new ferry terminal. Coordinate with relevant units to complete the passenger wharf infrastructure so that it can be put into operation at the beginning of the tourist season, on the occasion of April 30 - May 1; check and review the passenger ferry capacity of Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance Joint Stock Company to assess the technical condition and safety level of old ferries.

Previously, from February 17-26, 2024, Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance Joint Stock Company organized a trial ferry operation on the new schedule (Dong Bai - Cai Vieng) to replace the old schedule (Got - Cai Vieng). The operating force determined that the new schedule would be more than 400m longer. The time for tourists and vehicles to travel on the ferry would be about 15 minutes longer.

Từ 1/3, bến phà Đồng Bài chính thức hoạt động, thay thế phà Gót- Ảnh 2. — Workers of Hai Phong Waterway Assurance Joint Stock Company are diverting traffic to the new Dong Bai ferry terminal.

During the trial operation at the new ferry terminal, problems arose such as the slope of the new ferry terminal being 13 degrees higher than the slope of the old ferry terminal being 11 degrees, along with higher wave fluctuations, making operations more difficult. However, according to the representative of the Terminal Management Board, the above problems will be resolved in the near future.

Specifically, the slope of the new ferry terminal is higher than the old terminal, so passenger cars and vans have more difficulty getting on and off the ferry and take more time, but the technical team of Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance Joint Stock Company has a solution by redesigning the ferry ramps to make it easier for vehicles to move.

The leader of Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance Joint Stock Company said that currently, Got - Cai Vieng ferry transports an average of 3,700 passengers and 750 vehicles per day. On weekends and holidays from April 30 to May 1, the number of passengers and vehicles increases by 1.5-2 times. During peak tourist months, the ferry terminal often operates at full capacity, leading to overload and congestion.

Từ 1/3, bến phà Đồng Bài chính thức hoạt động, thay thế phà Gót- Ảnh 3. — The passenger waiting system at the new ferry terminal is more modern and spacious, suitable for the tourism development of Hai Phong city.

For the above reason, the story of traffic jams at Got ferry has been told over and over again for many years and has been one of the concerns of Hai Phong City leaders.

At the 13th session (regular session at the end of the year) of the 16th Hai Phong City People's Council, it was decided to replace Got ferry terminal with a new Dong Bai terminal. This will be a solution to solve the traffic congestion when tourists travel through Lach Huyen gate to Cat Ba island.

2.5 times higher transport capacity

Cat Ba Archipelago, along with Ha Long Bay, was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage in 2023. According to a report from the People's Committee of Cat Hai district, the number of tourists coming to the Pearl Island in 2024 is expected to exceed 3.6 million visitors.

Tourist groups come to Cat Ba mainly by road. Therefore, putting Dong Bai ferry terminal into operation before the summer of 2024 will make it easier for tourists to travel to Cat Ba Island, limit traffic jams, and reduce waiting time for ferries.

At the same time, the new ferry terminal is one and a half times larger than the old one, with a waiting area of more than 800 square meters and a roof system of nearly 1,500 square meters, making it convenient for visitors to rest and relax while waiting for the ferry.

Từ 1/3, bến phà Đồng Bài chính thức hoạt động, thay thế phà Gót- Ảnh 4. — The new Dong Bai ferry terminal is bigger and wider than the old ferry terminal.

Along with that, during the working session, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho, Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee requested Cat Ba Sun Company to soon complete the infrastructure and put the tourist wharf in the complex at Dong Bai wharf into operation during the 2024 tourist season.

Thus, in addition to traveling by ferry to Cat Hai island, tourists can choose to travel by cable car nearby or choose to reach Ngoc island by speedboat at Dong Bai wharf.

Từ 1/3, bến phà Đồng Bài chính thức hoạt động, thay thế phà Gót- Ảnh 5. — A working delegation from the Hai Phong City People's Committee inspected the final test run at the new Dong Bai ferry terminal.

To improve the capacity of transporting passengers and implementing the direction of the City People's Committee, Bay View Company is urgently building 5 new modern ferries, with faster travel speed and 3 times the capacity of the old ferries at the old wharf.

According to a report from Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance Joint Stock Company, three new ferries will be delivered and put into use before April 30, 2024, and the next two ferries will be delivered in July 2024.

The five new ferries, which have been completely redesigned and put into use, will improve transport capacity and passenger transport by 2.5 times compared to present.

Source