When the last rays of sunlight completely fade, Ho Chi Minh City does not fall asleep but begins to get rid of the hustle and bustle of the day to put on the sparkling shirt from millions of colored lights. In the middle of the bustling city, Mr. Khoa Hung (a tourist from Hanoi) found a very unique way to enjoy Saigon on a water bus.
Mr. Hung started his journey at Bach Dang waterway station, located on Ton Duc Thang street, Ben Thanh ward, near Nguyen Hue pedestrian street. Learning from the "ticket outage" information on weekends shared on travel groups, he proactively booked tickets online a few days in advance to choose a suitable time frame.
With a ticket price of 15,000 VND per trip, the male tourist assessed that this is one of the economical but worthwhile sightseeing experiences when coming to Ho Chi Minh City.
In just about 40 minutes of traveling back and forth on the Bach Dang - Binh An route, I had the opportunity to observe the city from the middle of the Saigon River, especially the scene of lights on the evening is very impressive," Mr. Hung shared.
At the right departure time, the golden ship slowly left the wharf. Just a few minutes after the ship accelerated, the atmosphere completely changed. River wind blowing into the cage, bringing cool water vapor, dispelling the scorching heat of the hot summer day.
From the middle of the river looking up, the towering high-rise buildings become unusually shimmering. Bitexco Tower with the lotus bud symbol reaching high, Vietcombank Tower sparkling with lights or high-class urban areas along both banks of the river appear in turn like a movie about a future city.
However, the focus of attention of male tourists is definitely Landmark 81. The tallest building in Vietnam appears like a giant torch shining brightly, creating an extremely magnificent and proud scene.
While the train was running stably, Mr. Hung and many other passengers took the opportunity to leave their seats to step out to the deck area behind the train. This is the most ideal place to breathe the open air and feel freedom in the vast space. Amidst the dark water reflecting the high-rise buildings, the bridge across the river is brilliantly colored, Ho Chi Minh City appears romantic and poetic.
To make the trip more interesting, visitors can consider different timelines. If you want to watch the sunset, choose trips in the late afternoon, around 5:00 PM. And if you want to see a "sleepless" city, trains after 7:00 PM are the perfect choice.
In addition, at each pier such as Bach Dang, Binh An or Thao Dien, there are currently river-view coffee shops decorated very eye-catchingly. Tourists should come about 30 minutes earlier than the train departure time, order a glass of cool water and enjoy the feeling of leisurely waiting for the train to dock.
Water bus on the Saigon River
Water bus (river bus) is a type of public passenger transport operating on the Saigon River since 2017, to meet the travel needs of local people and tourists.
The water bus route currently has a route of about 11km, starting from Bach Dang wharf (Saigon ward) to Linh Dong wharf (Thu Duc ward), passing through many prominent riverside points of Ho Chi Minh City.
Each ship has a capacity of about 66 passengers with two rows of seats inside the cabin, each row consisting of 11 rows of seats, arranged with 3 seats each row. In addition to serving travel needs, water buses are also chosen by many tourists to admire the scenery, take photos and experience the Saigon River space at night.
