Experience the river bus, a new perspective on Ho Chi Minh City

See the whole city on the river breeze

One weekend morning, Mr. Do Xuan Cu (82 years old), a native of Thai Binh, visited his daughter and had the opportunity to experience the river bus trip.

Sitting on the river bus, Mr. Cu's eyes never left the blue horizon. Suddenly, a patch of water hyacinth floated by, startling him. "I thought Ho Chi Minh City only had busy streets, skyscrapers, and luxury shops. Who would have thought that in the heart of this urban area, there is still a trace of the countryside," Mr. Cu said with a smile.

For him, the river bus is not only a means of transportation, but also a journey of discovery.

Memories flooded back, Mr. Cu told about his first days in Ho Chi Minh City. "Ho Chi Minh City has changed so quickly," he mused, his eyes looking towards the brilliant sunflower fields across the river.

Not only Mr. Cu, many people also find joy and relaxation on river buses.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy (District 11) shared: "What a strange feeling! All the noise and dust of the city seemed to disappear. Only peace remained, allowing me to immerse myself in the scenery, looking at Ho Chi Minh City from a completely new perspective."

Ms. Nguyen Kim Thao, from Hanoi, also does not miss the opportunity to explore Ho Chi Minh City by river bus every time she visits. "It doesn't matter who you are, a tourist, a student or a worker, sitting on the river bus, you can relax and enjoy the scenery. It's clean and cool," Ms. Thao said.

Rivers and the culture of "on the wharf, under the boat"

The Saigon River is not only a transportation route but also a cultural part of Ho Chi Minh City, preserving history, memories and changes. The river bus has stimulated tourism potential, bringing valuable experiences to residents and visitors.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Toan, Director of Thuong Nhat Company, shared about the success of the river bus project: "We want to create a new, unique, safe and affordable form of transportation, so that everyone can experience the beauty of Ho Chi Minh City from the river."

After more than 6 years of operation, Mr. Toan said, the river bus has created cultural values ​​of the river and left a strong mark of recognition for the city, created a chain of port infrastructure... and is considered by people as a place for dating and weekend entertainment.

"River resources are gifts from nature, left by our ancestors, and represent 300 years of cultural and historical value "on the wharf and under the boat". Now we must inherit and promote them and have the responsibility to transfer them to future generations," the director confided.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau, General Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Historical Science Association, said that the Saigon River not only creates tourism products, waterway transportation... but also creates an ecosystem closely linked to the riverside economy.

In particular, there are currently many dedicated businesses that are ready to develop river tourism, closely linked to community interests. The development of river tourism and waterway transport will form a system of riverside services, wharves, waiting rooms, etc. Thus, people will also benefit if the city develops the Saigon River economy linked to the community, waterways and contributes to greatly reducing the current road traffic load.

“Therefore, developing river buses is the right thing to do. Ho Chi Minh City needs to design one or more routes based on inner-city canals from two major rivers: the Saigon River frontage and the Ben Nghe - Tau Hu canal,” said Ms. Hau.