People face difficulties because of the scene of "ferrymen" crossing the river
Starting from nearly the end of September 2025, the Tran Phu - Binh Minh ferry terminal to bring passengers across the Hau River has stopped operating, disrupting people's lives. For poor workers who earn a single penny, this is an inevitable great burden.
Many people are forced to rent boats and boats to cross the river every day. Luckily, they met someone who transported them for free, but most of them had to manage each donation for each trip across the river. Among them, many traders accept to bet their lives, drifting in the rushing water just in the hope of making a living in time and earning some income to take care of their families.
However, these ferries only operate during the day. In the late afternoon, when the boat stopped running, many people had to rent a motorbike taxi to get around Can Tho bridge for 70,000 to 80,000 VND/trip - an expense sometimes equal to a full day's work, making the already arduous life even more unstable.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc (60 years old, Binh Minh ward, Vinh Long province), who makes a living by selling lottery tickets, shared that every day she sells about 100 lottery tickets to make a living. Previously, she only needed to ask relatives to take her to the ferry terminal, to Can Tho shore and then walk along the road. Although the work is hard, it is still unbearable. Since the ferry stopped operating, her weak legs have become more tired. "I usually come home late in the afternoon, but after 16 o'clock the boat still does not work. To get home, I had to rent a motorbike taxi to go around Can Tho Bridge, which cost more than 70,000 VND. There are days when lottery ticket sales are not enough to pay for cars, which is considered unfair" - Ms. Cuc choked up.
Ms. Tran Thi Ha (49 years old, Cai Khe ward, Can Tho city) said that the ferry terminal used to operate continuously every day, serving hundreds of people traveling between the two banks. Since the ferry stopped, people's lives have been turned upside down. "The most miserable are the poor children in Binh Minh, who go to school and sell lottery tickets, having to cross the river many times a day. Then the patients with dialysis had to take a detour across Can Tho bridge, the long way, extremely tired. I just hope the ferry will soon be put back into operation so that people will have less troubles" - Ms. Ha said.
Shared hearts
While people had difficulty crossing the river, the sharing of some people became a life-saver. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tuan (Binh Minh ward, Vinh Long province) volunteered to use a private boat to transport about 10 trips a day for free, giving priority to the poor and patients on dialysis. Mr. Nguyen Van De also supported by his own boat, each trip costing about 10,000 VND for fuel, the cost was contributed by the people.
According to the People's Committee of Cai Khe Ward (Can Tho City), after implementing the two-level local government model, the ward is assigned to manage ferry terminals across the river. Through inspection, Tran Phu ferry terminal has not been licensed as an inland waterway terminal and is not safe, so it was forced to temporarily suspend operations.
Currently, there is only Con Khuong ferry terminal in the area - about 4km away - with technical conditions but is still in the process of completing the auction documents to put into operation.
Mr. Bui Van Kiet - Chairman of Cai Khe Ward People's Committee - said that the ward has hired a consulting unit to determine the starting price and submit it to the City People's Committee for consideration. If approved early, the auction can be implemented within 30 days. However, while waiting for the procedures to be completed, people on both sides of the river still have to struggle to travel, or have to go about 15km across Can Tho bridge, or bet their lives on unsafe spontaneous ferries.
