High-speed boat services connecting HCM City and Con Dao suspended from July 29

After two months of trial operation, the high-speed boat service linking Ho Chi Minh City and Con Dao Island off the coast of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province will be suspended from July 29 due to inefficiency operation, according to the investor Phu Quoc Express.

Launched on May 13, the over-77-m-long and 9.49-m-wide vessel is capable of carrying 1,017 passengers.

With the service, it takes about four hours and 30 minutes to travel between Saigon - Hiep Phuoc port in HCM City and Con Dao.

According to the operator, the vessel carries an average of 200 passengers per trip on weekdays, and the number rises to 600 to 700 on weekends.

However, several factors have hindered passengers from choosing the service such as the long distance, over 20km, between the city's center and the Saigon - Hiep Phuoc port in the outlying district of Nha Be, where the boat departs; passengers having to pay fees to enter the port; and weather conditions, among others, according to the company.

Following the suspension of operations on the HCMC-Con Dao route, the vessel will be used for the Vung Tau-Con Dao route.