The new passenger transport route from Ho Chi Minh City center to Con Dao, scheduled to open on March 28, 2025, will be operated by Thanh Thanh Phat Passenger Transport Company Limited, a unit with experience in the field of maritime transport under the brand name Phu Quy Express. The ship used for this route has an impressive capacity of 374 passengers, flexibly arranged with 84 comfortable seats and 290 comfortable beds, promising to bring comfortable experiences to passengers on long journeys.
According to the plan, the ship will depart from Saigon Port (District 4) at 7am every day, with a frequency of one trip per day, alternating the outbound and return trips. Especially, on Fridays, to serve the increased demand for weekend travel, the ship will operate both outbound and return trips during the day.
High-speed boat with capacity of 374 seats is licensed to pick up passengers from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao, maximum 1 trip per day
It is worth noting that Thanh Thanh Phat is not investing in a completely new ship for this route. Instead, the company will utilize the ship that was previously used on the Phan Thiet - Phu Quy route, a ship with an initial investment value of up to 63 billion VND but is currently temporarily suspended due to many difficulties in weather conditions, especially strong winds, leading to low operating efficiency.
After careful research, Thanh Thanh Phat realized that the Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao route has greater potential for development. Firstly, Con Dao is an attractive tourist destination for Ho Chi Minh City residents, not only because of its wild natural beauty but also because of its special spiritual and historical values. Secondly, at this time, this waterway has not been exploited by any unit, creating a great opportunity for Thanh Thanh Phat.
High-speed boat running on the route Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao
In fact, in May last year, Ho Chi Minh City licensed Phu Quoc Express Joint Stock Company to operate the Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao express ferry route. However, after two months of operation, this company had to announce the suspension of operations because the departure point of the ferry was quite far from the city center, at Hiep Phuoc Port (Nha Be), more than 20km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, causing inconvenience to passengers. With the departure point right at Saigon Port (District 4), Thanh Thanh Phat has a greater advantage in attracting passengers.
Route, ship departs from Saigon Port (District 4, HCMC) or Con Dao Passenger Port (Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province) at 11:30
The high-speed boat transport industry is becoming an attractive investment field, with many routes attracting the attention of investors, including routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau, Phan Thiet, Con Dao and routes from the mainland to islands such as Phu Quoc, Nam Du, Con Dao, Phu Quy. Among them, Superdong (SKG) is a prominent name. SKG's customers are mainly local people, accounting for 50-60% of passengers, followed by domestic and foreign tourists. In addition, there are many other companies and shipping lines participating in this industry, including DP Green Technology Company, Thuong Nhat Company, Trung Nhi, Con Dao Express 36, Lightning 68-8, etc.
Ho Chi Minh City in particular, with the characteristics of a river city, has a dense system of rivers and canals, with a total length of 913km of waterway traffic, the city has favorable conditions to develop water transport and waterway tourism, contributing to promoting socio-economic development.
