(TITC) - In early December 2014, Saigon Boat Tour will officially put into operation of boat tour on Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal (Ho Chi Minh City). This is the new tourist service for visitors when coming to Ho Chi Minh City.
With a length of 8.7km and a width of about 60m, the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal runs through districts of 1, 3, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh, where concentrate most typical architectures and landscapes of the city. There will be 10 rowing boats with capacity of 20 people for each to serve visitors from Sai Gon Botanic Gardens and Zoo to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda for about 2 hours. Boats operate continuously from early morning until 23:00 every day subject to tide.
Besides 10 rowing boats, Saigon Boat Tour will also operate 10 motorboats to serve visitors from Nha Rong Wharf to Binh Dong Wharf for about 1 hour. Two wharfs will be built near Sai Gon Botanic Gardens and Zoo and Vinh Nghiem Pagoda to facilitate for visitors.
The tangled canals create own unique feature of Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, the river tourism is determined as a key tourism type of the city in the next time. With the boat tour on Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal, visitors will have one more entertainment activity to see the beauty of the city.
With about 1,000km of rivers, canals, Ho Chi Minh City has a great potential to develop river tourism. In 2013, Ho Chi Minh City exploited seven river tours from departure point at Bach Dang Wharf (District 1) to tourist sites in Binh Quoi (Binh Thanh District), Long Phuoc Garden (District 9), Cu Chi District...
Currently, there are 34 boats operating on rivers in Ho Chi Minh City. The city is planning to build wharfs, waiting rooms in some locations such as near Long Pagoda (District 7), Cha Va Bridge (District 8), Mong Bridge (District 4), near Binh Khanh Ferry (Can Gio District)... It is expected that by the end of 2014, about 8-10 ones will run.
The city also has drafted “River Tourism Development Strategy of Ho Chi Minh City in the period of 2013 - 2015 and towards 2020”. Accordingly, by 2015, the city will renovate and build 50 new docks, wharfs, waiting rooms...; develop 65 tourist sites in districts where have river tourism route; establish 3 community-based tourism sites in District 9, Cu Chi and Can Gio districts... By 2020, river tourism is expected to become a key tourism product.