River bus now running along Saigon River at night

For the first time since the closing down of Thu Thiem ferry, people living in Ho Chi Minh City can once again travel and relax on the river, with a ticket so reasonably priced that virtually anyone can access the service.

Ho Chi Minh City now has river bus trips in the evening

Combined with a series of internal waterways and canals that create a continuous water system, the Saigon River has been the heart blood of the city's development since the age of blooming river commerce to the development of bridges and skyscrapers. In this sense, the river buses are not simply a means of commute, they are a journey through the city's history.

“When I was in the countryside, my favourite thing to do was take the night train to the sea and fish for squids. It's nice that Saigon now has river buses running in the evening too, so that I can have a view when I need to relax and find creative inspiration,” tattoo artist Truong Van Manh living in Binh Thanh district shared while looking out the window at the stern of the ship, before starting to paint on his iPad.

“The river bus does not have to keep stopping to pick up passengers, sitting here and listening to the sound of the water is way better than listening to car horns,” said Quoc Chien, a furniture salesman living in Thu Duc who tried the river bus following his girlfriend's idea. He shared a city-tour plan that he "designed" for his family.

“From Thu Duc, we will watch the sunset along the river to District 1, we can enjoy some music in the cool evening on the river then go around Bach Dang Wharf. In the weekend, there are always a lot of things to do and places to visit – something for everyone, like the book street, walking street, restaurants, cinema. Otherwise, just sitting and watching the yellow buses going back and forth on the river is peaceful enough,” Chien said.

The introduction of evening river bus trips between Bach Dang Wharf, District 1 and Binh An Wharf, Thu Duc city is an early Christmas present for the citizens and visitors to Ho Chi Minh City.

With Ho Chi Minh City being in the second phase of the tourism recovery process, this project can boost inner-city tourism development. At the same time, this effort by Saigon Waterbus aims to make the Saigon River part of the spiritual life of the community.

In the first phase, Saigon Waterbus' evening buses operate from 17:00 to 21:00. Passengers can buy tickets at the two stations or online with the price of VND15,000 (65 US cents) for a one-way ticket.