Last updated September 2024 | Words and photos by Luke Digweed

Luke Digweed is a staff writer for Vietnam Coracle. He has been living in Vietnam since 2011, mostly in Huế but also in Đà Nẵng & Sài Gòn. While living in Huế, he ran the Huế Grit Tour & co-organized events & small concerts between 2017-2020. His most recent ongoing project is Festivals of Vietnam which documents ceremonies, rituals & processions around the country….read more about Luke

The fast boat ferry between Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and Vũng Tàu is a fun and fascinating voyage, taking passengers from the skyscrapers of downtown Saigon, along several busy waterways, through the mangrove forests of Cần Giờ and across the open sea to the beach town of Vũng Tàu. These days, Vũng Tàu is an attractive, prosperous and – during the week at least – peaceful seaside getaway from Vietnam’s biggest metropolis. Despite new roads and transportation infrastructure linking the two cities, taking the fast boat between Saigon and Vũng Tàu is still the most direct, comfortable and enjoyable way to make the journey. Booking tickets is easy and there are several sailings every day.

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SAIGON→VUNG TAU FAST BOAT

A Riverine Journey from the City to the Beach

This page is a complete guide to taking the Saigon→Vũng Tàu fast ferry, including information about sailing times, booking tickets, port details and descriptions of the boats and the voyage (see the Contents below). I’ve also included lots of photos of the journey and an annotated route map. Well over a decade ago, a fleet of modern fast boats replaced the old Soviet-era hydrofoils that used to ply this route. Since then, there are several fast ferry connections running each day in both directions. Although journey time is roughly the same as going by road and ticket prices are higher than bus fares, taking the boat between Saigon and Vũng Tàu is a far more rewarding travel experience.

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CONTENTS:

Route Map

Booking Tickets

Times & Prices

Departure & Arrival Ports

The Boats

The Voyage

Related Guides

ROUTE MAP:

Sagion→Vũng Tàu Fast Boat

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Booking Tickets:

The Saigon→Vũng Tàu ferry is operated by Greenlines. Tickets can be booked online via the Greenlines website or Baolau.com and the search box below. Both the Greenlines website and Baolau.com are easy to use, clearly presented, secure and available in English. It’s also possible to book tickets by phone (0988 009 579) or in person at the Greenlines booking offices at the ports in Saigon and Vũng Tàu. However, it is much easier and more efficient to book tickets online.

Search & Book Tickets:

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Times & Prices:

The Saigon→Vũng Tàu fast ferry runs 2-4 times every day in both directions depending on the day of the week and time of year. Journey time is around 2 hours. In general, the boats depart on time, but weather conditions can occasionally cause delays. Ticket prices are fairly reasonable for the 2-hour voyage, especially considering the level of comfort on board and the experience of the journey. However, ticket prices rise on weekends and public holidays. Note that bicycles and motorbikes are not allowed on the boats, but there is plenty of room for luggage.

Below is the sailing schedule and ticket prices at the time of latest update (September 2024). For current times and prices, check Baolau.com, the Greenlines website or use the search box below. In general, there are two sailings each day in both directions on weekdays, with at least two extra sailings a day on weekends and public holidays.

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*Sailing Schedule:

*Ticket Prices (one-way):

Search & Book Tickets:

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Departure & Arrival Ports:

In Saigon, boats depart from Bạch Đằng Pier, in downtown District 1; in Vũng Tàu boats leave from the Hồ Mây Pier, just west of Front Beach (Bãi Trước). Taxis and motorbike taxis meet the boats at the entrances to both ports or you can use a ride-hailing app, such as Grab or Xanh SM, to book your transportation to/from the ports:

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Bạch Đằng Pier (Saigon) [MAP] All fast boats to Vũng Tàu arrive/depart from Bạch Đằng ferry pier in downtown Saigon. Located right in the heart of the city, the Bạch Đằng ferry pier should be easy to find. However, there are a few things to consider. First, if you are walking to the pier, you may have to cross Tôn Đức Thắng Street, one of Saigon’s busiest roads with limited crossings. This can be a daunting process for travellers who have just arrived to Vietnam. Secondly, the space between the road and the pier is quite wide with little coverage. If walking a long distance to the boat on a hot or rainy day, it won’t take long to be drenched by a downpour or soaked in sweat! Finally, make sure you go to the Bạch Đằng Fast Boat Pier (Bến Tàu Cao Tốc Bạch Đằng), not the Bạch Đằng Waterbus Pier (Ga Tàu Thủy Bạch Đằng). This last point doesn’t matter too much, because the two piers are only a hundred meters or so apart, but that could make all the difference if you’re in a rush to catch the ferry. It will become clear if you are at the correct ferry terminal since the Greenlines ticket kiosk is easy to spot. There’s a decent cafe on the pier where you can wait with a drink before departure. There’s also food available at the cafe (when/if the kitchen is open). The city views from the pier cafe are impressive.

Hồ Mây Pier (Vũng Tàu) [MAP] In Vũng Tàu, boats arrive/depart from Hồ Mây Pier, also known as Hòn Rù Rì harbour. This port is at the northern end of Bãi Trước (Front Beach), beneath the green slopes of Núi Lớn (Big Mountain) and the grand, French colonial Governor General’s House. A handful of taxis meet the boats, or you can walk along the pleasant seafront road to the waterfront cafes and hotels if the weather is accommodating. At the time of writing (September 2024) the port was undergoing renovations, but the building work will almost certainly be finished by the time you read this. Nearby, Tiệm Cafe Suối Bên Biển and Cà Phê Hòn Rù Rì both offer nice outdoor, covered seating areas to have a refreshment by the ocean.

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The Boats:

The fast boats operated by Greenlines are clean and well-maintained. All Greenlines vessels are painted blue and white and clearly marked with the company’s name. The crafts look quite smart from the outside, with pointy hulls and a speedy, aerodynamic appearance. The Greenlines fleet is made up of multiple boats and at least two different models: one is a catamaran, the other is a speed boat with a regular hull. On the inside, the differences are only minor.

Boats are boarded at the stern, where there’s a deck with a bench and also two clean toilet cubicles. If you love boat journeys, then you’ll probably find yourself spending most of the voyage sitting out on this back deck, watching the shipping and scenery pass by. But sometimes staff don’t allow passengers on deck, presumably because of rough conditions. Passengers are also not allowed to sit on the deck 20 minutes after departure and 20 minutes before arrival.

However, inside things are just as good. A surprisingly wide, high-ceilinged, bright and clean cabin seats between 50-80 passengers. There are two or three columns (depending on the boat model) of soft, coach-style seats with plenty of legroom. The cabin is air-conditioned to a reasonable temperature (not freezing cold as on some ferries in Vietnam). The windows are very large so you can enjoy the passing scenery from your seat. There’s even WiFi available, although it was sometimes faulty. All passengers are given a complimentary bottle of water, a wet wipe and rice crackers. There’s also a little bar and fridge selling snacks and soft drinks. The majority of passengers are foreign and Vietnamese holidaymakers. The staff consists of one host, two engineers and a driver who are all friendly and professional, although their English language abilities are limited. There are electrical sockets to plug your electronic devices into for seats on either side of the boat (there aren’t any for the central column of seats).

On board ‘entertainment’ comes in the form of a TV which shows, depending on the whim of the captain, anything from terrible pop music to prank-style comedy to Vietnamese soap operas. The onboard entertainment serves not only as a method to pass time but also as a distraction from the waves for motion sickness-prone passengers. The volume is muted and the trip is mostly quiet, however one staff member told me that the speakers were broken.

Due to incidents involving river transportation over recent decades, safety has been a major concern for passengers and ferry operators in Vietnam. Health and safety measures across all modes of transportation have been continuously improving as both private operators and governments take greater action to ensure the well-being of passengers and staff. All Greenlines ferries have life vests in the cabins above the seats. During the voyage, two engineers are continuously monitoring the engine as it heads towards its destination. The barrier on the back deck is a little low and the latch to the boarding gate could easily come loose: don’t lean on it, and take extra care if you’re travelling with children. Seasickness shouldn’t be a problem for most people, because the majority of the voyage is on placid rivers, but the last 30 minutes crossing open sea can occasionally be quite bumpy.

Lastly, these new boats are fast. Not 30 seconds after maneuvering out of port, the main engines power up and the boat ploughs its course, dodging all the other sluggish vessels on the river, churning up a silver-brown wake of river water and water hyacinths behind it.

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The Voyage:

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The swift-looking Greenlines vessel casts off from the Bạch Đằng pier right in the heart of downtown Saigon. The gleaming high-rises of District 1 tower above the water as the boat drifts onto the swell of the wide Saigon River. The city’s major waterway is a constant presence if you live in Saigon, but when you are actually on it, as opposed to just looking at it, it’s a totally different experience. Saigon appears serene; without the noise, heat, congestion and pollution that blights it on street level: from the river, this is a calm, controlled and even beautiful city.

Very soon after departure, the main engines kick in and the speed picks up. The boats are seriously fast, and if you sit out on the back deck (which I tend to do for the duration of the voyage, if staff allow it) you’ll be sprayed intermittently by cooling showers of river water.

The Saigon skyline recedes into the distance; disappearing around a bend, reappearing on the horizon, then fading out of sight again as the boat moves through a chicane of meanders. These bends make the journey immediately disorientating: Saigon landmarks, such as the Lotus Building (Bitexco Tower) and the gleaming spire of Landmark 81 keep popping up to the east then to the west; behind the boat then in front of it, then disappearing altogether. It’s impossible to get your bearings without a map to hand. The skyscrapers of downtown give way to the sprawling, apartment-filled suburbs, and the Saigon docks which line the riverbanks for many kilometres. It’s fascinating to watch as the boat dodges all the different kinds of shipping: slipping between the bows of giant container vessels and freight ships, tugs and barges, fishing boats and canoes, tankers and warships.

Watching all the different boats on this increasingly busy shipping lane is a lot of fun. After passing beneath the soaring blade of concrete that is the Phú Mỹ Bridge, the boat veers right and joins the wider waters of the Đồng Nai River. Continuing southwards into the Soài Rạp River, the banks expand ever further apart, until they must span at least a couple of kilometres. Container ships are more numerous here but they’re made to appear small on the mighty, muddy river.

With Saigon now out of sight, industry takes over: warehouses, factories, oil depots, cement plants, coal, gas, wood, metal – the brawny industrial arm of the southern hub and all of the boats that supply it. It’s a compelling sequence, so much so that you won’t want to sit down, go inside, or take your eyes off it for one minute for fear of missing something.

At the confluence of the Soài Rạp and Lòng Tàu rivers, an enormous new bridge is under construction. The fast boat continues straight ahead, due south on the Lòng Tàu River. From here, greenery begins to colonize the riverbanks: concrete becomes a rare sight, small wooden fishing boats cast their nets into the wide waters, and the sky looms large over the flat expanse of boggy, delta land.

In order to avoid a detour on the Lòng Tàu River, the fast boat takes a shortcut through a narrow channel lined with mangroves. This is a tight waterway, not big enough for larger ships. The banks are close together and the distinctive splayed roots of the mangrove trees are clearly visible. Suddenly, after all the urbanity and industrial activity of the first half of the journey, the scenery turns more intimate and exotic. However, it may not be environmentally sound to have water transport pass through a narrow waterway lined with mangrove like this. Mangrove forests are major lifelines for Vietnam if it is to avoid sinking into the ocean in the future. Their roots help anchor the land, which, in these swampy, delta regions, is nothing more than mud and silt. The waves from the wake of the fast boats do no good to the stability of the trees.

After rejoining the meandering arm of the Lòng Tàu River, the Phú Mỹ hills rise to the northeast. The water is brackish here: the colour changes and becomes lighter. The surface becomes ruffled as the wind picks up and the banks are wider apart. The boat is nearing the mouth of the river.

Out onto the open sea, rainy season clouds mushroom above the waiting container ships, threatening Vũng Tàu with a storm. The sea is rough and, for the first time, you can feel the vessel rising and falling with the swell. The air is clearer and saltier; the sky is bigger, the light sharper and the humidity lower – it’s hard not to get excited as you approach the rocky promontory under which the white structures of Vũng Tàu glint in the sun.

Through the increasing amounts of spray on the back deck, Vũng Tàu’s skyline comes into view: high-rise hotels along the seafront, red-roofed villas crawling up the hillside. It looks like an island in the East Sea, surrounded by boats of all shapes and sizes, including oil rigs, which have played their part in making this province one of the wealthiest in the country.

It’s an exhilarating journey, but when the boat docks below Big Mountain (Núi Lớn) and the engines are cut, all that remains is the searing tropical heat and the sound of the sea lapping the concrete pier. It’s time to make your way along the seafront road for a coffee or settle into one of Vũng Tàu’s harbour-view hotels, like Fusion Suites, for a relaxing mini-break.

*Disclosure: Vietnam Coracle content is always free and independent. Luke has written this guide because he wants to: he likes this ferry route and he wants readers to know about it. For more details, see the Disclosure & Disclaimer statements and my About Page

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