Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism and Saigon Boat JSC on Tuesday launched the first boat tour service with two options for journeys in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal.

With the two-hour tour, tourists will pay VND220,000 (US$9.7) and VND110,000 ($4.84) respectively for a one-way trip ticket.

For the first option, they can sit around a table and have food or drinks allowed to be brought along when traveling aboard the Gondola boat, which is able to carry 4-5 passengers each time.

Tourists can also choose a conventional boat, called Chong, which is designed like a small ferry to carry 7-20 passengers, for the other option.

The boats will take passengers along a 4.5-kilometer session of the 8.7-kilometer canal running through District 1, District 3, Binh Thanh District, Phu Nhuan District, and Tan Binh District.

They will depart from a wharf near the Thi Nghe Bridge in District 1 and stop at another one near Chantaransay Pagoda in District 3.

While going on the tour, tourists will have the chance to listen to stories about the establishment and development of the canal as well as the evolution history of Ho Chi Minh City from the guides who row the boats manually.

The tour guides are trained in boat rowing and have completed intensive professional tourism and English language courses.

To take the tour, passengers can purchase tickets at District 1’s station on Hoang Sa Street, next to the Thi Nghe Bridge, and District 3’s station on the same street, close to Chantaransay Pagoda.

Tourists can also book tickets at tour offices, travel agencies, and hotel reception desks in the city.

Saigon Boat JSC is expected to offer a river tour from the Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to Binh Dong Station in District 8.

Last year, the city opened seven river tours from the wharf to popular tourism destinations, including the Binh Quoi tourism area in Binh Thanh District and the Long Phuoc garden house in District 9.

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