The ferry service taking tourists from Cat Ba Island off Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam back to the mainland was overwhelmed on Monday afternoon after many travelers were stranded on the island for nearly one day due to bad weather.

Thousands of cars lined up in two rows, stretching about 7-8 kilometers on the major road leading to the Cai Vieng ferry terminal, via which people can arrive in and depart Cat Ba Island by ferry.

The rainy weather caused the ferry service to temporarily stop operating from 5:00 pm on Monday, according to Pham Van Manh, a 46-year-old resident of Thai Binh Province, who had intended to leave the island with his family the same afternoon.

As a result, Manh’s family, like many other tourists, was unable to leave Cat Ba as planned.

The jamming prompted police officers and the ferry station staff to work together to regulate the traffic and prevent disorder.

A leader of the ferry terminal blamed the rainy weather pattern and the surge in visitors during the four-day break marking Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers’ Day (May 1) for the service suspension.

Although the terminal mobilized all of its nine ferries and about 200 employees on Monday afternoon, the service still failed to meet the tourists’ travel demand, causing the congestion, according to the leader.

The ferry station representative added that the traffic congestion at the Cai Vieng terminal has long been an unsolved recurrence, which often gets worse on weekends and public holidays.

Traffic jams also frequently happen at the mainland side of the ferry route -- the Got Port.

In order to mitigate such gridlock, Hai Phong authorities temporarily banned the transport of cars and trucks from the Got Port to Cat Ba Island from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm every day during the April 30 holiday.

This measure has significantly reduced congestion in the direction from Hai Phong to Cat Ba.

However, the problem remains on the other end.

Cat Ba Island is the largest of the 367 islands spanning 260 square kilometers that comprise Cat Ba Archipelago, which makes up the southeastern edge of Lan Ha Bay in northern Vietnam. 

The island has a surface area of 285 square kilometers and maintains the dramatic and rugged features of the famed Ha Long Bay.

The ferry journey from Hai Phong to Cat Ba takes approximately one hour.

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