A hydrofoil service which brings tourists from Ho Chi Minh City to the resort city of Vung Tau resumed operation after an 11-month hiatus today, December 23, with a steep discount to win back passengers.

Vina Express Company has worked over the last four months to upgrade and improve its fleets to meet conditions set by the Vietnam Register to be eligible to resume service, its chairman Bui Cong Trung said Monday.

The Vina Express hydrofoils have been modernized to ensure safety for passengers, Trung added.

The firm is offering a 50 percent discount from December 23 to 28 to mark its resumed service. Tickets now cost VND120,000 (US$5.65) each for adults, and VND60,000 ($2.82) for children.

A hydrofoil operated by the company, the Vina Express 01, burst into flame en route to Vung Tau – the coastal city in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau – on January 20, forcing more than 90 passengers onboard to jump into the Saigon River.

The wreckage of the burnt Vina Express 01 hydrofoil

Although there were no casualties in the incident, Ho Chi Minh City authorities on January 22 ordered that all city hydrofoil operators suspend their services to upgrade the vessels to meet stricter requirements set by the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Register – a governmental body in charge of vehicle registration.

On December 5, Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Van The signed a document officially allowing hydrofoils to go back into service, according to Nguoi Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper.

Vina Express has been allowed to put two of its hydrofoils back into operation, and is hoping that the last one could be licensed by the Lunar New Year, or Tet, which is around two months away.

The company now offers four daily round trips, with a two-hour interval, during weekdays and 12 round trips on weekends.

Another operator, Petro Express, is expected to return and join Vina Express by Tet as its three hydrofoils are still under repair, according to Nguoi Lao Dong.

Prior to the fire accident, there were 12 to 14 hydrofoils operating on the route every day.

It takes an hour and 20 minutes to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau.

Tet will kick off on February 19. It is Vietnam’s biggest celebration with festive preparations starting around a week before the occasion, and the celebratory atmosphere lasting four to five days from the beginning.

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