Tourists flock to leave the island, Cat Ba ferry stuck for a long time

On the afternoon of July 24, hundreds of cars were still lined up about one kilometer from the ferry terminal to Phu Long intersection, Cat Ba island, Cat Hai district.

From 7am this morning, the Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry was allowed to resume operation after more than a day of suspension to prevent storms. Knowing that the ferry was running, from 5am, many tourists moved to the pier to line up and wait, leading to congestion. Meanwhile, the mainland to the island route was quite clear.

The management board of Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry terminal said it has mobilized full capacity, including 5 large ferries and 2 small ferries, to serve tourists leaving the island.

Due to the storm, from 12 noon on July 22, Hai Phong City stopped inland waterway transport, river ferries, sea ferries, and cable cars. Nearly 4,000 tourists had to stay on Cat Ba Island.

During the time guests were stranded on the island, Cat Hai district called on hotels and motels to reduce room rates by 50% and received support. Some hotels even waived the room rates for guests, or only charged for electricity and water. However, due to the longer than expected schedule, many people still hoped the ferry would run to get home. Today, the ferries will transport all stranded guests off the island.

Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry is a ferry route that transports passengers from Hai Phong city to Cat Ba island, about 1.86 km long, travel time from 15 to 25 minutes. However, on holidays and weekends, this ferry terminal often experiences congestion. When the weather conditions are bad, the wind is strong, the ferry terminal will also stop operating to ensure safety.