After the ban on the Hau River ferry connecting Can Tho and Vinh Long province caused misery to the poor people in both areas, the Xom Chai ferry connecting Cai Rang and Ninh Kieu districts was suddenly stopped, causing thousands of people to anxiously cross the 500-meter-wide Can Tho River by boat during the stormy season to make a living.
Xom Chai ferry is located near the mouth of Can Tho river and has been operating for the past 30 years, connecting Hung Phu ward, Cai Rang district, with Tan An ward, Ninh Kieu district, Can Tho city. Every day, three ferries of 8, 12 and 16 tons take turns operating from 4:30 am to 10 pm; each trip is 15-20 minutes apart, managed by Can Tho Ferry Terminal Joint Stock Company.
According to VNExpress newspaper on August 14, every day, Xom Chai ferry serves about 2,000 people (on foot, by bicycle, by motorbike) passing by, most of whom are poor laborers selling street goods, lottery tickets, and students.
However, since August 2, the ferry has been suddenly suspended and there has been no announcement as to when it will resume operations, although Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, ferry terminal manager, said that the machinery, vehicles, life buoys, wharf, staff, and pilots of the terminal are all guaranteed.
To cross the two banks, many pedestrians and cyclists have to take unsafe small boats to get to the center of Can Tho during the storm season.
Mrs. Tran Thi Hue, 72 years old, in Hung Phu ward, Cai Rang district, carrying a tray of sweets and cakes from the boat to the riverbank, on the Ninh Kieu district side, said that for the past few decades she has been taking the Xom Chai ferry to make a living.
“Currently, if I want to go to the center of Can Tho, I have to take a detour of more than 5 km across Quang Trung Bridge. I am weak and cannot walk that far, so I have to cross the river by boat,” Ms. Hue said, adding that the small boat rocks every time a boat passes by, and she herself cannot swim, so she is very worried.
Similarly, Ms. Luong Thi Tam, 62 years old, said that every day she goes from Xom Chai, Hung Phu ward, to Ninh Kieu wharf to sell lottery tickets, spending 2,000 VND for two trips back and forth in the early morning and late afternoon. But now that the ferry has stopped running, she has to take a small boat, which costs five times more.
“The scariest thing is when it rains and the boat rocks and sways in the middle of the river,” Mrs. Tam said worriedly.
Speaking to VNExpress, Mr. Tran Van Hieu, deputy head of the Urban Management Department of Ninh Kieu District, said the district has five ferry terminals and passenger boats across the river. Currently, three terminals have had to temporarily suspend operations because they “do not meet the conditions to announce their resumption,” including the Xom Chai ferry terminal.
“This wharf is still stuck with land management procedures, including recalculating land rental prices and adding land lease contract appendices,” Mr. Hieu said, adding that the old regulations are no longer in effect, so when Xom Chai ferry wharf completes its documents, it will be considered for a license to operate again.
(According to Nguoi Viet)