Vietnam plans to develop $16.7mn passenger port on Phu Quoc Island

The Vietnam Maritime Administration is seeking approval from the Ministry of Transport for a multi-million dollar project to set up an international passenger ship port on the southern island of Phu Quoc.

The harbor is slated to be located in An Thoi Bay on the island, around 190km west off the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, the Vietnam Maritime Administration said in a report recently submitted to the transport ministry.

The proposed port will be able to receive 225,282-GRT passenger ships capable of carrying 4,000 to 6,000 passengers, according to the maritime body.

A GRT, or gross register ton, is a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons," one of which equals a volume of 100 cubic feet (2.83 m3).

The port will cover an area of 13,743 square meters and is estimated to cost VND353.9 billion (US$16.7 million).

Geographically speaking, Phu Quoc sits on the operation routes of 19 international passenger ship operators when they travel along the Singapore – Thailand – Vietnam – Northeast Asian countries itinerary, the Vietnam Maritime Administration said while explaining the basis on which the proposal is made.

The lack of a port capable of docking large ships may discourage international passengers from exploring the island.

Giant passenger ships currently have to dock offshore and tourists have to travel to the island via canoes, which the maritime administration said is unsafe and inconvenient for them.

It has been predicted that Phu Quoc will welcome from 105,000 to 190,000 visitors a year via passenger ships from now to 2020, and the band could widen to 350,000-550,000 in the following decade.

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