Halong Bay cruises and tourist boats moving to new Tuan Chau's wharf
Tourists who want to take a boat trip in Halong Bay will soon have to head to a new wharf, as the popular Bai Chay Tourist Wharf will be closed in the next few months, local media reported.
The relocation of all the boats, ferries and cruises to Ngoc Chau Marina, Tuan Chau Island, which is about 5.5 kilometers away, is slated to complete by the end of this year. Opened at the end of July, the new wharf can handle about 2,000 boats, including large vessels that are longer than 70 meters.The first and the main boat station to the world famous bay, Bai Chay Tourist Wharf has become overcrowded in recent years. Up to 500 boats dock at the wharf in the evening, while it is capable of accommodating only 300.
It has also been criticized for environment and safety issues. Waste and oil from boats and ferries have allegedly contaminated the water, while the wharf itself, without sufficient facilities, have failed to protect boats from storms. Many boats have been battered or sunk by unexpected storms when docking there since 2007.
Tuan Chau tourist area was founded in 1997 by Au Lac company. Its first project was to build the road connecting the island to the mainland. It was considered as an adventurous and impracticable project. However, after executing in 13 months, the road with the length of 2.145 kilometers and the width of 15 meters was officially completed in April 8, 1999. The total expenditure was more than 80 billion VND. Nowadays, Tuan Chau has become a tourist attraction not only in Quang Ninh but also in Vietnam. After that, Au Lac company invested for a recreation area with famous constructions such as: the most beautiful and longest artificial beach (over 6 kilometers), food garden being 20,000 square meters in width, villas, four-star hotels with 1,000 luxurious rooms and the highlight Tuan Chau Marina that is currently used as a wharf for luxury cruises like Bhaya Cruises, Paradise Cruises or Golden Cruise 9999.
The new focus of Au Lac company is to build Ngoc Chau Marina in the Southwest of Tuan Chau Island. The port is 11 times bigger than the current Tuan Chau Marina with the length of 6 kilometers. The port is entirely built on wetlands. It is the biggest port not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia.
