The dawn of the Thu Thiem Ferry

The Thu Thiem Ferry, which was a milestone in the development of the city, will never be erased from the nostalgia of many Saigonese.

Part 1: The dawn of the Thu Thiem Ferry
Part 2: Generations of Thu Thiem Ferry
Part 3: Bidding farewell to Thu Thiem Ferry

The ferry officially halted its operations on November 20 -- the date the Thu Thiem Tunnel running below the Saigon River bed was opened for traffic.

Though the ferry has ended its service, it will carry on in the mind of every Saigonese who used the boat to commute to and from the Thu Thiem peninsula.

The Thu Thiem Ferry at its beginning

How long has the Thu Thiem Ferry been in service in Ho Chi Minh City, whose former name is Saigon? It began its operation in its latest incarnation sometime after the Southern Revolution in 1945. However, this was only when large ferries were put in use to transport cars and bikes, in addition to people. Its two piers on the banks of the river had already been around for centuries.

Thu Thiem Ferry vice director Nguyen Cong Dan admitted, “I can’t tell you an exact time. I just know it was there when Vietnam was invaded by the French.” A senior resident in Thu Thiem, Nguyen Thi Thao said honestly, “It’s been a long time. It seems to go as far back as when people first moved to the peninsula.”

Thao added that she used to cross the Saigon River from the Cay Bang Pier in Thu Thiem to Cho Cu Market, which is now on Ham Nghi Street, before 1945, when she was 12 years old.

“Then, the ferry consisted of several row boats with oars that carried around 30 people, plus a few three-wheel bikes. It took a long time for those boats to cross the river,” she recalled.

Thao shared that guests attending her parents’ wedding party in 1917 had crossed the river by ferry.

Historical documents written in the 19th century referred to the Thu Thiem Ferry, which even then was located at its current position on the two river banks.

Dr. Ton Nu Quynh Tran, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Urban and Development Studies, told Tuoi Tre that the Thu Thiem Ferry was only officially acknowledged in 1911, when it was marked on the “Environs de Saigon” (or Outskirts of Saigon) map of the city. The map was drawn by the former Southern Administration in the scale of 1/50,000.

Thu Thiem Ferry on the riverbank of Saigon center in 1965 (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Cultural expert Hai Duong added to that,saying “The inclusion of the ferry on the city’s map means it was under official management by local authorities. In reality, the ferry had existed at that location long, long before 1911.”

Le Van Dong, 88, a former Thu Thiem resident, noted that the peninsula was managed by a man named Ca Muoi, known for his academic knowledge and traditional medicine expertise. Ca Muoi encouraged and helped people move to the area while he lived there.

Thanks to Ca Muoi, people from the Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Can Tho, Hau Giang, and Dong Thap, and from northern regions, moved in and settled on the peninsula, Mr. Dong said. Now, many senior residents in Thu Thiem still remember Ca Muoi and hold him in high regard.

The emigrants joined with the locals in Thu Thiem to build temples, markets, schools and other sites near the Cay Bang Quay, several of which have survived to this day. Examples include the temples Phat Quan Am, Ong Dia, Ba Chua Xu, Quan Bo, and Duc Thanh Tran.

It is clear that the Cay Bang Quay of the Thu Thiem Ferry became a gateway into the peninsula, said the research center chief Quynh Tran.

“Without the Thu Thiem Ferry, the Thu Thiem peninsula would have remained an uninhabited swamp. It would not be the land of rich culture it is now, with a large amount of temples and pagodas,” she concluded.

The Thu Thiem quay in District 1 has been considered the center of the city for over a hundred years of city development. After crossing the Thu Thiem, travelers could get to any corner of the city in a short amount of time. It was one of the values of the ferry, according to Quynh Tran.

With its key role in mind, the Thu Thiem Ferry continued offering services at a cheap price to ensure that anyone could travel back and forth from the peninsula. During the last stretch of the ferry’s operation, a ticket cost only VND1,000, or a third of a bus ticket in the city, and half the price of keeping a motorbike.

In the last days of the historic Thu Thiem Ferry, Ms. Tu -- a fish seller for the last 30 years -- anxiously asked the ferry staff if she could use the Thu Thiem tunnel for her business.

Like many of the poor people in the city, Ms. Tu gets around by bicycle, a mode of transport that is banned in the state-of-the-art Thu Thiem Tunnel; the largest in Southeast Asia.