The Vietnam Ship Building Industry Corporation (Vinashin) is building three ferries with non-refundable grant from Denmark for river traffic in the Mekong Delta.
The three new ferries are due to begin service this October. The estimated cost of all is about VND20 billion or US$1.25 million. Each ferry will be capable of carrying 350 passengers and 20 various kinds of automobiles.
The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is interlaced with rivers and ferry transport is necessary from province to province.
The Government of Denmark has funded the building of ferries for the region for years, and many of such ferries are in use there. The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) started its involvement in the Mekong Delta Ferry Project in 1996, initially in support of a World Bank project to upgrade National Highway No.1. A revolving fund, called the Ferry Fund, for financing new ferries and ferry stations with main capital provided through the project, is currently in operation.
