Hidden cost of Port fees for cruise passengers in Vietnam

Ever wondered why tours from ports of call in Vietnam are quite expensive?

And why do some privately owned tour companies want your passport details etc before you arrive in country?

For example on our upcoming cruise on Sapphire Princess the ships excursion DIY Saigon is $99 whereas the DIY Bangkok is $39 per person - approximately the same distance and wages etc are higher than Vietnam so why.

One reason is because the various port "authorities" in Vietnam impose a per passenger fee to allow operators to come along side the ship to pickup and drop off. The fee can vary and it is impossible to find some proper basis for the charge.

Many suspect the charge as a means of extracting some money from those who can afford to pay and that probably the tours organised by the cruise line do not pay the fee. After all we have port fees and charges added to the cost of our cruise ticket so what gives?

In Phu My I have organised a private tour which will require us to walk 200 meters to the waiting van - outside the dock area and thus we have not be asked for the port charge.

Food for thought?

Ever wondered why tours from ports of call in Vietnam are quite expensive?

 

And why do some privately owned tour companies want your passport details etc before you arrive in country?

 

For example on our upcoming cruise on Sapphire Princess the ships excursion DIY Saigon is $99 whereas the DIY Bangkok is $39 per person - approximately the same distance and wages etc are higher than Vietnam so why.

 

One reason is because the various port "authorities" in Vietnam impose a per passenger fee to allow operators to come along side the ship to pickup and drop off. The fee can vary and it is impossible to find some proper basis for the charge.

 

Many suspect the charge as a means of extracting some money from those who can afford to pay and that probably the tours organised by the cruise line do not pay the fee. After all we have port fees and charges added to the cost of our cruise ticket so what gives?

 

In Phu My I have organised a private tour which will require us to walk 200 meters to the waiting van - outside the dock area and thus we have not be asked for the port charge.

 

Food for thought?

Ever wonder why Australian cruises are so expensive?

Australian ports charge much higher port fees than other countries.

Sydney, Australia has the distinction of charging the highest port fees in the world - with no particular justification.

Also food for thought?

Ever wondered why tours from ports of call in Vietnam are quite expensive?

 

In Phu My I have organised a private tour which will require us to walk 200 meters to the waiting van - outside the dock area and thus we have not be asked for the port charge.

?

Have you checked that you are in fact able to "walk" to the outside dock areas? I have been in ports where this is not allowed as they are "working" ports, not just cruise ship terminals. Shuttles away from the port area (usually into the township) have been provided in these cases.

Ever wonder why Australian cruises are so expensive?

Australian ports charge much higher port fees than other countries.

Sydney, Australia has the distinction of charging the highest port fees in the world - with no particular justification.

 

Also food for thought?

I have no doubt that is true but as least the Port Authority (or someone?) will not charge up to $25 per pax to get on a bus or taxi that picks you up along side the ship.

Compare the wages of an Australian port worker to that of a Vietnamese/Thai etc and probably even a US worker and you will realise the huge and I mean huge disparity in paypackets.

Despite hours spent searching for an official order.act. edict call it what you like I have not been able to find a proper authority for this charge imposed in Vietnam ports other than travel agents who organise tours in Vietnam advising clients of the impost.

It has the hallmarks of another means of extracting monies from overseas tourists whereby up until a few years ago returning Vietnamese who had settled in another country had to slip $10/20/30 into their passport to have it processed by immigration authorities in Vietnam. A practice thank goodness has been deterred in most recent years.

I have been going to Vietnam on numerous occasions since my first visit 45 years ago and I love the country and it's people and no doubt as the country's tourist industry grows a lot of practices that a dubious or unhelpful to encouraging tourist to return will go.

Quote Shortened.

Have you checked that you are in fact able to "walk" to the outside dock areas? I have been in ports where this is not allowed as they are "working" ports, not just cruise ship terminals. Shuttles away from the port area (usually into the township) have been provided in these cases.

Yep - had no problems in the past with Phu My, Saigon's port near the Vung tau Ferry terminal, Danang, Nha Trang but cannot be sure about Halong Bay as the ship provided a free shuttle into the town so did not take any notice of how or where the exits were.

I have no doubt that is true but as least the Port Authority (or someone?) will not charge up to $25 per pax to get on a bus or taxi that picks you up along side the ship.

 

Compare the wages of an Australian port worker to that of a Vietnamese/Thai etc and probably even a US worker and you will realise the huge and I mean huge disparity in paypackets.

 

Despite hours spent searching for an official order.act. edict call it what you like I have not been able to find a proper authority for this charge imposed in Vietnam ports other than travel agents who organise tours in Vietnam advising clients of the impost.

 

It has the hallmarks of another means of extracting monies from overseas tourists whereby up until a few years ago returning Vietnamese who had settled in another country had to slip $10/20/30 into their passport to have it processed by immigration authorities in Vietnam. A practice thank goodness has been deterred in most recent years.

 

I have been going to Vietnam on numerous occasions since my first visit 45 years ago and I love the country and it's people and no doubt as the country's tourist industry grows a lot of practices that a dubious or unhelpful to encouraging tourist to return will go.

How about comparing apples to apples?

The port of San Francisco has a new cruise terminal that is spectacular.

The American stevedores there are paid far more money than Australian stevedores.

San Francisco has the most expensive port fees in America.

The sail into and out of San Francisco Bay is equally beautiful - or possibly nicer - than the one into Darling Harbour at Sydney.

The new San Francisco terminal is far superior to the new one (and the old one) in Sydney.

But Port fees and passenger head taxes in Sydney are nearly double the same charges in San Francisco.

Can't someone explain this disparity?

Sounds like monkey-business to me.

 

And why do some privately owned tour companies want your passport details etc before you arrive in country?

Both a government rule and the quasi privately owned port rule. Check into a Vietnamese hotel-your passport is examined by the secret police before it is returned to you. They actually give a **** about who is in their country. And they want to make sure you have a Vietnamese visa issued either by the ship or independently procured.

For example on our upcoming cruise on Sapphire Princess the ships excursion DIY Saigon is $99 whereas the DIY Bangkok is $39 per person - approximately the same distance and wages etc are higher than Vietnam so why.

Vietnam's tourism is just in its infancy. Luxury buses are few and far between. In addition, insurance and driver qualifications are something that is NOT the norm in Vietnam. So finding those that meet cruise line requirements is going to cost a lot more money. Those are truly specialty skills.

Bangkok has been an international tourist destination for many, many years. Vietnam-after the War, Westerners either did not go or weren't allowed to go until fairly recently. Early/mid 80's was the very start of Vietnamese tourism and it didn't really come into it's own until the mid 90's. It is still a very immature industry with a total lack of infrastructure.

Just as an example: there are probably 15 different companies running "china town" type cheap buses traveling from NYC to Boston. LOTS of luxury buses. NOT many in Vietnam at present. Good old Econ 101.

One reason is because the various port "authorities" in Vietnam impose a per passenger fee to allow operators to come along side the ship to pickup and drop off. The fee can vary and it is impossible to find some proper basis for the charge.

As posted previously, there is a small government component to the charge which is charged back to the port operators. But as the ports are primarily quasi privately owned, each port operator can set his own price to enter the port. I ship a lot of freight OUT of Vietnam. The price to get my containers into various ports varies considerably with the port and the commodity. A full container of shrimp costs almost twice as much to enter the port as a full container of Swai. And this is the port entry fee, NOT a tariff or tax. And fairly often, I follow my containers in to make sure they end up on the correct ship. Car, driver and myself have been charged from $25 to $60 depending on the port, how well they know the driver and who is manning the gate. Corruption, bribes, kickbacks and nepotism are part of the Communist system and rampant in Vietnam, China and some other parts of Asia

Many suspect the charge as a means of extracting some money from those who can afford to pay and that probably the tours organised by the cruise line do not pay the fee. After all we have port fees and charges added to the cost of our cruise ticket so what gives?

Port fees are paid to the actual port for DOCKAGE of the SHIP. NOT for the passengers to go wandering around in a working port. Because the concept of liability insurance is not common in Vietnam, I often wondered what would happen if a passenger was hit with a forklift or container while walking around one of the Vietnamese ports. You sure won't be able to sue anyone if you are seriously hurt. I'll pay the fee, thank you.

Quote Shortened.

Have you checked that you are in fact able to "walk" to the outside dock areas? I have been in ports where this is not allowed as they are "working" ports, not just cruise ship terminals. Shuttles away from the port area (usually into the township) have been provided in these cases.

I was on a Princess cruise last year which called at Phu My. You can walk straight off the ship, market stalls set up alongside and a very short walk through the gates. Cannot tell you how far to get to town itself, I think it is right there as I was on a tour to Cu Chi tunnels which left as soon as we arrived and got back just before we left. Enjoy your day. The prices at the Market Stalls go down, they are cheap to start with, the closer it gets to the ship leaving!! Surprising......

Gwen

Yes, you can walk outside the port area in Vietnam.

I would not.

I find that the tours in Vietnam are relatively inexpensive so I would not make this an issue.

As to what they charge everyone seems to do something these days.

Take a taxi in Mumbai and inside the port more expensive than outside because the taxi drivers must pay off the port security. In Cape Town they security people also try to get some additional money from the taxi drivers. Take a taxi at many airports in the USA you will see an additional fee tacked on from the beginning. Why? An airport tax. All of this is not unusual but again some of our least expensive tours have been in Vietnam.

Keith

How much are the wharfies (stevedores) paid in San Francisco? They are paid a fortune in Sydney so they must be really highly paid to be paid a lot more!

The walk to the port gate is fine as long as you can walk about 200 to 300 metres. It is very hot. Just ask when exiting the gang way which direction, or follow the buses. Jennifer

Have you ever considered that if the Port Authority did not charge a fee for passengers using the facility ...

it may not even be there for you , or your ship to to use ?

Have you ever considered that if the Port Authority did not charge a fee for passengers using the facility ...

it may not even be there for you , or your ship to to use ?

 

 

I have also considered that charging twice as much as any other port in the world causes my employer to re-consider taking my ship (and the US$1 Million we leave behind every time we visit a port) to another place that charges us less.

If my company tried to charge you double, and the competitors offered the same cruise for half the amount we charged, which cruise would you buy?

Does anybody have any experience when coming into HaLong Bay? I understand it is a working port but can one walk out to meet a taxi or is it advisable to let them come in and pay whatever they charge for port fees?

Hi

I want to book a cycle tour in Da nang, is it possible to walk from the ship to the entrance of the dock and pick up a taxi from there and how would I know I was getting into a genuine taxi. A friend of mine was well and truly ripped off after getting in a taxi outside the airport that's why I just wanted to check how to spot a "good" taxi.

Thanks

Hi

I want to book a cycle tour in Da nang, is it possible to walk from the ship to the entrance of the dock and pick up a taxi from there and how would I know I was getting into a genuine taxi. A friend of mine was well and truly ripped off after getting in a taxi outside the airport that's why I just wanted to check how to spot a "good" taxi.

Thanks

Research taxis on Trip Advisor - Vietnam forum and you will be able to get all the info you need to help get into a genuine taxi.

Lots of scams with taxis in Vietnam, research and being prepared is essential.

I was on a Princess cruise last year which called at Phu My. You can walk straight off the ship, market stalls set up alongside and a very short walk through the gates. Cannot tell you how far to get to town itself, I think it is right there as I was on a tour to Cu Chi tunnels which left as soon as we arrived and got back just before we left. Enjoy your day. The prices at the Market Stalls go down, they are cheap to start with, the closer it gets to the ship leaving!! Surprising......

 

Gwen

Thanks Gwen.. I'm happy to read this..

I'm. Struggling to get excited about this port. I think I should go to Hcmc as I doubt I will ever return.

Glad we can walk off ship.. and I love a few market stalls and bargaining 😀 what kind of stuff did they sell?

Glad we can walk off ship..

There appears to be some confusion here.

IF the ship is docked at Phu My you are 75 mins bus ride to Saigon.

The only Princess ships small enough to dock downtown are / were Pacific and Ocean.

Ocean has now been sold to Oceania.

If on Pacific Princess and downtown it is possible to walk.

All other Princess ships will be at Phu My in the middle of nowhere.

And at Phu My when you walk the 200mtrs there won't be any taxis waiting out there. It's also a long way to walk if it's humid.

Better to go with the cruise line excursion or book one privately before you get there.

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We met our private guide, Zoom, outside the port gates for our Saigon Tour and I would have been mortified to have paid the extra $100 that was being requested for our family for ship-side collection. It was a 5 to 10 minute walk and our guide was there waiting - no problem. On the way back, a few in our group grabbed the free port bus back to the ship as they had purchased items in the markets. FYI, we were on X Millennium and docked at Phu My.

I'm very confused now ?

Can we walk off at Phu My?

Will there be market stalls etc at dock?

Will taxis etc be there ?

I'm very confused now ?

Can we walk off at Phu My?

Will there be market stalls etc at dock?

Will taxis etc be there ?

Unsure which cruise line you are sailing with, but we walked from the ship across an industrial port for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. I don't recall any market being there. Our guide was waiting in our minibus on the right side just after the port gates and I think there was 1 trader selling drinks; there were other buses waiting for their pax that were walking across at the same time as us. Can't recall if there were taxis there or not because we had pre-arranged our excursion with others off our ship. This was last Christmas.

I'm very confused now ?

Can we walk off at Phu My?

Will there be market stalls etc at dock?

Will taxis etc be there ?

The previous post is correct.

Just to add some info.

Yes, you can walk off and should be a few ( 10 ? ) market stalls there on the dock.

Yes you can walk to main gate in about 10 mins.

There may be a few taxis there; BUT they will be limited and you are a captive audience as far as costs go. It will be at least an hours drive into Saigon, perhaps 1hr 15.

Most companies have a free shuttle to take you into the local market town of Ba Ria 30 minutes away. This is not a tourist town, but is of interest to those who like wandering around a local town.

From Ba Ria it is easy to negotiate tour vans or taxis into Vung Tau which is on the coast a further 30 minutes away.

PS: If this will be your first and only trip I recommend you go into Saigon and see the top 4 or 5 sites there. It's a great city.

Either join a private tour, take the ship's tour, or if confident take the "on your own" ship's transport and see the sights yourself. Most of those on your own just provide the bus and will allow you 5 or 6 hours in Saigon.

Thank you. We are on sapphire princess. And hope you share a guided tour with others from the ship 😀 not a princess excursion though ... as that seems rather expensive