The city has around 975 km of waterway that can be used for transport. Around 700 km of rivers and canals are divided into 106 routes for municipal management.The city is linked with the Mekong Delta by the Saigon River, Dong Nai River, and the Te and Doi canal systems, which are connected with Cho Dem – Ben Luc rivers and other areas of the country as well as with the international sea transport system. Seaports include Saigon, Long Tau, and Soai Rap.
In the master plan, the city would develop public transport on a large scale, as well as multi-transportation means and logistics systems. To reach the goals, the city is moving seaports out of the downtown area and widening passage for bigger ships.
In the near future, Soai Rap River along with the Cai Mep-Thi Vai International ports will receive 100,000 tonne-ships at ports in Vung Tau, Dong Nai and HCM City, according to the HCM City's Transport Department.
By 2020, HCM City would have many new seaports, and narrow passages would be upgraded, according to the master plan. A seaport system in Cat Lai, Nha Be and Hiep Phuoc would also be operating by then. HCM City also wants to encourage investors to pour money into infrastructure and waterway tourism.
