The Cấm River runs along the northern edge of the city and is the working waterway that gave Haiphong its existence. Container terminals, dry docks, and shipyards line both banks, and oceangoing vessels can sail right into the city as far as the Bính Bridge.
A pleasant evening walk runs along the southern bank between Bến Bính and the Hoàng Văn Thụ Bridge: a couple of kilometres of riverside park with food stalls, lit gardens, and a constant procession of working boats. The river is most spectacular at dawn, when the morning fog softens the cranes and the silhouettes of the moored ships.