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| Cruise tourism has been on a good recovery. (Photo: VNA) |
The passengers will visit several central localities, including Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam.
According to Deputy Director General of Chan May Port Joint Stock Company Nguyen Van Chuong, cruise tourism has been on a good recovery, with many travel firms having registered to bring visitors to Chan May port.
During January – September, the port welcomed 12 cruise ships which carried more than 13,000 travelers, he said, adding the port expects to host 10 more international cruise ships until the end of this year.
Ngo Lam Thong, a US national, said while the ship docks at Chan May port for ten hours, he will visit the imperial citadel of Hue – a world heritage site to discover royal art and architecture.
He said returning Vietnam after more than 20 years, he is delighted at the country’s development and quality tourism service.
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| Celebrity Cruises ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew on board berths at Chan May port. (Photo: VNA) |
Chan May port can accommodate 70,000 DWT vessels, and 225,000 GRT cruise ships. It is among 46 seaports in Southeast Asia selected by the Asia Cruise Association as a stopover for cruise ship.
Chan May Port Joint Stock Company said 30 cruise ships with 48,000 passengers and 18,700 crew members have registered to dock at the port in 2024.
Ba Ria-Vung Tau welcomes 2,700 international cruise tourists
According to VOV, the Malta-flagged Celebrity Solstice carrying 2,700 foreign passengers onboard docked at Phu My Port in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, home to the popular beach city of Vung Tau, on November 10.
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| The foreign guests are taken to several of the southern city’s most popular tourist attractions. (Photo: Baobariavungtau.com.vn) |
The majority of passengers on the vessel are from the United States, Canada, and the UK.
During the course of their one-day stay, the foreign guests were taken to several of the southern city’s most popular tourist attractions, including Ho Phap pagoda, Hoa Long market, Long Dien ancient house, and Cao Dai Temple.
The ship will bring the tourists to visit Nha Trang on November 11, before then departing for Hue on November 12 and Ha Long on November 13.
The cruise will then bring a further 2,700 holidaymakers from the US and UK to Ha Long, Hue, and Vung Tau from November 18 to November 22.
Celebrity Solstice is the lead ship of the Solstice class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises.
The vessel is 314.86 metres in length, boasts a capacity of 2,852 passengers, and is rated as one of the most modern ships in the world.
Connectivity awakes Mekong Delta’s tourism charm
A kaleidoscope of tourism offerings have been branched out under a tourism connectivity programme between Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region to unlock the allure of the southern localities, reported VNA.
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| The tours will give visitors a taste of the Mekong Delta where the daily life is peaceful in rustic landscapes under coconut canopies and along a system of canals that zigzag through tropical orchards. (Photo: VNA) |
Eighty tours have been set up, connecting Ho Chi Minh City with a host of localities in the Mekong Delta, such as Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Can Tho. The tours will give visitors a taste of the Mekong Delta where the daily life is peaceful in rustic landscapes under coconut canopies and along a system of canals that zigzag through tropical orchards.
According to statistics from 100 travel firms engaged in the connectivity programme, 1.8 million visitors joined the tours from January – September, each paying around 800,000 VND to 1 million VND (32.96 – 41.19 USD).
Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu said the travel business association and suppliers of tourism services have an important role to play in the programme, helping promote tourism products in the spirit of sharing with the local tourism community.
Hieu suggested that the localities involved should sketch out more tourism incentives to ensure service quality for both domestic and international tourists.
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| A corner of Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho city (Photo: baovanhoa.vn) |
Forming key tourism products is a must to lure high-end travelers, she said, suggesting localities to propose their People’s Committees to issue policies to lure investment in entertainment zones to diversify tourism offerings to encourage visitors to stay longer.
As a tourism gateway for the region, Ho Chi Minh City should work to complete fascinating tours to lure more visitors to the connectivity programmes, she added.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of several Mekong Delta localities said that digital technology should be deployed to capitalise on and manage tourism resources.
Director of the Domestic Tourism Centre at Ben Thanh Tourism Joint Stock Company Cao Van Tung said that localities should re-define their tourism brands to develop more standout tourism products, and travel firms are willing to accompany local authorities in the process.
Meanwhile, Marketing and Communications Director at Vietluxtour Tran Thi Bao Thu said each locality needs to build distinctive tourism products. For example, the tours should enable visitors to distinguish Tram Chim National Park from Mua Xuan (Spring) Tourist Area, and spiritual tourism in Long An from that in Soc Trang, she said.
Travel firms said although Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region are able to cash in on their cachet of criss-crossed rivers, tranquil orchards and green environment, it is tough for the localities to form independent three-day tours due to limitations in infrastructure.
Therefore, it is necessary to build inter-regional trips that are able to create lasting impression on visitors, and keep them coming back, they added./.