HCM CITY  Việt Nam has recognised the potential of cruise tourism and is planning to attract more international visitors through this mode of travel.

A representative from Saigontourist Travel Agency said that during the last two months of the year, the agency would welcome seven cruise ships bringing 2,600 international tourists to Việt Nam.

Last weekend, the agency welcomed the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship (operated by Royal Caribbean), which brought over 2,800 guests from Europe, the US, and Australia to Việt Nam, docking at Phú Mỹ Port in Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu Province.

In the following days, the ship will dock at Chân Mây Port in Huế and Hạ Long Port in Quảng Ninh Province.

The ship is expected to depart from Việt Nam on the evening of November 13.

Also in November, Saigontourist will continue to welcome the Celebrity Solstice to ports in Hạ Long, Chân Mây and Phú Mỹ as part of its itinerary from November 17 to 21 and November 27 to 31.

In December, the Spectrum of the Seas will bring 4,200 guests to Nha Trang, and the Mein Schiff 6 with 2,400 guests will arrive in Hạ Long.

For the first six months of 2025, Saigontourist is expected to receive 20 international cruise ships, notably serving many high-end tourists on ships like Azamara Onward and Azamara Pursuit, visiting HCM City and Đà Nẵng.

According to statistics from the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism, among the 14.1 million international visitors to Việt Nam in the first 10 months of this year, 189,100 visitors arrived by sea, up 172.3 per cent.

This growth rate is higher than those of air and land routes.

However, the number of cruise tourists remains modest, indicating significant potential for this form of tourism.

Việt Nam’s tourism sector targets 17-18 million international visitors this year.

With over 14.1 million visitors in the first 10 months, businesses believe that the industry's goal is attainable as the country enters its peak season for foreign tourists.

Trần Thị Bảo Thu, a representative of Vietluxtour, said that the inbound tour market has seen significant improvement, benefiting from strong promotional activities over the past year, favourable new visa policies, and positive reviews of Việt Nam as a destination in the international market.  VNS