Cruise tourism booms in Vietnam

A milestone has been achieved at Phu My Port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, where the Star Voyager cruise ship docked with 1,000 international passengers on board.

This was the first round-trip cruise journey from Singapore to Vietnam, further highlighting Vietnam's growing appeal on the global cruise tourism map.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, cruise tourism yields some 40 percent higher revenue than air or land-based tourism.

Since the beginning of 2025, a wave of cruise ships has arrived at various Vietnamese ports, transporting thousands of international tourists to the Southeast Asian nation to explore its natural beauty and cultural charm.

Da Nang City in central Vietnam, Ha Long in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam, Nha Trang, a popular coastal city in south-central Khanh Hoa Province, and Ho Chi Minh City have welcomed a steady stream of luxury vessels.

Cruise ship Celebrity Solstice brought over 3,000 visitors from Europe and the U.S. to Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta in late February, while the Adora Cruise docked in Da Nang with 2,400 travelers from Guangzhou, China on February 24.

Similarly, the Norwegian Spirit arrived at Cam Ranh International Port in Khanh Hoa with 1,900 international tourists on board in mid-February.

Between January and May, Quang Ninh Province welcomed nearly 30,000 cruise tourists from Europe, Oceania, and Northeast Asia, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

The province is expected to welcome 70 cruise ship visits this year, with nearly 90,000 international passengers.

Meanwhile, Khanh Hoa Province aims to receive more than 10 cruise ships and nearly 20,000 visitors coming ashore for excursions and local experiences.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, a member of the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Tourism Association, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday that the cruise sector is particularly vibrant from January to April, the peak season.

“Cruise lines, by choosing Vietnam as a destination, enrich the tourism product range and open doors to attracting high-spending travelers,” Hanh said.

"It enhances our national position on the global cruise tourism stage."

Luxury cruise experiences are increasingly popular with both domestic and international travelers.

Nguyen Thanh Tu, a tourist from Hanoi, along with his Malaysian friends, recently booked a five-day, four-night all-inclusive cruise tour from a U.S.-based five-star cruise line.

“This will be my first cruise experience,” Tu said, adding that the price was reasonable, at VND27 million (US$1,035) per person.

Challenges in retaining cruise tourists

Despite the promising growth and high spending associated with cruise travelers, keeping them engaged and encouraging repeat visits remain a challenge, according to several local tour operators.

Nguyen Anh Phong, a cruise tour operator in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that tourists often face inconvenient logistics upon disembarkation, such as long walks to reach pickup points and a lack of accompanying entertainment or shopping options near ports.

In some cases, passenger ships are unable to dock due to berth unavailability, as cargo vessels take priority.

“These factors severely impact the visitor experience,” Phong said.

To resolve these issues, Phong emphasized the need for dedicated cruise terminals, enhanced shore-side facilities, and high-end shopping and entertainment complexes to boost visitor satisfaction.

At the celebration event of the first cruise from Singapore arriving at Phu My Port a few days ago, Saigontourist general director Nguyen Thanh Luu highlighted the rapid recovery of both river and sea cruise tourism in Vietnam.

Since the start of 2025, Saigontourist has welcomed over 48,000 cruise passengers from vessels like Anthem of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Serenade of the Seas.

These cruises included extended Vietnam itineraries with stops in Ha Long, Hue City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Ho Chi Minh City.

He emphasized that cruise tourists tend to have high spending power and that the cruise segment should be considered a strategic tourism product.

He called for standardized cruise port infrastructure, relaxed visa policies, streamlined entry and exit procedures, and premium services to increase both stay duration and spending levels.

Many tourism experts agreed that coastal localities should broaden the definition of marine tourism to include sustainable development goals, while encouraging firms to create exclusive tourism products, establish luxury shopping centers, and upgrade accommodations to five- and six-star standards.

Cruise tourism on the rise in Asia

Vietnam welcomed 9.2 million international tourists in the first five months of 2025, a 21-percent year-on-year increase, including over 600,000 cruise arrivals.

The country’s main cruise source markets were Russia, the Philippines, and India.

New markets like Hungary, Turkey, and Poland were also emerging as notable sources of visitors.

According to forecasts from the World Tourism Organization, cruise tourism will increasingly shift toward Asia by 2030.

Within Vietnam’s marine economic development strategy through 2030, with a vision to 2045, marine tourism and services have been identified as a top priority sector for breakthrough development.