Nguyen Trung Khanh, General Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), said sea and island tourism are spearhead tourism products of Vietnam. Seaports are important for this kind of tourism, with ports in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern central coastal provinces of Khanh Hoa and Binh Dinh and Da Nang city recently upgraded.

Vietnam also has deep-sea port systems that can handle large cruise ships such as Ha Long International Passenger Port in Quang Ninh, Chan May Port in Thua Thien – Hue, Tien Sa Port in Da Nang, and Dam Mon Port and Nha Trang Port in Khanh Hoa, he said.

Vietnam is positioning itself to become a regular stopover for travelers on the journey to explore Asia and Southeast Asia, Khanh said, adding that many Vietnamese travel firms want to serve more travelers from international cruise ships.

Since the beginning of 2023, the country has welcomed a number of cruise ships, including those from major cruise lines such as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Resort World Cruises.

Recently, Spectrum of the Seas of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines with over 4,000 international visitors on board docked at the Phu My port in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

This is the third arrival of Spectrum of the Seas - one of the world's top ten most luxurious cruise ships - to Vietnam, and the second time to Ba Ria – Vung Tau. In the remaining months of this year, the firm plans to carry thousands more of holidaymakers to Vietnam.

According to experts, sea and island tourism accounts for about 70% of activities of Vietnam's tourism industry. The remaining months of this year are the peak season of international tourism, so there is a lot of room to exceed the growth target through cruise ship tourism.

To attract more tourists, experts proposed diversifying products, reducing or exempting some types of fees for cruise tourists, and upgrading infrastructure to better serve them.