Luxury cruise ship destinations

International cruise ships from all over the world continuously dock at Ba Ria - Vung Tau port.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau, with its long and beautiful coastline, has become an attractive destination for international sea tourism routes, especially in recent years.

The number of international cruise ships is increasing.

Right at the beginning of the year, on January 31 (the third day of the Lunar New Year 2025), the Celebrity Solstice ship of Celebrity Cruises carrying nearly 3,000 tourists from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia docked at Tan Cang Cai Mep - TCIT international port, Phu My town. This is the first international passenger ship to visit Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and the 8th time this ship has carried passengers to Vietnam, and is expected to return many more times.

After completing immigration procedures, tourists leave the ship and divide into many groups to join the journey to explore Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang and Ba Ria - Vung Tau. In Ba Ria - Vung Tau, tourists visit 2 routes to Vung Tau City with famous landmarks such as Christ Statue, Nirvana Monastery, Thang Tam Temple and Bach Dinh; the countryside tour stops at Ho Phap Pagoda, Cao Dai Temple (Phu My town), Hoa Long market, winery and rice paper making craft in Hoa Long commune (Ba Ria city), Long Dien ancient house.

At the end of December 2024, Ms. Laure Patric (a French tourist) and more than 100 tourists visited Con Dao by boat. Ms. Laure Patric said she was very excited and surprised to explore the historical site of Con Dao prison and the museum to learn about the war and affirmed that she will return to Con Dao with her friends again because there are still many places she wants to learn and explore but she has not had time.

Tourists leave the ship at Cai Mep - Thi Vai to explore Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and other localities.

According to statistics, in 2024, there will be about 50 cruise ships docking at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, with a minimum number of passengers per ship from 2,000 to 5,000 people. This increase comes not only from cruise ships in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, China but also from distant markets such as Europe and North America. These ships carry tourists looking for unique experiences of Vietnam's nature, culture and people. This is an opportunity for Ba Ria - Vung Tau province to welcome a large number of tourists from cruise ships, thereby promoting consumption and development of service and trade industries...

It is expected that in the first 4 months of 2025, there will be 31 international passenger ships registered to dock at Cai Mep - Thi Vai area. Each ship will bring from 1,800 - 4,000 tourists to visit, explore, learn about culture, life, and shop in the Southeast region and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

Pleased guests come, pleased guests go

To meet the increasing demand of international tourists, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has continuously improved its infrastructure, especially at seaports. Cai Mep - Thi Vai Port is being upgraded to accommodate many large cruise ships at the same time, facilitating the reception of tourists. In addition, transportation services, professional tour guides and other amenities are also being upgraded to bring the best experience to tourists.

In addition to upgrading the port infrastructure, the province also develops unique tours that suit the needs of international tourists, such as tours to visit historical sites, participate in local cultural festivals such as Dinh Co festival, Nghinh Ong festival, etc., or experience sea sports such as windsurfing and kayaking.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, said that in order to effectively introduce the local image to international visitors, the tourism industry has maintained connections with shipping lines, as well as travel agencies and seaports to organize safe reception of ships.

At the port, the Department of Tourism sets up an information desk to introduce provincial tourism, issues QR code bracelets introducing 48 ranked relics and scenic spots and 6 specialized tours for cruise tourists in English; produces newsletters and image clips promoting destinations to send to shipping lines to coordinate in destination advertising and communication; participates in cruise tourism promotion activities abroad. In addition, builds short-term and long-term plans to promote the development of the local cruise tourism market, and updates them promptly so that cruise tourism businesses know and coordinate.

Building an international passenger port

Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has heard reports from consultants on the plan to build an international cruise port in Vung Tau city. The scale includes a passenger terminal combined with duty-free shops, hotel offices and tourist apartments, a marina, technical infrastructure works...

The passenger port includes a wharf that allows berthing on both sides, accommodating ships of 225,000 - 228,000 GT (or larger when qualified). The total length of the port is 420 m, of which the passenger deck is 120 m long. The wharf is connected to the shore by a bridge about 700 m long. Inside are arranged marinas, public docks, maritime services for pilots and port authorities. The seaplane dock is arranged separately in the East and Southeast. The total investment is about 8,000 billion VND. This international passenger port is considered to have the largest scale in the Southern region.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/diem-den-cua-tau-du-lich-hang-sang-196250303200554417.htm