Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism proposes piloting international passenger ships at Cai Mep - Thi Vai until the end of 2026

The proposal was made in the context that a series of tourism businesses are at risk of canceling receiving international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City by sea because they have to wait for the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster to add the function of receiving passenger ships.

International tourists coming to Vietnam by train are very busy in the last months of the year - Photo: HL

On October 16, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism sent a report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, proposing that the city consider approving the policy of allowing the extension of the pilot program to receive international passenger ships at ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area (new Ho Chi Minh City) from now until the end of December 2026.

Tourist arrivals increase sharply but lack of dedicated ports

According to the City Department of Tourism, previously, in the period of 2018-2019, the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, the Department of Tourism of the province and the Vietnam Maritime Administration issued many documents directing and supporting ports to arrange suitable berths to receive international passenger ships.

Thanks to that, sea tourism activities in the Southern region have developed stably and effectively. However, to date, the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area still does not have a dedicated port for international passenger ships, while large ships cannot go deep into the inner city of Ho Chi Minh City due to limitations in shipping infrastructure.

The proposal was made after the Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port Authority held a meeting on October 7, 2025 in Vung Tau, regarding the inspection conclusion of the Vietnam Maritime and Waterways Administration Inspectorate on adding functions to ports receiving international passenger ships.

Currently, international cruise ships still have to temporarily anchor at container ports or general ports, which are often overloaded and not economically efficient when serving cruise ships. "This situation makes ports unprepared to receive cruise ships, causing significant difficulties for international travel agencies and shipping lines," the report stated.

Faced with that reality, many shipping agents and tourism businesses have sent documents to the Department of Tourism, requesting coordination to recommend that competent authorities consider allowing international passenger ships to continue entering and exiting the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area from now until the end of 2026.

Statistics from the Department of Tourism show that the number of international passenger ships arriving in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area is increasing rapidly . In 2024, the area will welcome 65 cruise ships with about 287,000 passengers. In 2025, there are expected to be 48 cruises with 180,000 passengers, and by the end of 2026, there have been 118 cruises registered to call at the port, with a total of more than 260,000 international passengers.

To resolve the difficulties, on October 15, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism sent a dispatch to the Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port Authority and related units, requesting coordination to support businesses in organizing the reception of international cruise ship passengers in this area.

The Department of Tourism also recommended that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee direct relevant agencies such as the Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port Authority, the Department of Construction and infrastructure units to coordinate to remove obstacles and create conditions for cruise tourism businesses to operate stably, contributing to attracting international visitors, promoting the image of Ho Chi Minh City tourism, and at the same time maintaining the position of the Southern region on the Asian sea tourism map.

Businesses worry about losing the reputation of their destinations.

International tourists coming to Ho Chi Minh City by sea are increasing rapidly - Photo: HL

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , many businesses exploiting sea tourism products said they are facing the risk of mass contract cancellations due to this change.

A representative of Saigontourist Travel, one of the strong units in cruise tourism products, said that this business has had to cancel services to welcome international cruise ship groups on October 18 due to new regulations that prevent ships from docking at ports as originally scheduled.

According to Saigontourist Travel, the unit and its shipping agency partners have successfully organized many tours for thousands of international tourists, with an average of more than 3,000 guests per trip, from major shipping lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited... when docking at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port area.

"This is an important gateway for international visitors to visit, shop and use services in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, contributing positively to tourism and service revenue in the whole region," the business said.

For many years, despite being only a cargo port, the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area has still stably and safely received about 60-80 passenger ships each year. However, according to new regulations, container ports or general ports need to add the function of receiving passenger ships to the License to declare seaport operations.

This procedure is in the process of being completed and takes a long time, while the international passenger ship schedule has been fixed in advance and is difficult to change.

Also according to Saigontourist Travel, from now until the end of April 2026, there are about 15 international trains with about 40,000 passengers waiting to be received in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area.

If the permission to receive passengers is not approved in time, many international shipping lines will have to cancel their trips, causing great damage to Ho Chi Minh City's tourism revenue, affecting business contracts and the reputation of Vietnamese tourism in the international market.

Recently, many travel businesses and shipping agents, including Hai Nam Shipping Agency Co., Ltd., Wallem Vietnam, Saigontourist, Destination Asia Vietnam, Thien Y Cruise, and Tan Hong Travel, have made recommendations to avoid the situation of "guests arriving but not being picked up".

All proposed to be allowed to pilot the reception of international passenger ships at ports in the region to maintain the schedule of receiving passengers to Vietnam while waiting for the completion of legal procedures on port functions.

On October 14, the Maritime and Waterways Administration sent a written response to SP-PSA International Port Company Limited regarding the request to receive passenger ships entering and leaving the port. Accordingly, Thi Vai - Cai Mep port area is identified as a general port area, container, liquid/gas and bulk cargo, not planned as a specialized port area to receive international passenger ships.

If the port wants to receive passengers, it must complete additional procedures for the Certificate of Declaration of Seaport Operations according to current regulations.

Because of the 12-2026 timeline, according to businesses, this is the time to ensure the rights of tourists and businesses that have signed contracts in cruise tourism.

AS PEACEFUL

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/so-du-lich-tp-hcm-kien-nghi-thi-diem-don-tau-khach-quoc-te-tai-cai-mep-thi-vai-den-cuoi-nam-2026-2025101615415399.htm