Ho Chi Minh City will build three international passenger ports to develop cruise tourism.

Ho Chi Minh City plans to invest in three international passenger port projects located in the southern area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City to meet the demand for developing cruise tourism.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, Head of Tourism Resource Development Planning Department, answered the press on the afternoon of October 23.

On the afternoon of October 23, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, Head of the Department of Tourism Resource Development Planning, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the Department is coordinating with relevant units to complete the dossier for the pilot reception of international passenger ships at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port area, with the pilot period until June 2026.

According to Ms. Thanh Thao, the Ministry of Construction has recently issued a document approving the policy of allowing the continued reception of international passenger ships at some ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area (belonging to Ho Chi Minh City seaport) until June 30, 2026, after the Vietnam Maritime and Waterways Administration issued a document requesting to stop receiving cruise ships. Therefore, from now until mid-2026, the Department will work with departments, branches and port operators to review and evaluate infrastructure conditions and legal procedures to ensure sufficient capacity to receive international passenger ships.

In fact, the ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area were initially planned for cargo operations and did not meet the standards for infrastructure and passenger services. If they wanted to receive passengers, the port had to complete procedures to supplement the certificate of declaration of seaport operations according to current regulations. In addition, in the context of the increasing number of international passengers by sea, many units have proactively converted their functions, invested in upgrading infrastructure, human resources and services to be ready to receive passenger ships.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomes thousands of tourists by cruise ship every year.

In addition, in the period of 2026 - 2030, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to have three new international port projects planned in the southern area of ​​the city and a passenger port in the central area. These projects are part of the cruise tourism development strategy, associated with the goal of making the city a leading tourism and logistics center in the region.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao said that promoting the reception of international passenger ships will not only help the city's tourism industry recover faster but also open up opportunities to form a chain of high-quality cruise tourism products, connecting with destinations in the Southeast region.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/du-lich/tp-ho-chi-minh-se-xay-dung-3-cang-hanh-khach-quoc-te-de-phat-trien-du-lich-tau-bien-20251023171703290.htm