The 5-star cruise ship Star Pride berthed at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port at 7.30 am on 19 February (the 1st day of the 1st lunar month) bringing the first international cruise ship passengers of the lunar new year to the city.

On a cruise arranged by the Viet Nam-based Destination-Asia tourism company, the ship was carrying 200 passengers mainly from the USA.

During their one-day stay in Da Nang, the passengers were taken to visit some of the city’s popular tourist attractions, including the Museum of Cham Sculpture, the Linh Ung Pagoda, and the Marble Mountains.  In addition, they have had the opportunity to experience some of the traditions of the Vietnamese Tet Festival.

A leader from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism presenting flowers to the first cruise ship passengers to set foot in the city in the new year.

Local travel agents have reported that last year saw a sharp decrease in the number of cruise ship passengers arriving in the city.  However, since the start of this year the city has welcomed many from China and other Chinese-speaking countries.  This looks like a positive sign for this year’s cruise ship season as Da Nang becomes one of the must-see destinations in Viet Nam for international cruise ships.

Thanks to the wide range of fascinating cultural events during the Tet holiday, Da Nang is expected to see a dramatic increase in the number of tourist arrivals.  In particular, the number of tourist arrivals to the city over the holiday is likely to have climbed by 10.25% compared with the same period last year to 199,608.  66,170 of them are foreigners, representing an 11.8% increase, whilst the remainder are domestic visitors, a 9.5 % rise.  In particular, the city will receive a total of 3,200 passengers from 3 cruise ships arriving during the lunar new year period.