Approval has been given by the Da Nang People’s Committee for foreign cruise ships to keep open certain onboard services whilst staying overnight in the city.  These services include food and drink outlets, discotheques, duty-free shops and gambling areas.

The Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Tran Chi Cuong, said that no rules in all the relevant legal documents require foreign cruise ships to close such services whilst docked in Viet Nam.  He added that allowing the opening of these services will help to attract more international cruise ships to stay overnight in the city.

International cruise ship passengers at Tien Sa Port

The SuperStar Libra operated by Star Cruises, the leading cruise line in the Asia-Pacific region, will be the first ship to enjoy the benefits of this new ruling.  It is scheduled to dock at the city’s Tien Sa Port on Monday mornings each week between mid-January and late March and then leave for other destinations on Tuesday evenings.

In 2015, Da Nang welcomed 48,373 international passengers from 43 cruise ship arrivals.  This year, the city is expecting to receive a total of over 100,000 passengers from more than 110 cruise ship arrivals.