Vietnam cruise tourism "welcomes the wave" of luxury tourists: Opportunity or challenge?

Tourists experience a journey with Vietnamese heritage on Ha Long Bay. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

In mid-June, the 5-star international super yacht Star Voyager officially departed from Phu My inland port (Ho Chi Minh City), taking Vietnamese tourists to Singapore on a 5-day, 4-night cruise. The event marked Vietnam's official "transition" from a destination to an international cruise departure point. Not only that, recently, the domestic corporation Lux Cruises Group also made a spectacular double when their two heritage cruise ships were in the Top 10 Best River Cruise Itineraries in Asia-Pacific (honored at the Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2025).

Notably, according to data from the General Statistics Office, visitors to Vietnam by sea in the first 5 months of 2025 reached 175,400, accounting for 1.9% of the total number of visitors and an increase of 8% over the same period last year. Quang Ninh province alone welcomed 35 international cruise ships in the past 6 months, bringing nearly 50,000 visitors to visit and experience (an increase of 25% over the same period in 2024).

The overall market is vibrant with such positive results, but is this an opportunity or a challenge when in reality, domestic cruise tourism still does not have a clear strategy in product development, lacks investment in tourism port infrastructure and international market promotion...?

New turning point of Vietnam cruise tourism

Information from local management agencies and representatives of some businesses shows that the number of international tourists using cruise services is mainly from key markets such as the US, Germany, UK, France, Japan, China and some other European countries.

With more than 3,200 km of coastline, thousands of islands, beautiful bays, many deep-water ports, and a rich culture/ cuisine , experts believe that the Star Voyager cruise ship (belonging to StarCruises Group - a brand operating for more than 30 years and honored 8 times as "Most knowledgeable cruise line in Asia" at the World Travel Awards) officially welcoming guests from Phu My port has marked the transition from potential to reality.

Star Voyager cruise ship officially welcomes guests from Phu My port in mid-June 2025. (Photo: Ha Phuong)

From a destination, a transit point, now on the 5-day, 4-night cruise (Ho Chi Minh City-Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City) of Star Voyager, Vietnam has become the starting point to officially appear on the world's luxury cruise tourism map, opening up a new direction for the luxury beach resort segment.

From the perspective of a travel business, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Luu, General Director of Saigontourist Travel Services Company, said: "Cruise tourism will be a fast-growing segment from now until 2030, but to make a breakthrough, we need a strong enough ecosystem from seaport infrastructure, reception procedures, specialized services to support policies and inter-sectoral coordination."

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Luu said that last June, Saigontourist was the only unit in Vietnam to organize both cruises with the Star Voyager cruise ship. On the inbound side, the company welcomed and served nearly 6,000 international tourists from Star Voyager arriving at Phu My port on June 13, 17, 21 and 28, organizing tours to visit Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi tunnels. On the outbound side, for the first time, the company organized for 200 Vietnamese tourists to experience an international cruise departing from Vietnam.

Tourists experience cuisine on Heritage Cruises Binh Chuan. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

This new cruise has “activated” the ability to expand connectivity and is a positive signal for the future of sustainable, high-quality development of the domestic and international cruise tourism market.

The opportunity is there, however, Chairman of Lux Cruises Group (a pioneer in the field of boutique cruises in Vietnam), Mr. Pham Ha, said: "Although we have all the elements of beautiful nature, rich culture, and fascinating history, we still lack a systematic national strategy and organization to turn Vietnam into a leading destination for cruise tourism in Asia."

How to reach the emotions of elite customers?

According to statistics from luxury cruise service businesses, international cruise ship passengers spend an average of 250-500 USD/day, 3-5 times higher than regular tourists. This type of customer also tends to return if they have a good experience. Attracting high-spending, long-stay customers is also the goal of Vietnam tourism.

With a fleet of 8 cruise ships operating in Ha Long, Lan Ha, Nha Trang and soon Saigon River, Phu Quoc, Lux Cruises Group representative said that they are setting new standards for the domestic cruise industry. The two highly rated itineraries of this group are Heritage Cruises Binh Chuan inspired by the legendary ship of businessman Bach Thai Buoi in 1919, and Emperor Cruises - a royal cruise that recreates the lifestyle of King Bao Dai.

A journey that touches emotions in the heart of Ha Long Bay heritage. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

“Luxury is not just about material things, but also about experiences that touch emotions and roots. We want each journey to be not just a trip, but a return to Vietnamese heritage,” Mr. Pham Ha shared.

According to experts in the luxury cruise line, when dealing with international luxury customers, it is important to understand that they do not buy services but emotional value, difference and memories. Therefore, if you want to retain super luxury customers, help them live a different life that is truly sophisticated, poetic and meaningful, even if only for a few days.

“Touching emotions is keeping the heart. Doing luxury tourism is not about being better, but about being different. Value is not about price, but about the story that only you can tell, and the emotions that only you can awaken.”
CEO Pham Ha

To develop the customer segment that chooses super luxury yacht services, according to Mr. Pham Ha, it is necessary to fill three gaps: artistic spirit in experience design, a synchronized ecosystem, and elite personnel. In which, "elite personnel" must be profound enough, have the ability to tell stories, lead emotions, and spread culture.

Above all, experts say, for Vietnam’s cruise tourism to develop to its full potential, a comprehensive national strategy is needed with the following pillars: planning specialized tourist ports, investing in high-quality domestic cruise ships, promoting international markets, training human resources and improving tourist experiences. In particular, changing the mindset from welcoming international cruise ships to proactively creating products to retain tourists.

Luxury cruise tourism not only brings memorable experiences, touches the lingering emotions and holds each tourist, but is also one of the types of services that contribute to the vitality of local tourism, bringing golden opportunities for the economy. This is also a way for Vietnam to promote the image of a country that is both modern, classy, rich in identity and friendly to international friends./.