Exploiting the 'gold mine' of cruise ship tourists

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cruise ship tourists dock in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and many destinations across the country in general, bringing with them outstanding spending power.

In the period 2026 - 2030, Ho Chi Minh City will invest in 3 international passenger ports in the old Vung Tau and Khanh Hoi areas to develop cruise tourism and welcome international visitors.

Cruise ship passengers can "clean out" Ben Thanh market quickly.

"Cruise ships have long been a key source of tourists for Ho Chi Minh City tourism. At Saigontourist , cruise ship passengers often account for nearly 60% of the international visitors we serve each year, with some weeks receiving 2-3 large cruise ships," said Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Travel Service Company. Although there is no dedicated port for tourism like Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City is still chosen by international shipping lines to be included in its cruise routes thanks to its deep-water port system in operation, especially in the Cai Mep area. Passengers arriving at the port will be transferred to the city to participate in the "City Tour" program.

"There are ships with a lot of Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong... passengers. When arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, about 40 buses pouring from the port into the center can "clean out" Ben Thanh market. Sometimes when the passengers get off, the market vendors have nothing left to sell," Ms. Tra said, as proof of the spending of cruise tourists.

Cruise ship passengers are the group of tourists with the highest spending among all types of international tourism.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

According to Ms. Tra, cruise ship passengers not only bring revenue to the service industry but also contribute significantly to building the destination brand of Ho Chi Minh City on the international tourism map. Being chosen as a stop on the itinerary of large cruise ships is already a very significant advantage.

However, the lack of a specialized tourist port is a limitation that prevents us from fully exploiting the potential of this tourist group. This has also been a concern of tourism businesses in the area for many years. The leaders of the Department of Tourism admitted that the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area is currently mainly a cargo port, not specifically planned for passengers. To welcome international cruise ships, the city needs more time to complete infrastructure, prepare human resources and service procedures.

According to the planning approved by the Prime Minister , Cai Mep port area is oriented to be an international gateway and transit port, while Thi Vai port area serves inter-regional socio-economic development.

International tourists shopping at Ben Thanh market

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

The Ministry of Construction has allowed international passenger ships to continue to be received at some ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area until June 30, 2026, creating conditions for Ho Chi Minh City to prepare infrastructure and synchronous investment plans, aiming to welcome international visitors stably after 2026.

Implementing the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the Department of Construction coordinated with relevant departments and branches to advise on a list of priority investment projects for waterway transport, including international passenger ports. The Department has completed the pre-feasibility study report and submitted to the City People's Committee a proposal for investment in the Vung Tau international passenger port project, meeting the rapidly increasing demand for maritime transport and tourism.

In fact, cruise ship passengers usually stay for a short time, only 1-2 days in each locality, unlike air passengers who can stay for many days. However, in Vietnam, cruise passengers often stay longer because the journey stretches from Ho Chi Minh City to the Central region and then to the North, sometimes up to 4-5 days and they spend a lot of money on shopping. It can be said that this is a potential customer group, a gold mine of Vietnam.

Locate your destination on the international cruise ship map

Currently, Vietnam has many international cruise ship reception points stretching from North to South. For example, in the North, there is Ha Long International Passenger Port (Quang Ninh), where passengers disembark to visit Hai Phong and Hanoi; in the Central region, ships often dock at Chan May Port (Hue) or Tien Sa Port (Da Nang) for passengers to visit Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An. These destinations are all very familiar on the international cruise tourism map.

The characteristic of cruise tourism is that the peak season lasts from October to April of the following year, but there are still ships operating sporadically throughout the year.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

However, Ho Chi Minh City is still the most frequented port. The main reason lies in the shipping lines’ routes. Most ships from the US or countries in the Asia region follow 30 or 60-day routes around the region, and usually enter Vietnam from the south.

Meanwhile, to reach northern ports like Ha Long, ships must pass through Hong Kong or China before returning to Vietnam, which is suitable for a different route. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City is almost the "gateway" for cruise ship passengers to access the culture, cuisine and vibrant urban life of Vietnam.

Therefore, in order to be able to welcome international passenger ships stably after 2026, the city is preparing documents and pilot plans in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area until June 2026, and is considering adding passenger functions to existing ports.

"The biggest wish of businesses is that Ho Chi Minh City has a specialized tourist port that serves the specific needs of cruise tourists, from pick-up and drop-off procedures, customs, ground services to experiences suitable for the high-end international customer segment. With a professional port, we will further exploit this potential market," said a representative of Saigontourist travel agency.

Cruise packages for peak season are typically sold at least 8 to 12 months in advance, meaning that cruises arriving this season were sold last year.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

However, a representative of another travel company said that 6 months is too short, even 1 year is not enough to build a cruise business plan. Because everything must be linked to the international shipping company's product sales strategy. It is impossible to sell today and stop tomorrow. That is a big risk for both the company and its partners.

Dr. Justin Matthew Pang, Head of Tourism and Hospitality Management, RMIT University Vietnam, commented: Vietnam has one of the most attractive coastlines in the region, with convenient connections in the Asian cruise tourism route. This is an area with a large concentration of tourists who like to experience cruises, especially from Korea, Singapore, Japan and India. This group of tourists spends a lot of money, likes to explore local culture and international standard services, and is also a potential market that Vietnam needs to promote.

However, he said that Vietnam is facing great competitive pressure from Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand... which have professional tourism port exploitation models, standardized services and sophisticated experiences exclusively for cruise ship passengers.

"If Vietnam can build a clear cruise destination brand, streamline service processes and invest in the right areas, we can absolutely become a new star on the international cruise tourism map," Dr. Justin Matthew Pang emphasized.

Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that since the beginning of the year, the province has welcomed 19 international cruise ships with more than 22,258 visitors. It is expected that by the end of 2025, the province will continue to welcome 7 more cruise ships with about 10,000 visitors. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that continuously welcoming international cruise ships affirms the recovery signal of cruise tourism, contributing significantly to the overall development of the province's tourism industry.

According to the approved planning, Cam Ranh International Port is allowed to receive international passenger ships up to 225,000 GT, along with cruise ships and yachts. The Ministry of Construction has allowed Cam Ranh International Port to receive international passenger ships until June 30, 2026, provided that the ship size is suitable for the load-bearing capacity of the structure.

Ba Duy

Chef on a 5-star international cruise ship, once docked at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port (HCMC)

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khai-thac-mo-vang-khach-du-lich-tau-bien-185251027215056473.htm