By launching luxury international cruises from domestic ports, Vietnam has not only opened up a new tourism product but also officially set foot on the world cruise tourism map with a proactive and potential position.
The trip opened up a new direction of development
For the first time, an international-class cruise ship officially departed from Phu My port (Ho Chi Minh City), taking Vietnamese tourists to explore Singapore - the heart of Southeast Asia.
No need to transit at international ports such as Singapore or Hong Kong (China) as before, now, tourists can enjoy a luxurious sea journey right from their own homeland.
The event marks an important turning point for Vietnam's cruise tourism industry, a "land" with a lot of room for development.
The pioneer for this memorable milestone is Star Voyager, a mid-range to luxury superyacht of StarDream Cruises - a brand with over 30 years of experience at sea and 8 times honored as "The most knowledgeable cruise line in Asia" at the World Travel Awards.
With a 5-day, 4-night cruise (June 13-17), from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore and back, Star Voyager not only brings a 5-star resort experience at sea but also suggests a completely new style of travel: Authentic cruise tourism for Vietnamese people, right from Vietnam's seaports.
“All the trips in June (departing on 13, 17 and 21) are fully booked. That says a lot about the Vietnamese people’s desire to experience this type of luxury cruise tourism,” said Mr. Michael Goh, Chairman of StarDream Cruises.
According to him, the Vietnamese market is emerging as one of the new bright spots in Asia for cruise tourism, with a young, willing-to-spend tourist force that demands high quality service.
From Phu My Port to Singapore - travel without taking off
Unlike the traditional cruise tourism that requires flying to transit ports abroad to board the ship, Vietnamese tourists can now save a significant amount of time and money by starting their journey from Phu My port, which connects directly to Ho Chi Minh City in just over 2 hours.
This is the first time an international ship has set up a departure point right from Vietnamese territory - an unprecedented step, affirming the capacity and potential of the domestic market.
According to Mr. Michael Goh, to make this trip a reality, StarDream Cruises received maximum support from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, customs, border guards, domestic travel businesses such as Saigontourist, Hanoi UNESCO Travel Club..., down to each stage of infrastructure, security and support services at the port.
“We believe that Ho Chi Minh City can absolutely become the new cruise hub of Southeast Asia, not only welcoming international guests but also being an ideal starting point for long-haul cruises in the region,” Mr. Goh expected.
When travel becomes a lifestyle
With a gross tonnage of 77,441 tonnes and a capacity of nearly 1,940 guests in 972 modern cabins, Star Voyager is a mobile living space in the middle of the ocean.
Renovated from the famous Pacific Explorer, the superyacht has a style that blends classic charm and comfort, true to the taste of modern Asian travelers.
From the outdoor pool to the luxury spa, from the restaurants serving exquisite Asian and European cuisine to the vibrant lounge bar, from traditional Vietnamese music and dance nights to modern Broadway-style shows, every moment on board is a precious experience.
Without having to go far, between the quiet ocean and the high, vaulted sky, every tourist can find a slow, luxurious and sophisticated pace of life, something that few other forms of tourism can offer.
“This is a journey full of relaxation, completely different from traditional tourism. No noise, no jostling, just you, the sea and sky and fully enjoying every moment,” said Mr. Truong Quoc Hung, Chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club.
Tomorrow of Vietnam cruise tourism starts today
Vietnam has more than 3,200 km of coastline, hundreds of islands and dozens of deep-water ports, but so far only a few international ships have made regular port calls and it has almost never been the starting point for international journeys.
The event of Star Voyager officially welcoming guests from Ho Chi Minh City is the first step to reposition Vietnam's role on the global cruise tourism map.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism affirmed: “This cruise is a positive signal showing that Vietnam can absolutely develop cruise tourism as a new spearhead, both welcoming international visitors and serving the high-end resort needs of domestic tourists.”
From a business perspective, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Luu, General Director of Saigontourist Travel, emphasized that Vietnam has proactively "appeared" in global playgrounds such as Seatrade Cruise Global (USA, Spain), thereby creating trust and attracting many large shipping lines to choose to bring tourists to Vietnam.
According to him, by 2030, cruise tourism in Vietnam will be a fast-growing segment, requiring standardization in infrastructure, services and inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms.
In June 2025, Saigontourist Travel Service Company is the only unit in Vietnam to simultaneously operate both cruise routes with the 5-star cruise ship Star Voyager, marking a vibrant and memorable summer month of the cruise tourism industry.
On the international arrivals side, Saigontourist received and served nearly 6,000 multinational 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 - two typical destinations representing the culture, history and urban vitality of Vietnam.
In particular, in the opposite direction, for the first time the company organized for 200 Vietnamese tourists to experience a sea cruise from Phu My port to Singapore on June 13, 17 and 21, right at the peak of summer tourism in 2025.
On this 4-night journey, guests can enjoy all the world-class amenities of Star Voyager at a reasonable cost of only 12,999 million VND. This is a rare opportunity to travel internationally by sea without having to travel by air.
Star Voyager is one of the outstanding cruises welcomed and served by Saigontourist Travel, and also marks the end of the peak international cruise season in early 2025, the busiest cruise season after the pandemic.
In just the first 6 months of 2025, Saigontourist has served more than 48,000 international cruise tourists from a series of famous super yachts such as: Anthem of the Seas, Spectrum of The Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Solstice, Resort World One, Azamara Onward, Silver Moon, Silver Shadow, Europa, Artania ... with long-term cross-Vietnam cruises, stopping at many key tourist ports such as: Ha Long, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City.
It is expected that the 2025 - 2026 international cruise peak season will officially start from October 2025, with the participation of many new cruise lines, promising to bring a new breeze and strong momentum to the Vietnamese cruise tourism market.
From experience to strategy
Cruise tourism is not just a form of relaxation, but a subtle combination of travel - accommodation - discovery - entertainment - cultural experience.
In the context of Vietnamese tourism gradually recovering and shifting strongly to high-quality products, the Star Voyager journey is an important push, promoting a new tourism mindset: Not only welcoming guests, but also proactively bringing Vietnamese people out into the world in the most classy way.
Participating in this first cruise from Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Le Van Du, Permanent Vice President of G7 Travel Association, Director of Huong Nam Viet Tourism Trading and Service Joint Stock Company said: "With a moderate cruise, luxury ship, full of high-class amenities, rich and diverse services, I think this will be a new product, attracting domestic tourists in the near future."
From Phu My port, which used to be a transit point, is now gradually becoming a starting point. And from the 5-day journey in the middle of the sea and sky of Southeast Asia, Vietnam is redrawing its own cruise tourism map with new contours, new possibilities, and a great faith in the future.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/du-lich/lan-dau-tien-du-thuyen-5-sao-khoi-hanh-tu-viet-nam-dua-khach-toi-singapore-142827.html
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