Risk of disruption in receiving international cruise ship passengers to Ho Chi Minh City: Racing to add procedures for "passenger ship functions"

As reported by SGGP, on October 15, two shipping lines sent a petition for help after the Vietnam Maritime Administration (abbreviated as Maritime Administration) responded in writing to the ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port area (Phu My ward, Ho Chi Minh City) that they "do not have passenger ship functions" and therefore do not accept passenger ships entering and leaving international ports. This could seriously affect the reception of cruise ship passengers as well as the image of Vietnam to international tourists.

Was receiving guests regularly, now suddenly stopped

According to SGGP reporters' investigation, tourism businesses said that the response from the Maritime Administration was too surprising, unimaginable and of course they were caught off guard! Following the events, on October 15, Vice President of the Asia region of Royal Caribbean Group Wendy Yamazaki (headquartered in Miami, USA) sent a petition to the authorities of Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Government, stating that for many years, they have cooperated closely with the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, seaports and border guards in Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau , Hue, Nha Trang and Quang Ninh to bring hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world to visit Vietnam every year.

However, this program is facing serious operational disruptions in Vietnam. According to partners of Saigon Newport Corporation, the ports including TCCT Port (Tan Cang - Cai Mep Joint Stock Company), TCIT Port (Tan Cang - Cai Mep International Port Company Limited), TCTT Port (Tan Cang - Cai Mep Thi Vai Port Company Limited), will have to stop receiving passenger ships from October 2025, due to procedures related to adding the function of receiving tourist ships at this port cluster as required by the Maritime Administration.

Cruise ship passengers arrive at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port and prepare for transit and sightseeing in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: LINH THUY

This sudden cancellation has seriously affected the schedule and passenger transportation activities. Accordingly, on October 18, the Ovation of the Seas, carrying more than 4,000 passengers, will have difficulty docking at TCCT Port as scheduled.
“If this incident is not resolved immediately, ports in the Ho Chi Minh City area will not be able to receive large international passenger ships. Therefore, we will be forced to remove Ho Chi Minh City from the list of destinations in our Asia program. Given the above urgent situation, we respectfully request that leaders create conditions and allow the above 3 ports to continue receiving large-tonnage cruise ships in the near future,” Vice President Wendy Yamazaki wrote.

According to information from this shipping line, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. In September 2024, Nha Trang Port suddenly closed, so Nha Trang was also removed from the itinerary to Vietnam.

What makes the public wonder is why they are not allowed to pick up the ship with the reason that it "does not have the function of a passenger ship" when this activity has been going on normally for a long time.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Luu, General Director of Saigontourist Travel, for many years, the company has been a pioneer in organizing programs to welcome and serve international cruise ship passengers with an average of more than 3,000 passengers per trip. Although Cai Mep - Thi Vai is mainly a cargo port, this area still receives about 60-80 passenger ships each year stably and absolutely safely, affirming its capacity to organize, coordinate and operate safely. And, in the first 6 months of 2025 alone, there were about 48,000 cruise ship passengers from many of the world's leading cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited... all welcomed by Saigontourist Travel (to Ho Chi Minh City).
In fact, international cruise ship passengers are considered a “gold mine” for the tourism industry thanks to their high spending, averaging 500-700 USD/day, while road passengers only spend about 100 USD/day. Large ships, usually carrying 2,000-4,000 passengers, stay in Vietnam for 3-5 days depending on the route, then continue their journey to other countries, generating huge revenue. This shows that international cruise tourism not only brings high economic value but also contributes to raising the image of Vietnam on the global tourism map.

Effectively exploiting this group of customers means increasing revenue, expanding experience services and making the most of the potential of the smokeless industry. Nationwide, in the first 9 months of this year, the tourism industry welcomed over 190,000 cruise ship passengers, contributing to bringing in significant revenue for the tourism industry.

Ovation of the Seas will dock at Chan May port

On the afternoon of October 16, according to information from Saigontourist Travel, after working with partners, the schedule of the Ovation of the Seas ship carrying more than 4,000 passengers scheduled to arrive at TCCT Port on October 18, has been adjusted: stopping at Chan May Port (Hue City) on October 17. The relevant parties are urgently completing procedures according to the new plan.

Allow temporary exploitation until the end of 2025?

Speaking to SGGP reporters, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Luu, General Director of Saigontourist Travel, said that the temporary suspension of receiving international cruise ships at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster has caused serious difficulties for the company's upcoming plans. From now until April 2026, the company still has about 15 cruises with 40,000 passengers waiting to be received. If the above problems are not resolved promptly, international shipping lines will be forced to cancel their trips en masse, causing serious damage to Ho Chi Minh City's tourism revenue due to breaking Saigontourist Travel's contracts and negatively affecting the reputation and image of national tourism in the eyes of international partners.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Luu: The "letters going back and forth" happened more than 2 months ago, when on August 28, SP-PSA International Port Company Limited sent a document to the Maritime Administration requesting to receive passenger ships entering and leaving SP-PSA International Port (Cai Mep - Thi Vai port area). Anticipating that the situation would be difficult, on October 9, the company sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism requesting to continue allowing container ports and general ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai area to pilot receiving international passenger ships to ensure tourism activities. When the Maritime Administration responded like that, it was clear that the matter was within the scope of handling by the authorities...

Cruise ship passengers arriving at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port in June 2025, preparing to transfer to the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: LINH THUY

On the afternoon of October 16, Mr. Pham Huy Binh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the department has just issued a document reporting and proposing to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to direct relevant units to proactively coordinate to remove difficulties for businesses involved. At the same time, consider and approve the policy of allowing international passenger ships to be received at ports in the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port area from now until the end of December 2026, while waiting for the completion of additional function procedures according to regulations.

On the afternoon of October 16, responding to SGGP reporters about the temporary suspension of receiving cruise ships carrying international tourists at Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster, a leader of the Maritime Administration (Ministry of Construction) said that the agency had asked businesses to supplement some contents, but because they were not completed, these ports were not qualified to operate passenger ships. To resolve the issue, businesses need to send a proposal for the agency to report to the Ministry of Construction.

The agreed solution is to allow temporary exploitation from now until the end of the year - during which time, the enterprise completes the functions and procedures according to regulations to be granted a license for normal exploitation. The Department's viewpoint is to create maximum conditions for the enterprise but still comply with regulations, to ensure safety, security and service quality.

Vietnam will have a dedicated port to receive cruise ships.

According to information from the Maritime Administration, regarding infrastructure investment, in the Detailed Planning of seaport groups for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the Ministry of Construction clearly stated that it will focus on developing international passenger terminals associated with dynamic tourism areas. Some ports are expected to be upgraded to form passenger terminals, combined with existing terminal areas, but progress depends on actual demand and investment capital.

In the long term, Vietnam will have dedicated passenger ports to meet the growing potential of international cruise tourism, while ensuring safety and convenience for tourists.

THI HONG - BICH QUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nguy-co-gian-doan-don-khach-tau-bien-quoc-te-den-tphcm-chay-dua-bo-sung-thu-tuc-cong-nang-tau-khach-post818478.html