They were guests, mainly European, American, and Australian, on the super luxury Silver Dawn ship, carrying more than 500 tourists, which docked at Ha Long International Passenger Port at 8:00 a.m. the same day.
Mr. Pham Duc An - Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee - and leaders of departments, branches and sectors were present early to welcome special guests to Ha Long on the first day of the new year of At Ty.
As soon as they set foot on the port, visitors were welcomed with a special traditional ceremony. Amidst the vibrant drumbeat of the lion dance performance welcoming the first guests, Mr. Pham Duc An - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province and leaders of departments, agencies and branches of Quang Ninh province presented fresh bouquets of flowers and sent New Year greetings to these special international guests.
Mr. Andrew - an Australian tourist - said that this was the second time he and his wife came to Ha Long; the last time was about 5 years ago but by air.
“Ha Long Bay is so beautiful. Today we received a very special welcome. I know that Vietnam is celebrating the New Year, but when we got to the port, we found out that we were the first international visitors to Ha Long on New Year's Day,” said tourist Andrew. “Last time we only visited Ha Long Bay, but this time we will explore Ha Long City.”
Immediately after docking at Ha Long International Passenger Port, the group of tourists dispersed to visit Ha Long Bay as well as entertainment venues, historical and cultural relics of Quang Ninh... During the time the Silver Dawn cruise ship stays at Ha Long International Passenger Port until January 29, many tourists will visit Hanoi.
According to statistics from the Department of Tourism of Quang Ninh province, in 2024, Quang Ninh will welcome about 60 international cruise ships, bringing more than 70,000 visitors of many different nationalities to Ha Long.
The passenger ships all belong to many large and world-famous brands, such as: Mein Schiff 6 and 5, Celebrity Solstice, Noordam, MSC Splendida, Westerdam...
With a particularly favorable location and synchronous port infrastructure, Ha Long International Passenger Port continues to affirm its attraction when not only welcoming guests during the peak season (from September to April) but also during the summer, many cruise ships continue to dock at Ha Long. New, luxurious international cruise ships have chosen Ha Long as their destination and continue to register to return.
It is forecasted that in the following years, the number of cruise ship passengers to Ha Long will increase by about 15-20%, with the regular appearance of major cruise lines. According to information from Ha Long International Passenger Port, up to now, there have been 60 cruise ships registered to dock in 2025, bringing about 90,000 tourists to Quang Ninh.
In 2024, Quang Ninh will complete the target of welcoming 19 million visitors, of which international visitors will reach more than 3.5 million. Total tourism revenue is estimated at 46,460 billion VND.
In 2024, Quang Ninh will also record a high increase in international visitors. The 10 major international tourist markets to Quang Ninh remain stable, including: China, South Korea, Taiwan (China), the US, India, France, Australia, the UK, Germany, and Japan. In particular, the Indian market has seen many improvements with visiting groups of billionaires and companies from India.
