The Norwegian Star Cruises’ SuperStar Gemini cruise ship, carrying 1,400 passengers mainly from China, berthed at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port at 10 am on 1 February (the 2^nd day of the 1^st lunar month).  This has been the 29^th cruise ship berthing at the Port so far this year.

Some representatives of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism presented flowers to welcome the first international cruise ship passengers to set foot in the city on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

A leader of the Department presenting flowers to the first cruise ship passengers to set foot in the city on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

During their one-day stay in the city, the guests visited some of the popular local tourist attractions, including the Museum of Cham Sculpture, the Linh Ung Pagoda, and the Marble Mountains.  In addition, they were taken to visit Hue Citadel and Hoi An City.

From late 2013 to the start of 2014, Da Nang has seen a significant increase in the number of both cruise ships and passengers.  In particular, the city has welcomed first cruise ships staying overnight in the city.  This will help to make Da Nang a must-visit destination for cruise ship passengers who want to discover the beauty of coastal cities and provinces of Viet Nam.

During the Tet festival, the city is expected to receive about 10,230 international cruise passengers from 8 large ships such as Costa Victoria and SuperStar Gemini, and MS Volendam, a 56.4% increase compared with the same period last year.

Also on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Da Nang Port welcomed in the Lunar New Year by unloading containers from Singaporean, Hong Kong and Liberian vessels.

This year, the port has set targets of completing the construction of the new Son Tra Port, handling about 5.3 million tonnes of cargo, including 190,000 TEUs on container ships, and welcoming 120,000 cruise ship passengers.