Cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun brought 721 Chinese passengers to Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Tuesday to visit its world-famous Ha Long Bay and other popular tourist sites.

This was the first group of Chinese cruise passengers to pass through the Ha Long international cruise port this year, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

As scheduled, these cruise passengers will spend one day exploring Ha Long Bay, and another day touring Ha Long City as well as visiting some tourist destinations in Hanoi.

The cruise ship is set to travel to Da Nang City in central Vietnam and Hong Kong before returning to the port of Shekou in Shenzhen, located in Guangdong Province, mainland China.

The first cruise ship from the port of Shekou entering Ha Long City showed a positive sign of Quang Ninh’s inbound tourism and Chinese travelers’ soaring return after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun is expected to make five port calls in the city and take over 4,000 Chinese guests to the bay from now until the end of the year.

By March 2024, the Chinese-flagged ship will have brought more than 12,000 passengers to Quang Ninh Province.

The province will also welcome multiple Chinese ships in 2024.

A representative of the Ha Long international passenger port said that the 2023 cruise season started in October, with many international cruise ships from Europe and America docking in the city.

The province has received 60 registrations from international cruise ships to dock at the Ha Long international passenger port in 2024.

Among them are Mein Schiff, Celebrity Solstice, Noordam, MSC Splendida, and Westerdam.

Accordingly, over 70,000 international cruise passengers will visit the province next year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Nguyen Ngoc Thi Thu, 14, and her younger sister, Nguyen Ngoc Thuy Trang, 11, have commuted around 100 kilometers round trip from their home in Hoa Binh Province, northern Vietnam to Hanoi each Sunday morning to join a symphony orchestra for nearly one year.

They play the trumpet in the Vietnam Youth Orchestra.

Thu and Trang reside in Luong Son District under Hoa Binh Province.

Thu started to learn how to play the trumpet when she was in grade one, while her younger sister began playing the musical instrument when she was five years old.

Their trumpet instructor was their father, who is a trumpeter.

He often practices playing the trumpet at home, so he instructed his daughters to play.

The father frequently records their trumpet practice, and posts the videos on his Facebook account.

Once Tran Hien, conductor of the Vietnam Youth Orchestra, watched some of these videos, he quickly contacted the two sisters to invite them to the orchestra.

Since then, each Sunday morning, the two young girls wake up at 5:00 am and take a bus at 6:30 am to Hanoi to play with the orchestra.

After nearly one year of their efforts in trumpet practice in the Vietnamese capital, the two young sisters will perform as members of the orchestra at the Hanoi Opera House this Sunday.

With the participation of over 70 young music players coming from multiple schools and having different nationalities, the Vietnam Youth Orchestra is expected to offer audiences a party of classical music.

Founded in 2022, the Vietnam Youth Orchestra, financed by individuals, is meant to create a classical music space for children and bring this type of music closer to the public.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Dong Ho Lagoon and a charming long coastline hugging Den Mountain, coupled with numerous tasty dishes such as bun ken (noodle soup), grilled chicken, and stretchy rice noodles make Ha Tien City an ideal getaway for domestic and international tourists, mainly travelers from neighboring Cambodia.

Nguyen Thi Mong Quyen, director of the Ha Tien trade and tourism promotion center, said on Sunday that the city, situated in Vietnam’s Kien Giang Province, shares both land and maritime borders with Cambodia, smoothing the path for the neighbor’s visitors to enter the city.

Over the past few months, the number of Cambodian travelers visiting Ha Tien to explore its natural beauty and savor delicacies has been growing.

“Since the start of the year, Ha Tien City has welcomed over three million domestic and international tourists,” Quyen said.

“In particular, throngs of holidaymakers from Cambodia have toured the city.

“Some 1,000-2,000 Cambodian tourists travel to the city each holiday or festival.”

To get ready to welcome Cambodian travelers on the forthcoming Christmas and 2024 New Year holidays, travel agencies in Ha Tien are working to offer new tourism products and adorn the current tourist attractions such as Dong Ho Lagoon, a seaside path skirting Den Mountain, Thach Dong Cave, and Da Dung Mountain.

Tourists are fond of sea bathing, playing water sports, and savoring seafood as well as the city’s specialties.

Du To Tuan, director of travel firm Vietravel’s branch in Rach Gia City under Kien Giang Province, said that Cambodia is a potential tourism source market.

A huge number of tourists from the country have traveled to the province over the past few months.

They often go sightseeing in Ha Tien first, and then take a speedboat ride to famous Phu Quoc Island, he said.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the crowds of tourists to Ha Tien City during the upcoming 2024 New Year holiday,” Tuan said.

“We will roll out various community-based tourism products to diversify services to delight international visitors.”

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!