The Mein Schiff 5 cruise ship docked at the international cruise port Hạ Long, Quảng Ninh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG NINH —  Malta-flagged cruise ship Mein Schiff 5 docked in Quảng Ninh Province on Monday, carrying nearly 2,000 European visitors to the famous tourist destination in the north of Việt Nam.

The visitors explored a number of tourist attractions in the locality, including the UNESCO-recognised World Natural Heritage Site of Hạ Long Bay, as well as the local culture and cuisine in Hạ Long City before leaving the province for Hong Kong (China) in the evening of the same day.

This is the second and the biggest cruise ship having arrived in Quảng Ninh since the beginning of this year.

Earlier on January 22, or the first day of the Year of the Cat, the Silver Spirit cruise ship also carried 500 tourists to Hạ Long. The city is about to welcome at least four other foreign ships with thousands of visitors in March.

In the first two months of 2023, Quảng Ninh received 3.35 million visitors, doubling the number recorded in the same time last year, including 157,000 foreigners. The province earned over VNĐ6.5 trillion (US$274.66 million) from tourism in the period.

This year, the province aims for 15 million visitors, including 2 million foreigners, and a tourism revenue of VNĐ32.4 trillion  ($1.36 billion). — VNS