Tourists on the cruise ship Westerdam visit Đà Nẵng in the lunar New Year. It's the first cruise carrying tourists to the city in the new year. VNS Photos Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — The cruise liner Westerdam carrying 1,250 tourists docked at the central city’s Tiên Sa Port on Sunday morning, marking the first cruise to visit the city in the lunar New Year.

Vice director of the city’s tourism department, Nguyễn Xuân Bình said the tourists were the first to visit the city by sea in the lunar New Year.

The cruise, operated by Destination Asia, will pay a short visit to Đà Nẵng for tours in the city and Hội An before leaving for other Vietnamese ports on its journey.

Bình said Tiên Sa Port hosted 101 cruises in 2019, marking a 6.2 per cent year-on-year increase, representing 29.9 per cent of the country’s total cruise tourists.

The cruise liner Westerdam carrying 1,250 tourists docked at Tiên Sa Port on Sunday.

Tiên Sa Port is a popular port for cruises thanks to its international-standard shopping centres and entertainment, duty-free shops and unique souvenirs, as well as close links to other ports in Asia such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, Taipei, Singapore and Malaysia, with a range of 550 to 2,300 nautical miles.

Representatives of cruises, including Genting Dream Hongkong, Henna, Costa Classia, and Super Star Aquarius all docked at Tiên Sa for touring destinations in central Việt Nam.

In 2019, Joseph C. Lewis, a British businessman and investor, docked his yacht Aviva at Tiên Sa Port for a short visit to Đà Nẵng and Hội An, seeking a proposal for developing an international marina on the Hàn River in the future. VNS