The passengers, mainly from Germany, were presented with flowers and gifts by representatives of the provincial Department of Tourism at a welcome ceremony held at the port.

Of the passengers, about 1,800 will tour Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau or some southwestern provinces while the rest will follow the itineraries that they had booked before.

Vietnam is one of the destinations for Mein Schiff 5 during its tour of Asian countries. Earlier, the cruise ship anchored in Malaysia and Thailand is its next destination. Its journey started from January 18 in Singapore and will end on February 1./. VNA