In February, three cruise ships canceled trips to Nha Trang after travel companies found it difficult to organize tours to Nha Trang and the surrounding area, as vehicles with more than 29 seats are banned during rush hours on the main roads to Nha Trang.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Thang, General Director of Tictours International Travel Company Limited in the Khanh Hoa Province, said that on February 18 the Queen Mary 2 cruise with more than 2,000 tourists from Europe canceled its trip to Nha Trang. 

On the morning of February 21, the Seven Seas Explorer ship with about 700 American guests canceled its plan to dock at Nha Trang port on February 22 for the same reason. Most recently, a Nautica cruise with 500 guests of many nationalities said that it would not make its journey to Nha Trang.

Thang said this has caused losses to travel firms and the Khanh Hoa tourism industry. Worse, the image of the tourist city of Nha Trang is gradually losing its position in the eyes of foreign tourists, especially European and American guests.

T shipping lines may have to reconsider its plans to bring international tourists to Nha Trang in the future, Thang added.

In late 2022, travel firms in Khanh Hoa province asked the local authorities to remove the ban of tourist buses of over 29 seats to enter the city during the peak hours and this proposal has been approved from January 11, 2023.

However, until now, there has not been any tourist bus that has been issued with the "tourist vehicle" signboard to enter the city center during the rush hours for the reason that drivers lack training certificates to serve tourists.

To promptly solve this issue to prepare for the upcoming trips of international cruise ships to Nha Trang from now until April (about 12 trips), travel companies have proposed to the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province to temporarily allow tourist buses of over 29 seats for cruise tourists to run on the central roads of Nha Trang city during peak hours for specific days when cruise ships dock at Nha Trang City.

The Department of Tourism is asked to cooperate with training institutions to quickly open training classes and issue professional certificates for the drivers so that they will be granted with the "tourist vehicle" signboard as soon as possible.

Responding to the above recommendation, Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Le Huu Hoang has assigned the provincial Department of Transport to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant units, to urgently inspect and consider the proposal and have to reply before March 3.

In addition to visitors traveling by air, Nha Trang has initially restored cruise tourism. In 2023, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa will welcome more than 30 cruise ships with tens of thousands of tourists, most of them from the European - American market. Among the cruise ships are the big and famous shipping lines in the world such as Spectrum of the Sea (4,000 guests), MSC Poesia (2,800 guests), Queen Elizabeth (2,000 guests), and Mein Schiff 5 (2,500 guests).

Ngoc Ha