On February 12 or the third day of the Lunar New Year, over 400 tourists on board the ship came ashore to take a sightseeing tour around the city and neighbouring regions. They visited the Cai River, Long Son Pagoda and Po Nager Tower.

In 2012, Nha Trang City received 36 cruise ships carrying more than 40,000 foreign tourists, mainly from the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands.

According to the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of cruise ships travelling to Nha Trang will peak from January to April, and again from October to December in 2013.

Volendam, which visited Nha Trang for the fifth time, left the city on the day for central Da Nang city and Ha Long Bay (northern Quang Ninh province).

Also on February 12, Superstart Gemini, a cruise ship carrying 1,400 foreign tourists, became the first ship to dock at Tien Sa Port, Da Nang city in the new year.

The city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organised a ceremony to welcome the first tourists ashore.

Tien Sa Port expects to receive five other cruise ships with 6,500 tourists from the US, Britain, Canada , Australia and China during Tet, a year on year increase of 17.2 percent. It plans to welcome 47 cruise ships during the first quarter of the year.

The municipal Department said Da Nang hopes to receive 47,300 foreign tourists during Tet, up 20.4 percent from the same period last year.