The four-star international cruise ship Columbus 2 of Germany with 900
tourists and crews on board, anchored at Saigon Port in Ho Chi Minh City
on March 11 for its first ever visit to Vietnam.
After landing, the tourists visited well-known local attractions such as
Ngoc Hoang (Jade Emperor) pagoda and the underground tunnels of Cu Chi.
They were also treated to a range of entertainment activities like
watching water puppets, going shopping at Ben Thanh market, and learning
how to cook Vietnamese food.
The tourists’ one-day
itinerary also included trips to the Mekong Delta where they travelled
by boat to coconut candy workshops and bee farms.
The visit of Columbus 2 was arranged by Saigontourist Travel
Service Company. In 2012, the company served 170,000 tourists who came
in 96 visits by luxury international cruise ships, up over 40 percent
from a year earlier.-VNA