$20M cruise ship launches 3-day tour of Ha Long, Bai Tu Long bays

By Doan Loan May 26, 2024 | 11:39 pm PT

Grand Pioneers cruise vessel, built at a cost of US$20 million, has announced a three-day itinerary that takes tourists to Ha Long Bay and neighboring Bai Tu Long Bay.

The vessel is 109.9 meters long and has 55 luxury cabins that can accommodate 160 overnight passengers, 320 sightseeing guests and a crew of 90.

Grand Pioneers cruise vessel carries tourists on Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam. Photo by Phuong Linh

It has a swimming pool, a cinema theater, a spa, and a restaurant that can seat 250 guests.

It will leave from Tuan Chau Port in the northern province of Quang Ninh, pass through all the tourist attractions at UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay such as Titop Island, Sung Sot Cave and Trong Cave.

It also stops at little-known scenic spots such as Thien Canh Son Cave, Rong (Dragon) Islet and Da Xep Park, considered an outdoor geological museum that has existed for 320 million years, and Cactus Island.

From there, the vessel continues to Bai Tu Long National Park that comprises over 80 islands and is home to 2,200 species of wildlife, 108 of them endangered.

Foreign arrivals outnumbered domestic holidaymakers in Ha Long in the first quarter of this year by 529,000 to 81,000.