Just 745 foreign visitors passed through Vietnamese ports from January to October, an increase of 49% year over year but still indicative of a sluggish recovery.

The French luxury ship Le Laperouse arrived in Con Dao Island, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Da Nang, Hue, Quang Binh, and Ha Long last month with 106 passengers from France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden on board.

Although tourism officials viewed it as a positive development, analysts noted that given the global socio-economic changes, it would still take some time for Vietnam to draw in foreign cruise passengers.

7.5 million cruise ship passengers visited Vietnamese ports in 2019, an 8% increase over 2018.

During the renowned World Cruise Awards last year, Vietnam has crowned Asia's top river cruise destination.

There are 2,360 rivers in Vietnam, with a total length of more than 41,900 kilometers.

Luxury river excursions through famous landmarks and historic sites have recently gained popularity among tourists from around the world.

In the months of January through October, Vietnam, which reopened its borders to foreign tourists in the middle of this year, received more than 2.35 million tourists, less than half of the country's five-million-visitor goal.

Over 80% of the visitors were from other countries and arrived by plane.