Thua Thien – Hue(VNA) – A royal banquet in the century-old palace of the Nguyen Dynasty hasrecently became a highlight in the tour of the ancient imperial city of Huedesigned for visitors arriving on cruise liners via Chan May Port.

Modeled after a programmecalled “Dem Hoang Cung” (Royal Night), which was a prominent event at severaleditions of the city’s signature Hue Festival, the party offered nine typical Huedishes along with numerous royal entertainments including performances of “nhanhac” (court music) which was recognised by UNESCO as part of the WorldCultural Intangible Heritage, court dances and games.

According to Director of the HueMonuments Conservation Centre Phan Thanh Hai, the preparation process for such abanquet for 1,000 diners involves nearly 800 people, including 400 cooks and servers. 

The first royal banquet washeld for passengers on the luxury Celebrity Century Cruise of Malta’s RoyalCaribbean Cruises Ltd, which carried thousands of international tourists on itsvoyage from Vung Tau to Hue and Ha Long cities.

Phan Thanh Hai said the new activity is part ofthe city’s tourism promotion campaign to attract luxury cruise internationalvisitors to Vietnam in 2016 and the following years, particularly after thecentral coastal province of Thua Thien-Hue’s Chan May Port was selected by theAsia Cruise Association as one of the 46 stops in South East Asia for pleasureboats.

Chan May Port welcomed 36 cruise liners carryingover 87,000 foreign tourists and crew members in 2016, up 8,500 touristsagainst the year before.

It has recently accommodated the internationalfive-star ship Ovation of the Seas, the latest of the Royal Caribbean’s trioQuantum – class super-large ships. 

Thua Thien – Hue province will continue toexpand tourism activities targeting cruise liner visitors, Nguyen Van Cao,Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said, adding that the localitywill promote its cruise tourism potential at domestic and international fairs. 

Located in the centre of Vietnam between twotourism hubs of Hue and Da Nang cities, the Chan May Port has potential tobecome a specialised tourism port in Vietnam.

The port is also a main stop on the route connectingSingapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong, and the nearest access point to theEast Sea for the east-west economic corridor which connects Vietnam’s centralregion with Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.  

The port can accommodate30,000 DWT vessels and cruise ships carrying over 3,000-4,000 passengers, andwill receive further upgrade in the future.-VNA