UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay falls quiet amid latest COVID-19 wave

Just a few days ago during the national holiday between April 30 and May 1, Ha Long Bay welcomed a huge number of domestic travelers. However, following the nation’s latest COVID-19 pandemic outbreak the port has fallen quiet once again.

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More than 500 cruise ships are now waiting at the port in order to sail again.

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The port, which has welcomed hundreds of world-class cruise ships from across the globe, is now serving as an anchoring place for local passenger ships.

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The cruise ships, some of which are worth up to tens of billions of VND, queue up at the port.

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Of the 100 cruise ships docking at the port, their value ranges from a few tens of billions of VND to nearly 200 billion.

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A ship which costs approximately VND100 billion docks at the port.

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The 500 cruise ships operating in Ha Long Bay provide jobs for thousands of local employees, although now many have been left unemployed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Before the new COVID-19 outbreak struck Vietnam, the bay had typically welcomed over 10,000 passengers each day, with the figure increasing by two to three times during the weekend.