Danang in central Vietnam is rapidly turning into a major port of call for international cruise ships en route to Halong Bay. According to city officials, Danang will receive over 21,000 cruise-ship passengers from 48 ships this year, compared with 13,500 passengers from 26 ships in 2006.

Since the start of 2007, most cruise-ship visitors have been from France, the USA, Spain, China and Hong Kong. However Danang - the third largest city in the country in terms of population - faces a shortage of four- and five- star accommodation to cater to the new cruise-ship visitors. Since November 2006 hotels in the city, and at the nearby Furama Resort, have experienced occupancy rates of over 70% - an increase of 20 percentage points on their performance in 2006. There are plans to open two new four-star hotels later this year, say city officials, which will go some way to alleviating the lack of top-tier capacity.