Two Italian cruise vessels arrived in the central Da Nang city in the last few days carrying tourists seeking to celebrate New Year in Vietnam.

Maersk Line Vietnam, a Danish shipping company, has ambitious growth plans in Vietnam given its strong business performance and the country’s good prospects.

The Silver Whisper, a deluxe Italian cruise ship, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City Monday with some 800 foreign tourists on board.

According to a report by the Waterway Projects Management Unit, under the Ministry of Transport, the investment project to open a wateway for large cargo ships to enter the Hau river has been formulated and submitted to the governmet for approval.

Vietnam's giant transport and freight forwarding company, Gemadept, has received the go-ahead from the securities regulator to issue 13 million new shares on the Ho Chi Minh City bourse.

Japan-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha Lines, or NYK Line, has obtained the go-ahead from the Vietnamese government to set up a joint venture with a local agency to provide shipping logistics services.

Italian cruise ship Costa Allegra docked Saturday at Vietnamese World Heritage site Ha Long Bay with 1,000 visitors on board.

UK Royal Naval survey ship HMS Echo with 54 officers and crew members aboard anchored at Ho Chi Minh City port Saturday for a goodwill visit.

Saigontourist Travel Service Co. welcomed 1,000 tourists and crewmembers on the luxury cruise ship Superstar Gemini, which docked in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday.

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will pour big bucks into Vietnam's port and shipping-related indus-tries as the country's forth-coming entry into World Trade Organization (WTO) will open up new opportuni­ties, a top executive said.