An Italian cruise ship carrying more than 2,000 visitors arrived on Phu Quoc, a famous tourist island off the southern Vietnamese province of Kien Giang, on Friday.

Due to its large size, the Costa Victoria cruise had to dock about one kilometer off the island, before several boats, capable of carrying 90 passengers each, took turns to escort the tourists to shore.

One of the ships also took some officers from the local border guard office, customs agency, and port authorities to the Costa Victoria to finalized necessary documents for the visit of its cruisers.

A boat carries the visitors from the Italian cruise ship to the mainland. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The 2,200 travelers on the Italian cruise ship come from various countries, including those in Southeast Asia, who were scheduled to conclude their excursion in the evening of the same day.

Last year Phu Quoc received more than 1.45 million visitors, a solid 63 percent hike from a year earlier, with foreign arrivals topping 201,000.

The island authorities target a goal of welcoming 1.82 million visitors, including 300,000 international tourists, in 2017.

The Costa Victoria docks off Phu Quoc Island on the morning of January 13, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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