HAIKOU - A cruise route from South China's Haikou city, capital of Hainan province, to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, was launched Monday.

The cruise ship, Glory Sea, carrying more than 700 passengers, left the port of Haikou at around 3 pm.

Made in Germany in 2002 and renovated in China in 2016, the 180-meter, eight-deck ship, was the first ship purchased by the Chinese cruise company Diamond Cruise.

Following the Haikou-Vietnam line, the ship will also sail from Haikou to the Philippines from Jan 21.

Haikou will also cooperate with other cruise companies and neighboring countries to accelerate the development of the cruise industry.

China is the world's second largest source of cruise passengers. The country's 11 major ports saw more than 4.5 million inbound and outbound cruise trips last year, up 84 percent year-on-year.