Close-up of million-dollar yacht on Mekong River: Has golf course, cinema

(Dan Tri) - Many tourists are excited to experience for the first time the luxury and comfort of a million-dollar cruise ship on the Mekong River.

In recent years, luxury cruise vacations have become a new travel trend. Many people believe that experiencing a cruise trip helps them enjoy their vacation more fully, away from the noise and dust of the mainland. Especially in the Southwest region, in addition to sightseeing tours, experiences by road, boat, canoe... luxury cruises are also becoming the choice of many tourists, especially foreign tourists.

Having long loved the Vietnamese river landscape, Ms. Alison - a tourist from Australia - decided to take a trip that combines relaxation and river sightseeing. After researching, she chose to experience a Mekong River tour by 4-star cruise. "At our retirement age, my husband and I are very reluctant to travel continuously due to our limited health. Choosing to travel on a cruise can help us reduce the difficulty of traveling, but still enjoy the natural scenery and people here," she said.

The first 4-star cruise ship operating on the Mekong River was launched in 2019. According to a survey by reporters on the website, this cruise ship departs from Can Tho City and has many other routes for tourists to choose from. Cruise tour prices vary quite a bit between peak and low seasons, as well as booking locations. The price of the Can Tho - Long Xuyen (2 days 1 night) tour ranges from 6-18 million VND, Can Tho - Tan Chau (3 days 2 nights) costs 12-36 million VND, Can Tho - Phnom Penh (5 days 4 nights) costs 28-42 million VND... In particular, the cruise ship is designed like a high-class resort with full entertainment facilities such as golf course, swimming pool, cinema...

Sharing with Dan Tri reporters, many tourists appreciate the luxury and comfort of the cruise ship, but they think that some entertainment services on the ship such as golf courses and cinemas are "quite wasteful" because few people use them. A tourist from Singapore shared: "I see that the cruise ship has quite a lot of entertainment facilities, golf courses, gyms, swimming pools and cinemas are all available. However, I do not have the need to experience all the entertainment activities here."

According to the reporter, the golf course area is located on the top floor of the yacht, however, very few people use this entertainment service. Similarly, the movie theater on the yacht is not fully exploited. The yacht staff said that the movie theater has more than 20 seats, and guests who want to watch a movie usually make an appointment with the receptionist in advance. However, tourists rarely use this service, if they do, it is mainly families or groups of friends.

On the contrary, the gym and library are two areas used by many customers for their health and relaxation needs.

The area most used by tourists is probably the infinity pool. They think this is the ideal space on the yacht, because they can both cool off and fully enjoy the sunrise and sunset.

In the early morning or late afternoon, visitors often gather on the rooftop area to drink coffee and enjoy the view. Here, they can see the entire landscape on both sides of the river. This place is also suitable for groups to organize outdoor activities or take "virtual life" photos.

At around 10pm, the cruise ship anchors in the middle of the river for guests to spend the night. Evening activities on the cruise ship are mainly concentrated at the bar or rooftop. This is also the time when tourists have the opportunity to interact and chat with each other.

Regarding the cuisine, Mr. Carl Andrew Burns - a British tourist - said he was quite satisfied with the food service on the cruise. Thanks to the diverse menu from Asian to European dishes, he was able to eat familiar dishes and taste typical Vietnamese cuisine. The restaurant shared that although most of the tourists are foreigners, they always add Vietnamese dishes such as pho, sour soup, lotus salad... to the menu to contribute to promoting the cuisine of their homeland.

Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Pham Huu Nghia, Director of the cruise, said that this cruise was built in 18 months with a total value of nearly 4 million USD (nearly 100 billion VND). The ship was launched at the end of 2019 with 33 deluxe rooms (high-class), 2 suites (highest class) and can serve about 70 guests per trip. The highlight of the 2 suites (with an area of ​​45m2) is that from the living room, bedroom to bathroom, there are large glass doors, private balconies with full views of the river landscape. Depending on the peak and low seasons and the route, room prices fluctuate differently. According to Mr. Nghia, most tourists who experience the cruise want to immerse themselves in the life of the Western river region and admire the peaceful scenery here. "The characteristic of tourism in the West is to portray the authenticity of the landscape and the lives of the people. Besides the factors of comfort and luxury, we always try to incorporate the simplicity and closeness of nature and people," he said.

Dantri.com.vn