Super cruise ship 'made in Vietnam' - new symbol on the Mekong River is about to appear

The Mekong Lover shipbuilding project is the result of cooperation between four units with expertise in the fields of tourism and shipbuilding, in which Focus Travel Group (FTG) - a unit with many years of experience in exploiting Mekong River tourism - plays the role of investor. To ensure that the ship meets safety standards, operates efficiently and has high aesthetics, this afternoon (February 19), FTG held a signing ceremony of cooperation with partners with their own strengths in each field.

Accordingly, Vietnam Shipbuilding Engineering Joint Stock Company (VISEC) is responsible for technical design and construction, ensuring a solid ship structure suitable for the flow conditions on the Mekong River. Saigon Shipbuilding Industry Company Limited (SSIC) is the construction unit, realizing the drawings into a yacht that meets international operating standards. Vietnam Maritime Engineering and Technology Company Limited (VIMATEC) is responsible for quality supervision, ensuring that every stage from design to completion complies with the technical criteria.

The signing ceremony was held this afternoon (February 19).

PHOTO: NS

Culturally Impressed Resort Space

Speaking about the significance of the project, Mr. Dang Bao Hieu - Chairman of Focus Travel Group - shared: With Mekong Lover, FTG not only wants to bring a simple tourist cruise, but also hopes that this will be an important milestone in the strategy of developing Vietnam's river tourism. FTG is proud that this project was designed and built entirely in Vietnam, demonstrating the capacity of the domestic shipbuilding industry as well as opening up opportunities for domestic and foreign tourists to experience a complete journey right on the Mekong River.

"We are committed to implementing the project with meticulousness in every stage, from design, construction to quality control, so that Mekong Lover becomes a safe, environmentally friendly cruise ship, aiming at sustainable tourism development and contributing to raising the level of river tourism in Vietnam."

According to the investor, Mekong Lover is not only a means of transportation but also a culturally significant resort space. The design details on the ship are inspired by the Indochinese architectural style, expressed through wood carvings, arched windows, and handmade ceramic tiles, reminiscent of ancient villas in Saigon, Hanoi, and Phnom Penh. Some features in the interior design are inspired by the ancient house of Huynh Thuy Le (Sa Dec) - a place associated with the story of female writer Marguerite Duras, creating a space that is both nostalgic and luxurious.

The cruise has 32 cabins, all with private balconies, providing privacy and comfort for guests. The infinity pool on the Mekong River is a special highlight, where guests can relax in the cool water, watching the sunset on the Mekong River. In particular, Mekong Lover also has a traditional art performance stage, where performances of Hat Boi, Khmer Dance and Vietnamese - Cambodian folk art are held.

Mr. Dang Bao Hieu shared: FTG started exploiting Mekong River tourism since 2009 with the first product being the La Marguerite ship and up to now, after 16 years, La Marguerite is still the symbol of Mekong River tourism. However, FTG has never thought of bringing performances and entertainment activities to La Marguerite. With Mekong Lover, cultural and historical elements will be one of the characteristics that create a new tourism symbol on the Mekong River.

"With Mekong Lover, one of the top tasks we assigned to the designer was to create a stage that meets the conditions to perform a professional and large-scale Don Ca Tai Tu or Hat Boi performance. The stage is not only for performance but also for storytelling, so that visitors can enjoy the special performance, and be explained to understand more about the story, culture, and gain more knowledge from a new land. We want to bring not only a luxury ship with the most perfect services but also a place to perform the cultural features of the Mekong Delta to further enhance the position of the Mekong River on the world tourism map" - Chairman of FTG emphasized.

La Marguerite Cruise is now the symbol of Mekong River tourism.

PHOTO: NAM LONG

Making Vietnam a center for cruise experiences

Speaking more about river tourism, the Chairman of FTG said that the tourism development strategy of Ho Chi Minh City as well as Vietnam with a vision to 2030 emphasizes a lot on river tourism and sea tourism. "Mekong Lover" is one of many projects to build new tourist vehicles to expand and promote new tourism products to domestic and foreign tourists.

Previously, most international cruise ships operating on the Mekong River spent a lot of time in Cambodia, while Vietnam was mainly a transit point. The current traditional Mekong River product is mainly 8 days and 7 nights long, with 5 days in Cambodia, and only about 2-3 days of the ship traveling on the river in Vietnam. Tourism activities on the Mekong River have developed since 2004 and for nearly 20 years, the products have remained similar, without any breakthroughs.

Therefore, FTG hopes that with the determination of the investor and designers, it will create new products to shape the Mekong River tourism brand to a higher level and better quality, thereby promoting river tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta as well as Vietnam to international friends.

With Mekong Lover, the length of stay in Vietnam will be extended, giving visitors the opportunity to experience more deeply the culture and landscape of the Southwest region. The new itinerary allows visitors to not only visit familiar tourist destinations but also have time to immerse themselves in local life, from traditional craft villages, floating markets to meals with rich local flavors. Instead of spending most of their time enjoying Cambodian art as before, visitors will have many nights to experience traditional Vietnamese art forms. As the length of stay of visitors in Vietnam increases, spending on tourism services, restaurants, and shopping will also increase, creating conditions to promote the local economy, contributing to the sustainable development of river tourism.

"Up to now, the main target of tourists traveling on the Mekong River has been Europeans. With this new product, we also aim to target the Southeast Asian market and especially return to serve Vietnamese customers with high spending ability. We will build 5-day-4-night and 4-day-3-night programs so that Vietnamese people have more options to participate in the journey to explore the Mekong River. Many Vietnamese people, especially in the Northern Delta or overseas Vietnamese friends when visiting their homeland, also want to learn about the Mekong River and explore the cultural identity on the river. Mekong Lover will create more opportunities to showcase unique river tourism products to our compatriots" - said Mr. Dang Bao Hieu.

It is estimated that the time from design to implementation and shipbuilding will take about 16 - 18 months. The units are committed to speeding up the progress so that by October 2026, the ship will be put into operation. It is estimated that each room on the ship will have a total investment of about 150,000 - 250,000 USD, the expected number of rooms is 36 rooms. The ship is worth about more than 100 billion VND.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sieu-tau-du-lich-made-in-vietnam-bieu-tuong-moi-tren-dong-mekong-sap-xuat-hien-185250219174456761.htm