Located at Bach Dang Wharf (No. 1A Me Linh) right on the banks of the Saigon River, Saigon Floating Hotel is a place that attracts great attention of the people of our country in the years 1989 – 1997. Officially named Saigon Hotel (Saigon Hotel), foreign guests use the name “The Floater” whenever referring to the “floating” building floating in the middle of this river.
An interesting fact of this landmark is that it is not only the first floating hotel in Vietnam, but this majestic construction is also the first floating hotel in the world. And the story of this world-class hotel being able to come to Vietnam and experience its golden age here also has many unexpected details.
The world’s first floating hotel
With a length of 89.2 meters and a height of 27.6 meters above sea level, this $45 million building (equivalent to a present-day value of $100 million) was designed and built in Singapore in 2016. 1988 by Doug Tarca – an Italian diver.
He has cherished this idea since 1983 when he wanted to have a place for visitors to the diving resort at John Brewer Reef, about 70 km from the coast of Townsville, to have a place to stay.
After a period of consideration about the advantages of cost savings as well as environmental protection, the Tarca family decided to build a floating hotel instead of having to bulldoze and build a foundation on the mainland. So this hotel is actually named John Brewer Reef, towed more than 5,000 km from Singapore to the Great Barrier Reef.
This project is overwhelmed by its huge size up to 89m, 7 floors high, 5-star standard, accommodating up to 356 guests with nearly 140 double rooms, 34 extremely luxurious suites, 1 discotheque, 4 bars , 4 gyms, 2 swimming pools, 20 saunas and 2 luxury restaurants. In addition, there are many other class items such as: swimming pool, nightclub, bar, restaurant, tennis court, helipad and underwater observatory to view the coral reefs.
The hotel is transported by ship from the shipyard in Singapore to Australia.Photo – Townsville Maritime Museum
This hotel is anchored on the world’s largest coral reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia.Photo: Getty.
To stay at the property, guests must go out by speedboat or helicopter.Despite the expensive cost, this strange construction is the dream of diving enthusiasts and ordinary tourists who like to experience a new form of resort.
Anchored at the conservation area, John Brewer Reef must adhere to strict environmental standards such as the shell must not use toxic paints, wastewater must be treated and dumped many miles from the reef.
However, the expectation is so beautiful, but the storm begins to make this hotel have a “floating” fate just like its name.
According to The Christian Science Monitor, John Brewer Reef was originally slated to open in 1987, but was delayed by six months, causing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Right in the first year of its release, The John Brewer Reef Floating Hotel was hit by a tornado called Cyclone Charlie, causing a total of nearly $2.3 million in damage. Inclement weather also makes it difficult to pick up passengers by helicopter and speedboat.
In addition, an artillery shell from the World War II era was discovered 3 km away from the hotel, making guests afraid.
By the time it left “home”, this floating hotel had left a large financial loss for the company with a figure of up to nearly 8 million dollars.
Originally under the management of the famous hotel group Four Seasons, however, this project had to be sold in 1989 to the Japanese corporation EIC Development Company. Being brought back to Saigon to operate under the management and operation of Australia’s Southern Hotels Company, this hotel suddenly had an unexpected golden age.
The first floating hotel in Vietnam
Brought to Vietnam, this giant hotel immediately had a turning point when it suddenly attracted the attention of many people. In the first 5 years (1989 – 1994), although the room rate for 1 night was up to 355 USD (nearly 8 million VND), equal to a fortune compared to the standard of living in Saigon at that time, it was almost always full of guests. . This place was also used by city leaders as a place to receive international guests or used by foreign companies and corporations as a place to hold important events and conferences.
For the people of that time, this floating hotel was a place for them to admire and be admired. Because at that time, the hotel was located next to the Thu Thiem ferry terminal connecting the central banks of Saigon with the poor wilderness on the side of District 2.
Combined with 2 new bars including Q Bar and Downunder Disco, the hotel quickly became the most exciting entertainment destination in Ho Chi Minh City at that time.
Unfortunately, that golden age was so short and was the only bright spot in the 30-year life of this work. When Vietnam’s economy began to develop, this was no longer the most luxurious place for the elite to go to, and people did not have to look up and admire. Dozens of high-class hotels were upgraded or newly built such as Continental, Majestic, Rex, New World…, Saigon Hotel’s market share in 1995 dropped sharply, revenue decreased by 30% compared to the beginning.
In the end, the hotel had to change hands to Hyundai Asan Company, specializing in tourism, under the Hyundai Group (Korea) for more than a third of 12.7 billion won (equivalent to 18 million USD). At 9:30 a.m. on April 1, 1997, the ship officially sailed on the way to Singapore.
Rusty construction in North Korea
After the restoration process in Singapore, the hotel reopened in 2000 with the name Haekumgang, anchored in the Kumgang tourist area of Korea with the desire to attract international tourists to come here. At that time, relations between the two South – North Korea were still smooth.
However, in 2008, an incident occurred when a South Korean tourist was shot by North Korean soldiers near this area for allegedly infringing on the military zone, which strained diplomatic relations between North and South Korea. Country. Kumgang resort shut down.
And then, 14 years later, the ship is still lying on the docks, neither operating nor moving elsewhere.Hotel Haegumgang also closed its doors, becoming a giant rusty scrap.Photo: Getty
In 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Mount Diamond, he ordered the destruction to rebuild the area in a way that is suitable for North Korean culture. However, due to the impact of the pandemic, all demolition plans were delayed, leaving the once-famous superficial hotel still floating there, completely bare.
Overcoming a journey of more than 14,000 km by sea going through many countries for decades, owning many world records, passing through the hands of many owners, but in the end, this project still suffered a sad ending!
Source: CafeF
Source: Vietnam Insider