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Just park the boat over there by the villa
Big real estate developers in HCM City are now building pleasure boating facilities into their new riverside housing projects, according to a report in Dau tu Chung Khoan.
Before too long, it seems, the rivers and canals of the southern metropolis may come alive with pleasure boats as well as waterbuses.
The developer of the high-rise Saigon Pearl project has begun construction of a 400 billion dong ($210,000) marina and a yacht club on the Saigon River side of the project. When it is completed in 2011, the marina will provide slips for 130 powerboats and sailboats to tie up.
The developer of the $300 million Diamond Island project, Binh Thien An Company, also plans a marina to serve future residents. From the eight hectare project area at the junction of the Saigon and Giong Ong To rivers in HCM City’s District 2, a powerboat can reach Bach Dang wharf in the central area of the city in only ten minutes.
To kick off the project, Binh Thien An has purchased a $2 million ‘Princess 58’ yacht and christened it ‘Diamond Island’. The yacht is being used to bring prospective buyers to the Diamond Island project.
Tai Nguyen Manufacturing and Trading Company, developer of the Kenton Residences in South Saigon, a project that’s a considerable distance from center city, has confirmed plans to build a wharf able to receive 20 to 30 seat boats and integrated with a riverside park. According to Tai Nguyen, the riverside marina will be located near the villa area.
When Tan Hung Investment JSC announced the development of its $700 million Hung Dien Trade and Residential Quarter project in southwest HCM City in 2008, it said that there would be a marina for the convenience of residents who wish to commute to downtown by powerboat or sailboat.
Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the HCM City Real Estate Association, confirms the trend toward designing marinas into upscale housing projects. It should be encouraged, he says, because marinas not only add glamour and value to the projects and beautify the city’s landscape, but they will also promote tourism.
According to Chau, projects including marinas are always upscale projects that target high income earners. A sailboat alone may cost several hundred thousand dollar or more, and the associated services are also costly.
Chau stresses that if only real estate developers promote marinas, it will be very difficult to develop tourism associated with recreational boating. Thus, he says, the local authorities should cooperate to develop tourism on river.
“Rivers mustn’t be regarded as an obstacle, but as a great asset to the city. If the city can improve the quality of the water in our canals and river, it will be able to develop water tourism,” Chau said.
Other experts think that because traffic jams have become endemic in the HCMC area, water-borne transport should be seen as part of a solution.
vietnamnet, DTCK
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