Where the River Reveals the Soul of a Rising Metropolis
Featuring Exclusive Insights from Dr. Phạm Hà, Founder & CEO of LuxGroup®
There are cities you pass through—and cities that open themselves slowly, intimately, like a cherished story. Ho Chi Minh City is both. A metropolis alive with electric energy, yet profoundly shaped by waterways that have carried centuries of dreams, migrations, and transformations.
To see Saigon from the river is to encounter its soul. And for Dr. Phạm Hà, the visionary behind LuxGroup®, the river is more than geography—it is destiny.
“This is not a cruise,” he says. “It is the happiness project of my life on the Saigon River.”
From that single sentiment, a new chapter of luxury river travel in Vietnam begins.
A Childhood Spark That Became a Compass
In 1985, a ten-year-old boy stood on the deck of the Thống Nhất ship as it approached Nhà Rồng Wharf. He did not yet know the meaning of the feelings stirring in him. But he sensed—deeply—that rivers and oceans would one day shape the course of his life.
That boy was Dr. Phạm Hà.
“I felt the first spark of a dream without knowing its name,” he recalls.
“Forty years later, that moment still guides me.”
Today, that guiding spark has evolved into Amiral Cruises for Presidents®—a flagship vision that connects heritage, culture, and art through curated experiences on the Saigon River.
A River Network Unlike Any Other in Southeast Asia
Few cities possess a water system as intricate and emotionally resonant as Ho Chi Minh City, with 1,433 km of inland waterways weaving through its past and present.
With a rapidly expanding water tourism ecosystem—over 60 curated tours, 7 daily routes, and 15+ new itineraries—the city reveals itself in layers: bustling districts, historic wharfs, mangrove sanctuaries, artisanal fishing communities, and creative riverfront neighborhoods.
To travel here by water is to discover the contrasts that define Saigon: the serenity behind the chaos, the history behind the skyline, the poetry behind the progress.
A Fleet Designed for Every Kind of Explorer
Ho Chi Minh City now boasts a sophisticated and versatile river fleet:
• 137 tourist boats
• 52 dining cruise vessels that host sunset rituals and gourmet dinners
• 85 speedboats for high-adventure expeditions into nature
This diversity reflects a new philosophy of urban exploration—one where water becomes both a retreat and a stage for discovery.
Luxury here is quiet, refined, elemental.
The breeze replaces the limousine.
The horizon becomes the window.
The skyline becomes a living sculpture.
**Amiral Cruises for Presidents® —
A Voyage Through Time, Art, and Heritage**
At the center of this renaissance is Amiral Cruises for Presidents®, LuxGroup®’s newest creation—an exquisite marriage of Art Deco elegance and Vietnamese river heritage.
Inspired by the vessel that carried young Nguyễn Tất Thành in 1911 on his world-shaping journey, the Amiral is designed as a floating cultural institution. It is a ship that remembers—yet dreams forward.
“A cruise is never just travel,” says Dr. Hà. “It is memory. It is emotion. It is a story that endures.”
With teakwood decks, brass details, curated artwork, refined Vietnamese cuisine, and immersive storytelling, Amiral transforms each journey into a cinematic experience—one that belongs as much to the heart as to the senses.
Onboard, luxury is not imposed.
It is felt.
A Waterfront Being Reimagined
As the city invests in its riverside future, the Saigon River is emerging as a sophisticated avenue for culture, commerce, and lifestyle.
• 37 ports are fully activated
• 354 piers now welcome river travellers
• 101 water routes connect districts and provinces
• 11 maritime routes open gateways to nearby coasts and islands
From Bạch Đằng’s modern promenade to Thủ Thiêm’s rising skyline, the riverfront is becoming a new symbol of the city’s ambition—one that blends heritage charm with futuristic design.
Ho Chi Minh City is no longer a metropolis beside the river.
It is a river metropolis.
A New Curve in Vietnam’s Luxury Travel Story
Waterway tourism is growing at 10–20% annually, fueled by travelers seeking authenticity, calm, and connection. The river offers a counterbalance to the city’s rhythm—an invitation to breathe, observe, and rediscover.
Here, luxury is not about extravagance.
It is about presence.
It is about sensing life at its purest.
“At 50, I no longer view this project as business,” Dr. Hà reflects.
“It is a heartfelt mission: to deliver happiness, to honor our heritage, and to craft experiences that awaken every sense.”
This philosophy flows through every itinerary, every meal, every moment onboard Amiral Cruises for Presidents®.
Experiences Worth Crossing the World For
1. Sunset on the Saigon River
As buildings ignite in amber light, the river becomes a mirror of gold. Few urban sunsets in Asia rival Saigon’s from the water.
2. Gourmet Dinner Cruises
Vietnamese and international flavors meet live music, curated design, and the hypnotic rhythm of the river’s nighttime glow.
3. Cần Giờ UNESCO Biosphere
A river-to-sea expedition into untouched wilderness—monkeys, mangroves, crocodiles, and timeless fishing communities.
4. Nhà Bè’s Riverside Life
Floating homes, wooden jetties, and the humble beauty of a tide-shaped existence.
5. Thủ Đức’s Creative Districts
Art studios, green promenades, and riverside innovation hubs shaping the future identity of Saigon.
**The Saigon River —
The Liquid Chronicle of a 300-Year Metropolis**
Flowing 256 km from Bình Phước to the East Sea, the Saigon River has witnessed every chapter of the city’s story: Khmer settlements, colonial docks, wartime supply routes, and now the ascent of glass towers against tropical skies.
At dawn, fishermen glide across gentle ripples.
At dusk, dinner cruises drift beneath a constellation of lights.
At night, reflections shimmer like poetry on the water.
Amiral Cruises captures this living chronicle with rare emotional clarity.
Beyond the River: Voyages Shaped by Heritage
Cu Chi Tunnels
Reached by river, the journey becomes contemplative—passing rural life, rice fields, and tranquil canals before entering an underground world of resilience and courage.
Cần Giờ – The Green Lung of Saigon
A wilderness of mangroves, salt fields, and wildlife that feels worlds away—yet is bound to the city by a single waterway.
The Mekong Delta
Floating markets, coconut groves, ancestral music, and the pulse of one of Asia’s greatest river civilizations.
A New Luxury Chapter for Ho Chi Minh City
The river is no longer a boundary.
It is a bridge—between past and future, culture and luxury, memory and discovery.
And at the heart of this renaissance stands a leader who has spent his life listening to the river’s call.
“This is more than a cruise,” says Dr. Hà. “It is a dream brought to life—and a dream fulfilled is a dream meant to be shared.”
With Amiral Cruises for Presidents®, LuxGroup® invites the world to rediscover Saigon in the most poetic way possible: from the water where its stories began, and where its future is being beautifully reimagined.
