From mechanic in Germany to Saigon River tour operator

Every night, the Indochina Queen, with about 500 tourists, slowly floats along the Saigon River. Guests enjoy the buffet while seeing Ho Chi Minh City sparkle at night to a musical background. The owner of that ship is An Son Lam, 61, director of Indochina Junk Ltd. The dark-skinned man, from Hung Yen province, has gone through many turning points to become the boss of the Indochina Queen and Pearl of the Far East.

Having been a mechanic in Germany, can you tell us how you became the owner of the Indochina Queen and Pearl of the Far East?

In 1996, after 10 years of studying and working in Germany, I returned to Vietnam and chose HCMC to live. During a random evening sheltering from the rain with a German tourist visiting Vietnam, I learned that the S-shaped country's landscapes are beautiful and attractive to German tourists. That random guest advised me to become a tour guide because of my foreign language ability.

Honestly, at that time, the advice went in one ear and out of the other. Later, when I saw an advert recruiting German tour guides, I applied for the job. The job helped me access Ha Long, where boat tourism was very developed. I loved sailing and receiving detailed instructions.

I was passionate about ships and was thinking about buying a tourism boat for HCMC. In the early 2000s, I spent VND300 million ($12,300) to build the Indochina 27 cruise ship. Next, I built the second and third ships. The third one is the Indonchina Queen. After many upheavals, I now have two left: the Indochina Queen and the Pearl of the Far East.

Why did you name the first ship Indochina 27?

I used to work at Indochina Travel Ltd. I once shared with the company's leaders that I wanted a fleet of cruise ships to later expand tours to Indochina. In 2005, Indochina 27 went into operation with a total investment of VND1.5 billion ($61,400).

Nearly 20 years since your first ship was launched, what rough seas has your business had to overcome?

We have experienced two big waves. First, at the end of 2015, Bach Dang wharf opened and closed in just one week, leaving businesses high and dry. At that time, my boats also suffered damage.

Second, during the Covid-19 period, the tourism industry almost froze, and Indochina Junk could not avoid it.

What did you do to lead the company through difficulties during the pandemic?

At that time, I opened a tour of the Saigon River at night for only VND100,000 ($4) per person, including water and snacks, with the goal of maintaining jobs for employees. People find the price good and the tour beautiful, so they shared their pictures on social networks. My brand is now known to many people. Covid-19 badly affected the tourism industry and we are not out of that cycle, but it provided an opportunity for more people to find out about us.

Is the number of passengers currently stable?

This Indochina Queen, where we are talking, has a capacity of about 600 people. Currently, each evening, we welcome about 500 guests, equivalent to 80% of capacity. The tour price to see the Saigon River at night starts at VND500,000 ($20.5) per person, including drinks and a buffet. In addition, the ship is also rented out for conferences and events. The price for each guest is VND200,000 ($8.2), including meals. The ship is also equipped with 30kw solar batteries, saving on electricity and air conditioning costs. I have planted more trees on the ship. The green trees look very beautiful in photos.

Recently, we have welcomed a lot of Indian tourists. Specifically, in July alone, the Indonchina Queen had 2,000 customers. Indian guests have their own tastes and love of music, so they have their own space.

Currently, the company's number of employees is about 100, including part-time staff.

What are the main challenges for a leading business in river tourism development, especially in the context that many firms have failed?

Enterprises doing river tourism in HCMC and many other places depend on port policies, anchorage locations, and yard fees. These issues are a big challenge for current businesses.

HCMC has thousands of kilometers of river routes, but there are not many stops in the city center for tourists to eat and go out. The city should have inland waterway wharves and areas to welcome foreign ships.

Can you share your upcoming plans?

In the coming time, the Indochina Junk will focus on its existing facilities because the cost of renting yards is very high. We will also keep an eye on policies to see if we should expand our investment. Personally, I still want to invest in a truly classy ship but am still concerned about the berthing issue.

Regarding the potential of waterway tourism, how do you evaluate it?

In my opinion, if the Saigon River is exploited to its full potential and has space to anchor boats, there will be many beautiful boats in the near future. The Saigon River currently has about 40-50 boats. In my opinion, we should take advantage of Bach Dang wharf.

However, it is necessary to plan the wharf and have specific conditions for ships that stop there.

The night economy is also related to river tourism, such as the Saigon River tours that your business runs. How do you assess the potential of this industry?

Thailand and many other countries have been successful in implementing the night economy because they rely on geographical factors. The Western region’s day is Vietnam’s night. They travel for a few days, so they didn't have time to adapt. Based on this jet lag, many countries have developed a night economy. In my opinion, opening a night economy is even better than day tourism because people think about spending money at night while the days are the best time to go to work.