Halong Bay-based vessel, Emeraude is set to undergo a series of upgrades following its purchase by Hanoi-based investment firm, Openasia.
With the acquisition, Openasia initiated the final phase of work on a three-year refurbishment that includes stripping the baths in every cabin and suites to its infrastructural base and reinventing the space with rain shower heads, new sinks, repositioned toilets and an aesthetic makeover that trades in the old school nautical feel for softer mosaics.
By the time the renovation is complete in April, all of the cabins will feature new beds, new wall coverings and new linens. Onshore, Openasia has moved the vessel’s dock to a new pier in Hon Gai and opened the Emeraude Cafe as a point of embarkation.
The ship’s interior will be stripped apart. Here is an example of what bathrooms will look like post-renovations.
Although the boat’s ownership has changed, the management remains the same, with Kurt Walter in place as the ship’s general manager. Walter took charge of the Emeraude in 2004, just one year after the original owner, Eric Merlin, launched the vessel as the first luxury cruise ship on Halong Bay.
“There is magic on this boat, and on this bay, and the experience is as vibrant and compelling today as it was all those years ago.”
Kurt Walter, Emeraude general manager
Also with Openasia, the Emeraude has added passage through Luon Grotto by bamboo boat to its cruise itinerary. The 60-meter long, four-meter wide passage slips the ship’s rowboat into an enclosed salt water lake surrounded by precipitous limestone cliffs. The Emeraude will continue to call on Surprise Grotto on the first day of its itinerary.
Along with its acquisition of the Emeraude, Openasia has also taken charge of The Press Club Hanoi. First opened in 1997, the Press Clubs recently hired its first new executive chef in a decade, took on new food and beverage management and is planning the most significant renovation in its history from May to August of this year.