A Cruise Ship Was Their Home. Now Villa Vie Residents Must Leave
For the past two years, Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin have used social media to chronicle their lives on the Villa Vie Odyssey, a cruise ship that was on an around-the-world trip until it ran out of fuel in Cambodia.
Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin, residents of the Villa Vie Odyssey, have been living on the cruise ship for the past two years as they embarked on an around-the-world journey. However, their dream voyage came to an abrupt end when the ship ran out of fuel in Cambodia, leading to an order for residents to disembark in Sihanoukville.
The company, Villa Vie Residences, claims that fuel prices have quadrupled since the start of the Iran War, causing financial difficulties. Villa Vie has promised to cover lodging and local transportation costs, but not the expense of travel out of Cambodia. The Odyssey's predicament highlights the broader impact of the US war on Iran, which has driven up Brent crude prices to over $115 a barrel.
Villa Vie's investment model involves selling cabins for permanent residency at prices ranging from $130,000 to $440,000, with monthly fees of $2,000 to $10,000. The company has proposed an extra $500 a month for fuel costs, but residents have resisted this proposal. Many are now stranded in Sihanoukville, a city that has seen criminal syndicates take over empty properties during the pandemic.
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