From Siem Reap to the Mekong Delta (port-to-port cruise)

Meeting at 1 p.m. at the hotel Lotus Blanc(1) (ships: RV Indochine I and Lan Diep) and the hotel Sofitek Angkor(1) (ship: RV Indochine II). Transfer to your cruise boat. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail and have dinner on board. We’ll spend the night on board. 

We'll arrive in Koh Chen. You can explore this small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work. Lunch on board, then we will set out to visit the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To access the pagoda we need to cross the village of Kampong Tralach in "tuk-tuk", moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields. We'll spend the night on board.

We’ll visit Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports. Fish farming is abundant here. The region is also known for its traditional pottery combining ancient knowledge with modern techniques—Chhnang itself means "pot." We'll enjoy a tasting of regional products before returning on board. Lunch and cruising towards Phnom Penh, arriving in the early evening. Enjoy a brief tour of the area by "tuk-tuk," the easiest way to get around the city. We’ll return to the ship and enjoy a performance of classical Khmer dancing and music and have dinner.

We’ll enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace, one of the most impressive examples of Cambodian architecture, and its Silver Pagoda. Onward to visit the National Museum. After lunch in town, you can pay a visit to the Tuol Svay Prey School, a former detention, torture, and execution center run by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. Afterwards, enjoy some free time at the market. We'll return on board, cruising to Chau Doc, a town on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, whose territory became Vietnamese 300 years ago. We'll spend the night on board.

Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. Floating farms invade the waters. Visit to the Tay An Pagoda and the Ba Chua Xu Temple. Lunch. Once we are back on board, we’ll begin to cruise toward Sa Dec. We’ll spend the night on board.

Visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on. After our excursion, enjoy some free time in Sa Dec. We’ll have lunch on board and cruise to Vinh Long. We’ll set out in smaller boats and travel through canals and orchards before arriving in Cai Be. We’ll discover a brick and pottery factory as well as a traditional factory producing puffed riced, rice-paper wrappers used to make nems, and rice alcohol*. We’ll return on board our ship and begin to cruise. We’ll have dinner and spend the night on board.

We'll visit a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit. We'll then take a ride in small sampans along the canal lined with mangrove palms. Lunch will be served on board. We’ll then set out to cross the very narrow Chao Gao Canal, heading for Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll have dinner and remain in port overnight in the downtown area.

Ho Chi Minh City was heavily influenced by French colonialism in the 19th century. We’ll enjoy a tour of the city to see the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Saigon Central Post Office, and visit the Museum of Vietnamese History. Lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon, we'll enjoy free time on board or we’ll leave by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels(2), an immense network of underground tunnels that were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches. After our excursion, we'll return on board our ship. Tonight we’ll have our farewell cocktail and dinner. We'll remain in port overnight.

Disembarking. We’ll spend the morning visiting Cholon, the Chinese-influenced section of the city, including its hectic market. After lunch in town, we’ll bid you farewell at approximately 2:00 p.m. Please do not book your flight before 5:00 p.m.