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

We’ll cruise across the lake. After lunch, we’ll visit Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on Tonle Sap Lake. Fish farming is abundant here. The region is also known for its traditional pottery combining ancient knowledge with modern techniques. We’ll enjoy a tasting of regional products before returning on board and beginning to cruise to Kampong Tralach. We’ll spend the night on board.

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 ox carts, moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields. Lunch. Once we arrive in Koh Chen, you can explore this small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work and where ornaments used in traditional ceremonies at the pagoda or for marriages are fashioned. After returning on board, we’ll spend the afternoon 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. The ship will remain in port overnight.

We’ll enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace and visit his 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. Return on board and have dinner as we continue our cruise through the night to Vietnam. Night on board.

We’ll arrive in Chau Doc. The now-prosperous area has developed around fish and fish farming and the town is a busy, lively place with few tourists and several charming colonial buildings. We’ll pay a visit to the Ba Chua Xu Temple and the Tay An Pagoda. Once we are on board, our ship will begin to cruise toward Sa Dec. We’ll spend the night on board.

Discover the local market of Sa Dec and visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on. We’ll have lunch on board and cruise to Vinh Long—located in the middle of the delta, between two distributaries of the Mekong River. We’ll set out in smaller boats and travel through canals. We’ll discover a brick and pottery factory, a fruit tree nursery in Binh Hoa Phuoc, puffed riced and the rice-paper wrappers used to make nems, and rice alcohol. We’ll return on board our ship and begin to cruise. We’ll spend the night on board.

We will visit a beekeeping farm where we will taste honey tea and exotic fruits. Lunch. We return on board for lunch and continue with our magnificent cruise, taking the narrow Chao Gao canal and heading for Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight on board in the port.

Ho Chi Minh City was heavily influenced by French colonialism in the 19th century. It is now the largest port in Vietnam. 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. We’ll leave by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels, an immense network of underground tunnels that were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War. We’ll return on board our ship. Tonight, enjoy our farewell cocktail and dinner. We’ll spend the night at the port.

Enjoy breakfast on board before 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.

• Your cruise in the cabin category of your choice
• Transfer of the boat to downtown Siem Reap
• All meals
• Onboard drinks included (except for drinks from our special lists) – drinks at lunches in Hô Chi Minh-City and Phnom Penh (water + 1 soda or 1 beer* and 1 coffee or 1 tea per person and per meal)
• Visits and excursions mentioned in the program
• The services of an english-speaking local tour guides and onboard CroisiEurope tour director
• Travel assistance and repatriation insurance
• Tips: To ensure a worry-free trip, tips are included as follows: 35€ per passenger for tips which will be entirely paid to the personnel from the countries to be visited and 45€ per passenger for crew members. This amount was determined while taking into consideration the local customs and etiquette.

• International flights and their taxes
• Transfers not mentioned in the program
• Cambodian and Vietnamese visas
• Cancellation and baggage insurance
• Drinks on board from special lists
• Drinks other than those mentioned