Great Solo Traveller Prices
Standard Ship: Single Supplement from $3,870 | Premium Ship: Single Supplement from $4,108
CroisiCruise: 9HC_PP
9 Days
Ho Chi Minh City | My Tho | Vinh Long | Cai Be | Sa Dec | Chau Doc | Phnom Penh | Koh Chen | Kampong Tralach | Kampong Chhnang | Siem Reap
From the heights of the Himalayas to the southern coasts of the South China Sea, winding over 2,700 miles, the Mekong is much more than just irrigation for Indochina—everywhere it flows, it fascinates men and shapes their lives. Come take an expedition on this grand and plentiful “water snake,” from Ho Chi Minh City, still largely influenced by the French colonial days, to Phnom Penh, then Tonle River, following the footsteps of Henri Mouhot. This meditative trip takes you along the Mekong River on board a ship combining charm and colonial-style comfort.
THE CROISIEUROPE DIFFERENCE
- Gala dinner and evening : Welcome cocktail
- All meals included : Refined European cuisine, with table service for lunch & dinner
- Drinks included : With meals
- Open bar : Including Cocktails, Mocktails, Regional wines, Beer, Spirits & Soft drinks (excluding premium list)
- Free Wi-Fi in lounge and bar
- Headsets included for excursions
- Official welcome from the captain and crew
- Tour leader or cruise director on board
- Onboard activities and/or lectures
- Travel assistance and repatriation insurance
- All port fees included
HIGHLIGHTS
- EXCURSIONS INCLUDED:
- Discover historical cities: Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh
- Meet the locals and learn about their daily lives in Koh Chen, My Tho...
- Crossing through the splendid Cho Gao canal
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- Itinerary
- Important Information
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City
Program depending on your time of arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. Program as follow if your flight lands beetween 6am and 10am: Meet at the Liberty Central Riverside Hotel restaurant between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Lunch at the hotel.
Built by the French in 1859, at the beginning of the colonial era, Ho Chi Minh City has retained some of its French atmosphere which characterises it. In the afternoon, tour the city: Reunification palace, Notre Dame cathedral and Central Post office. Visit Cholon, the Chinese-influenced section of the city, including its hectic market and Ba Thien Hau Pagoda dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. After comfortably settling into your cabins, you will be introduced to the crew at a welcome cocktail, have dinner and spend the night on board downtown.
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
Depart by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels(3), 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. Lunch will be served on board. Visit the Museum of Vietnamese History, then set out to cross the very narrow Chao Gao Canal. Night on board.
(3) The transfer by coach takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes each way
Day 3: Chao Gao - My Tho - Vinh Long - Cai Be - Sa Dec
Continue your cruise to My Tho along the magnificent Chao Gao Canal. Visit of a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit. Lunch on board. This afternoon 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. Night on board.
Day 4: Sa Dec - Chau Doc
Visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on. After the excursion there will be some free time in Sa Dec. Return on board your ship and have lunch before sailing towards Cambodia. Night on board.
Day 5: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh
Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. Visit the Ba Chua Xu Temple and the Tay An Pagoda. Lunch on board. Arrival in the evening in Phnom Penh. Dinner on board. The ship will remain in port overnight.
Day 6: Phnom Penh
Depart on 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, there will be some free time at the market. As you return on board, you will experience an Apsara dance show. Dinner and overnight on board, in the port of Phnom Penh. Free evening.
Day 7: Koh Chen - Kampong Tralach
This morning there will be a visit of Koh Chen, a small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work. Lunch on board then visit the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To access the pagoda you need to cross the village of Kampong Tralach, moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields. Your ship will remain anchored overnight.
Day 8: Kampong Chhnang - Lake Tonle
Visit of Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonle Sap Lake. Here they also have many fish farms. The region is best known for its fine traditional pottery which is a major source of revenue for the entire country. Tasting of some local products. Lunch on board then continue your cruise on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in southeast Asia which forms the heart of the hydraulic system of the Mekong. Cocktail and gala dinner tonight. Your ship will remain anchored overnight.
Day 9: Siem Reap
Disembark and transfer by road(1) to Siem Reap and discover traditional villages along the way.
OR
Morning crise through Tonle Lake and disembark. Transfer to the hotel Lotus Blanc(2) (ships RV Indochine and RV Lan Diep) and the hotel Sofitel Angkor(2) (ship RV Indochine II). You will be bid farewell at approximately 12.30pm. Please do not book your flight before 3:30 p.m.
(1) A 5 to 6-hour bus journey to reach Siem Reap
(2) Or similar, meeting points will be confirmed in your travel documentation.
INCLUSIONS:
- Your cruise in the cabin category of your choice - double-occupancy accommodations in a first-class cabin
- Transfer from the boat to downtown Siem Riep
- All meals
- onboard drinks included (except for drinks from the special lists) - drinks during the lunch in Hô Chih Minh-city and Phnom Penh (water + 1 soft drink or 1 beer + 1 tea or coffee per person for each meal)
- Visits and excursions mentioned in the program
- The services of english-speaking local tour guides and onboard CroisiEurope tour director
- Travel assistance and repatriation insurance
- Tips: To ensure our customers more pleasant stay, we’ve included 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.
EXCLUSIONS:
- International flights and their taxes
- Transfers not mentioned in the program
- Cambodian and Vietnamese visas
- Cancellation and baggage insurance
- Drinks onboard from the special lists
- Drinks other than those mentioned
- These cruises and tours are not recommended for persons with reduced mobility as there are no lifts on board the ships.
- Low waters can happen at any time during the year. The time frames are given as examples, but are dependent on the quality of rainfall.
- The banks of the river we will cruise on can be steep and slippery depending on the water level.
- The itinerary, stopovers, and excursions can be modified by the cruise company and our on-site representatives if needed. The captain of the ship is the sole authority who can modify the ship itinerary for safety or navigational reasons.
- Depending on the water level and the tides, the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers on board RV Indochine II may take place from the mini terraces of cabins 221 and 224 (located aft of the upper deck).
Trip prices and dates are correct at the time of the website going live, however all offers are subject to reconfirmation at the time of booking. All featured tour itineraries and offers may be subject to change due to seasonal variations without notice, or due to local conditions or other conditions. Please confirm all details at time of booking. Travel insurance is mandatory for all Innovative Travel bookings. All passports must be valid for 6 months prior to your return to your home country. Visas are the responsibility of the traveller. Special VIP meet and assist offers are available in some destinations for New Zealand passport holders, for other nationalities please check at the time of booking. For full terms and conditions, please refer to our Booking Conditions page.