RV Indochine, 8 Night From Siem Reap to the Mekong Delta ex Siem Reap, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

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 Siem Reap to the river Tonle Sap following the footsteps of Henri Mouhot, then Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, still largely influenced by the French colonial days.  Our meditative trip takes you along the Mekong River on board a ship combining charm and colonial-style comfort.

Day 1
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).Road(2) to Koh Chen and discovery of traditional villages. Our crew will welcome you and help you get comfortably settled into your cabins. ORTransfer to your ship. Our crew will welcome you and help you get comfortably settled into your cabins. Afternoon cruise through Tonle Lake.We’ll have dinner and formally meet our crew. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.

Day 2
We’ll arrive in Koh Chen. Lunch on board, then we will set out to visit the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. We’ll spend the night on board. 

Day 3
We’ll visit Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports. 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.

Day 4
We’ll enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace. 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. We’ll return on board, cruising to Chau Doc. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 5
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.

Day 6
Visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on. Free time in Sa Dec. Lunch on board and cruise to Vinh Long. 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.

Day 7
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.

Day 8
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(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. 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.

Day 9
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.

RV Indochine sails on the Mekong. Entirely made of exotic wood paneling in a colonial style, the Indochine Ship combines charm and comfort.

With a relaxed ambiance you can expect all the services you would find in a high-quality hotel. Cabins are spacious, built in noble-wood, equipped with security boxes, hot-showers, central A/C and large storage space. The ship also has a delightful Asian decorated restaurant and a large luxury lounge. Massage facilities are also available.

CroisiEurope has a fleet of Prestige category boats with cabins, which ply the most beautiful rivers in Europe. Spacious and light, they offer a welcoming and refined setting. Accommodation capacity varies from 100 to 180 passengers depending on the boat’s design. At the cutting edge of technology, their facilities offer comfort and safety.

Carefully maintained and partially renovated each year, the CroisiEurope fleet is largely made up of recently built vessels, less than five years old, all with Veritas certification. The leading European river tour operator, our company owes its international reputation to its seriousness, its dynamism, its sense of innovation and its recognised value for money of long standing.

Vessels are rated four-star and food is superb – as you’d expect on a French-owned cruise line, staffed by French chefs and with top French and German wines aboard. One cruise of the Rhone and Saone Rivers in France concentrates on gastronomy and traditional French cusine, visiting Collonges Abbey, renowned for its great French chef, Paul Bocuse.

CroisiEurope is a family-owned and operated firm, with brothers and sisters running different aspects of the company and keeping a close eye on all operations to ensure excellence.

River cruising offers much free fun. Wake in the morning and observe the passing riverside scenery through your cabin window – perhaps from your bed. Gaze upon village churches or a patchwork of fields sparkling in the morning sun.

CroisiEurope’s network traverses a phenomenal number of European rivers and waterways. They range from the Guadalquivir and Guadiana (flowing through Spain and Portugal respectively); the Douro in Portugal, the Po and Venice Lagoon in Italy; the Rhone in Provence, plus the Seine from Paris to the Normandy Coast. And there’s more: the Moselle, the Neckar, the Saar, the Oder, the Havel, the Baltic Sea, the Camarge, the Rhine, the Main and the mighty Danube; the Tisza and the Black Sea; the Belgian and Dutch waterways. Everything from tulip time in Holland to Christmas Markets in Germany.

Drinks included with on board meals: mineral water, house wine, beer, fruit juice, and tea or coffee.

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RV Indochine - Main Deck

RV Indochine - Upper Deck

RV Indochine - Sun Deck

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Upper deck 2 beds

The RV Indochine cabins are spacious (16 square meters), comfortable and luminous with their two big windows.

All cabins are outside and feature bathroom: washbasin and shower separated, toilets,separable beds air conditioning, safe, hairdryer, dressing table Bathrobes, towels and sandals at your disposal.

Main deck 2 beds

The RV Indochine cabins are spacious (16 square meters), comfortable and luminous with their two big windows.

All cabins are outside and feature bathroom: washbasin and shower separated, toilets,separable beds air conditioning, safe, hairdryer, dressing table Bathrobes, towels and sandals at your disposal.