Phnom Penh - Saigon - 6D/5N

Put the mythical Southeast Asian capitals of Phnom Penh and Saigon side by side and you have a meeting of two countries divided by an invisible line at the river. But the line becomes real when you compare their very different cultures, landscapes and pace of life. After the impressive pastoral riverbanks of Cambodia, we arrive in the "Land of the Nine Dragons", the rice granary of Vietnam. We are constantly struck by the hectic pace of life in this country as we pass houses over fish rearing pens in Chau Doc, the boat yards of Long Xuyen, Marguerite Duras' hometown of Sa Dec, the aquatic gardens of Vinh Long, the floating market in Cai Be, the temples, pagodas, brickworks, then the trawlers of My Tho, before dropping anchor at the nostalgic port of Saigon.

Cruise program

Day 1
	Full day	[Phnom Penh]	[Koh Dek Chau]
	07:45 - The boat is open for embarking Formalities clearance The boat leaves Phnom Penh for Kôh Dek Chau island. Security briefing. Arrival at Kôh Dek Chau island, A short break along the way, it allows to get a fascinating, close-up look at daily life in Cambodia. On the fringes of civilization, the 600 people who live on Kôh Dek Chau will receive your visit with some surprise. School children will escort you along your way. You will go through the village that occupies the full length of the island, walking along a trail shaded by date palms. Re-embarking, departure for Kaam Samnaar (Cambodian border). Lunch during the navigation. The boat arrives at Immigration check point in Kaam Samnaar. Clearance of departure formalities. The boat drops anchor for night on river between the borders. Welcome drink and info meeting about cruise, crew introduction. Welcome dinner. Overnight onboard
Day 2
	Full day	[Koh Dek Chau]	[Chau Doc]
	The boat leaves Phnom Penh for Kôh Dek Chau island, breakfast during navigation. Arrival at Kôh Dek Chau island, A short break along the way, it allows to get a fascinating, close-up look at daily life in Cambodia. On the fringes of civilization, the 600 people who live on Kôh Dek Chau will receive your visit with some surprise. School children will escort you along your way. You will go through the village that occupies the full length of the island, walking along a trail shaded by date palms. Re-embarking, departure for Kaam Samnaar (Cambodian border). The boat arrives at Immigration check point in Kaam Samnaar. Clearance of departure formalities. Departure for Chau Doc. The boat drops anchor before the canal of Chau Doc. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 3
	Full day	[Chau Doc]	[Sa Dec]
	Early departure for Sa Dec, breakfast during the navigation After lunch, arrival at Sa Dec – Short panoramic tour of Sa Dec and transfer by bus to Trung Vuong primary school. Continuing to Kien An Cung Pagoda. Stroll around Sa Dec Market along Sa Dec River bank. This small city of 30,000 inhabitants is fascinating in its unspoiled authenticity and undisturbed by tourists. It provides a glimpse of the delta where a few colonial houses still remain, including the "Chinaman's house" (from Duras' novel "The Lover", also made into a movie). Return to the boat with stopover at a nursery of flower and bonsai trees. Famous for its horticulture (it has many varieties of fabulously exotic flowers) Sa Dec was known as the "Garden of Cochin Chine" during colonial times. The boat leaves Sa Dec for Vinh Long Dropping anchor few miles away on the way to Vinh Long. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 4
	Full day	[Sa Dec]	[Vinh Long - Cai Be]
	The boat continues for Vinh Long Breakfast during navigation. Arrival at Vinh Long, local boats pick up passengers for visiting a brick and pottery factory, the Binh Hoa Phuoc Islet Nursery of Fruit Trees as well a typical house and a show room of traditional farming tools. Vinh Long, which translates as "Majestic Dragon", is right in the middle of the delta, between two arms of the Mekong. The soil of Vinh Long is enriched by silt deposits, making it ideal for growing mandarins and other citrus fruits. Life is organized around the water. Houses on stilts, hawkers in boats, hundreds of small craft crisscross in all directions. The hospitality of the locals makes it a tourist destination par excellence. Departure for Cai Be Floating Market – going across the Mekong River en route. The boat leaves Cai Be for My Tho, lunch on board during navigation. Arrival at My Tho – The boat drops anchor on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island Local musician band embark to play traditional music for 45 minutes Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 5
	Full day	[Vinh Long - Cai Be]	[My Tho]
	Breakfast Local boats come alongside The boat to pick up passengers and transfer to the mainland. Departure for Vinh Trang Pagoda by car - Short panoramic tour of My Tho town on the way. Continuing for Dong Tam Snake Farm and My Tho Market. On the banks of a northern arm of the Mekong, My Tho, which translates as "fragrant herb", where tourists come to discover the beauty of the delta. It's a quiet, prosperous city of about 100,000 inhabitants, famous for its many fruit orchards, gardens and the huge rice fields that surround it. The climate is warm and pleasant year round. The surrounding countryside is home to one of the most luxuriant gardens of Vietnam, with its coconut palms, banana and mango trees. Return at the pier- you will cruise on the river to Thoi Son Island by local boat to visit the island, explore local people’s daily life and enjoy locally seasonal fruits Re-embarking the boat that leaves My Tho for Saigon Lunch and leisure on board. Time to pack and prepare for the arrival. The boat drops anchor on river en route. Farewell cocktail (1 glass of local liquor or juice) with Master of Ship and Cruise Manager. Captain’s farewell dinner (Enriched menu + 1 glass of wine). Overnight on board
Day 6
	Morning	[My Tho]	[Saigon]
	Departure for Saigon The boat arrives at Saigon port – customs formalities clearance 01:30 p.m. - Disembarking, local tour agent picks up passengers and transfers to hotel after a last lunch on board.

Website conception and realization : Marc Salvetti, graphic design : Jean le Rouzic