RV Indochine, 8 Night From the Angkor Temples 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 the ruins of Angkor to Tonle Sap Lake following the footsteps of Henri Mouhot, to 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
Your program will begin according to your time of arrival. If your flight arrives between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., your program will be: Lunch will be served at the hotel. The afternoon is free to do as you please. Then, visit of the “Angkor Night Market”. We’ll have dinner in the city and spend the night at a four-star hotel for the four-anchors ship and at a five-star hotel for the five-anchors ship.

Day 2
Full-day included excursion: the Ta Prohm temple, Angkor Thom, the grounds of the former Royal Palace, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. Lunch and visit of the Senteurs d'Angkor (closed on Sundays).We’ll end the day with Phare, the Cambodian circus.Night at the hotel.

Day 3
Included excursion: the Angkor Wat temple. You’ll be transferred to your ship. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail. We'll spend the night on the ship.

Day 4
Disembark, road(1) to Kampong Chnang and discovery of traditional villagesOrMorning cruise(2) through Tonle Lake and disembark.Excursion included: Visit of Kampong Chhnang and tasting of local products.Cruise towards Kampong Tralach.Our ship will remain anchored overnight.

Day 5
Included excursion: the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda in ox carts or in "tuk-tuk".We’ll enjoy lunch on board.Included excursion: visit of a small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work.We’ll cruise to Phnom Penh.Included excursion: brief tour of Phnom Penh by "tuk-tuk."We’ll return to the ship and enjoy a performance of classical Khmer dancing and music.We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 6
Full-day included excursion: - The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda - The National Museum - The Tuol Svay Prey School, a former detention, torture, and execution center run by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war We’ll cruise to Vietnam. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 7
Included excursion: visit of a local fish farm, the Tay An Pagoda and the Ba Chua Xu Temple. We’ll begin to cruise toward Sa Dec. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 8
Included excursion: visit of the former house of Huynh Thuy Le. Enjoy some free time in Sa Dec. We’ll cruise to Vinh Long. Included excursion: discovery of a brick and pottery factory, a fruit-tree nursery, puffed riced, rice-paper wrappers, and rice alcohol.* We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 9
Included excursions: - Visit of a bee farm and tasting - Ride in small sampans along the canal lined We’ll set out to cross the very narrow canal, heading for Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 10
Included excursion: tour of the city, its hectic market and the Thien Hau temple. Lunch will be served on board. Included excursions: - The Museum of Vietnamese History - Discovery of the Cu Chi tunnels We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 11
Inlcuded excursion: Cholon. We’ll enjoy 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.