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

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, Tonle Sap Lake and the ruins of Angkor, following the footsteps of Henri Mouhot. Our meditative trip takes you along the Mekong River on board a ship combining charm and colonial-style comfort.

Day 1
Included excursion: tour of the city, its hectic market and the Thien Hau temple. You’ll then be transferred to our 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 2
Included excursions: - The Cu Chi tunnels - The Museum of Vietnamese History We’ll then begin to cruise to the splendid Cho Gao canal. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 3
Passage through the Cho Gao Canal. Included excursions: - Visit of a bee farm and tasting - Ride in small sampans along the canal lined - 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 4
Included excursion: visit of the former house of Huynh Thuy Le. Enjoy some free time in Sa Dec. Our ship will begin to cruise to Cambodia. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 5
Included excursion: visit of a local fish farm, the Tay An Pagoda and the Ba Chua Xu Temple. We’ll arrive in Phnom Penh in the evening. Included excursion: brief tour of Phnom Penh by "tuk-tuk." 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 return to the ship and enjoy a performance of classical Khmer dancing and music. The rest of the evening is yours to do as you please. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 7
Included excursion: visit of a small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work.We’ll head to Kampong Tralach.Included excursion: the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda in ox carts or in"tuk-tuk".We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 8
Included excursion: Kampong Chhnang and tasting. We’ll cruise to Tonle Sap Lake. We’ll spend the night on board.

Day 9
Disembark, road(1) to Siem Reap and discovery of traditional villagesOrMorning cruise(2) through Tonle Lake and disembarkAfter, we'll visit the Angkor Wat temple.Enjoy a stroll through the Angkor Night Market.Night at the hotel.

Day 10
Visit of the Senteurs d'Angkor (closed on Sundays), a local business with a diverse collection of silk and carvings, as well as a superb range of traditional beauty products and spices, all made locally. We’ll end the day with Phare, the Cambodian circus, and spend the night at the hotel.

Day 11
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.We’ll bid you farewell at approximately 2:00 p.m. Please do not book your flight before 5:00 p.m.

The RV Lan Diep, a 22 cabin river ship, elegantly crosses the Mekong river. Inspired by the Mekong’s ancient tradition of riverboat building, it perfectly blends into the green and authentic scenery along the river. Its hull, covered with exotic wood of ancient style, gives it a refined look.The size of the RV Lan Diep provides a feeling of intimacy and well-being, accentuated by its wooded decoration and its top-of-the-range comfort facilities. On board, enjoy all the amenities and spaces offering comfort and serenity to make your cruise an unforgettable moment.

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.