Cruise Saigon - Siem Reap 7D7N
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The captain, ship hands, hostesses, cooks and purser are discreet and inconspicuous in the performance of their duties.
This traditional locally built boat started out as a freighter with a metal hull and a capacity of 150 tons, with two large but low-ceiling decks in order to maximize storage space. Like all ships of this type, it went up and down the Tonle Sap and Mekong, stopping at Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Kratie and Stung Treng.
We stayed as close as we could to the original line of the ship, because we wanted to retain its slightly curved and elegant lines.
The Toum Tiou measures 38 meters long and 7 meters wide in the middle. It has 10 rooms in all (3.3m x 2.5m), 4 on the main deck and 6 on the upper deck, each air-conditioned and with a bathroom (2.5m x 1.4m) including toilet, shower and sink. The water on board is taken from the river, passed through a powerful filtration system and chlorinated in the final step of the treatment.
In order to make the best possible use of the common areas from the standpoint of both size and variety we have installed a library-reading room on the lower deck. There is also a covered space at the front of the middle deck, a restaurant to the rear anda half-covered sundeck on top.
- Duration: 7 day(s)
- Location: Saigon, My Tho, Cai Be, Vinh Long, Sadec, Chau Doc, Koh Dek Chau, Phnom Penh, Kampong Tralach, Kampong Chnang, Kampong Luong,
Day 1 - Sunday:
Saigon – My Tho
15:45 Toum Tiou is open for embarking.
16:00 Clearance of departure formalities.
16:30 Departure for My Tho, security briefing.
19:00 Welcome drink and info meeting about cruise, crew introduction. Welcome dinner. Overnight onboard
Day 2 - Monday:
My Tho – Cai Be – Vinh Long
Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the morning.
Breakfast during navigation on the marvelous canal of Cho Gao.
08:00 Arrival at My Tho – Toum Tiou drops anchor on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island.
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.
Local boats are coming alongside Toum Tiou 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, stop for a visit of My Tho
market. Return at the pier - Passengers 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
10:00 Passengers re-embark Toum Tiou and leaves My Tho for Cai Be. Lunch and leisure on board.
13:30
Toum Tiou drops anchor at Cai Be. Local boats are coming alongside Toum Tiou, picking up the passengers and cruise
around Cai Be Floating Market.
Continuing for Vinh Long - 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.
16:30 Return on the Toum Tiou, departure for Sa Dec.
19:30 Arrival at Sa Dec, Toum Tiou drops anchor on the river. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 3 - Tuesday:
Sa Dec – Chau Doc
06:00 Breakfast.
07:00 Arrival at Sa Dec - Short panoramic tour of Sa Dec and transfer 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).
09:00 Passengers re-embark; Toum Tiou leaves Sa Dec for Chau Doc, lunch and leisure on board.
17:00 Arrival after lunch at Victoria Hotel Chau Doc jetty.
Departure for fish raising rafts and Cham minority village by local boat. Return to the Victoria. If the timing is
allowing it, watch of the sunset on the Sam Mountain which peaks at 237 meters. Its well-known Buddhist
sanctuaries offer an unobstructed view over the mosaic of glistening rice paddies below. To the left is Cambodia, the
flow of the Mekong on the horizon breaks into an infinity of silver ribbons. Visit on the way of the Lady Chua Xu
temple and Tay An Pagoda.
19:30 Return to the boat, Dinner at the Victoria Hotel’s restaurant.
Overnight onboard at the jetty of the hotel; passengers are free to enjoy the hotel facilities (swimming pool, billiards,
bar, Internet) or stroll in Chau Doc.
Day 4 - Wednesday:
Kôh Dek Chau – Phnom Penh
Toum Tiou leaves early in the morning for Vinh Xuong (Vietnamese border). Breakfast during navigation.
08:00 Arrival at Vinh Xuong check-point – Formalities clearance for Toum Tiou to cross the border.
10:30 Toum Tiou leaves Vinh Xuong check point for Kôh Dek Chau Island. Lunch during the navigation.
14:30 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.
16:00 Toum Tiou leaves for Phnom Penh.
20:00 Arrival at Phnom Penh. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 5 - Thursday:
Phnom Penh
08:00 Breakfast, departure for the “KILLING FIELDS” - Tuol Sleng Museum, old center of detention, of torture and
execution between 1975 and 1979. The visit of this place is essential to understand what could be the fatal
madness perpetrated by the Khmer Rouges.
12.00 Return to Phnom Penh, lunch in a local restaurant.
15:00 Balance of the day free exploration on own. Suggestions can be made up on the interest of passengers. FCC,
Russian market, other boutiques (antiques), etc.
19:00 Return to the boat.
Local group performs on board traditional “APSARA” show for 45 minutes.
Overnight on board.
Day 6 - Friday:
Phnom Penh – Kompong Tralach
07:00 Breakfast, half day city sightseeing tour including the Royal Palace and the National Museum.
12:00 The Toum Tiou leaves Phnom Penh for Kompong Tralach. Lunch during navigation.
16:00 Arrival at Kampong Tralach to visit its wonderful Vihara belonging to Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To get
to it, we cross Kampong Tralach Krom village along a small road perpendicular to the river, crossing some
gorgeous stretches of emerald rice paddy as we leave the river behind.
The Vihara dates back to early last century. It was probably built on an older site, as indicated by the latérite
foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer from
weathering. They remain one of the last survivors of cultural destruction that continues unabated due to
widespread indifference.
Standing by itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest pagoda that receives very few visitors. Its isolation
may well be its undoing, as was the case for Wat Tani Pagoda in the province of Kampot.
18:00 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou drops anchor few miles away. Diner and overnight on board.
Day 7 - Saturday:
Kampong Chnang – Chnok Tru
07:00 Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the morning. Sail to Kampong Chnang. Breakfast during navigation.
08:00 Arrival to Kampong Chnang.
Located some 56 miles from Phnom Penh, the town of Kampong Chnang is one of the largest fishing ports on
the Tonlé Sap. Fish farming is also widely practiced in the area. The area is famous for its pottery ware,
unchanged in style for centuries, which is produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire country. And not
to be overlooked are the products of the Thnot tree (sugar palm – a real national symbol) that abounds in the
area: a mellow tasting, caramel-colored sugar sold in large cakes and palm wine.
10:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou. Lunch on board on the way to Chnok Tru.
14:00 Arrival at Chnok Tru. Local boats are coming along the Toum Tiou and picking passengers for the visit of the
biggest floating village on the Tonlé Sap River.
17:00 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou stays overnight in the proximity of Chnok Tru.
19:30 Farewell cocktail (1 glass of local liquor or juice) with Master of Ship & Cruise Manager
Captain’s farewell dinner (Enriched menu + 1 glass of wine). Overnight on board
Day 8 - Sunday:
Chnok Tru – Siem Reap
07:00 Breakfast, chartered speedboat is coming along the boat and picks up passengers for crossing the Lake.
12:00 Arrival at Phnom Krom pier (~5 miles from Siem Reap)
