Mekong Prestige Cruise – 8 days 7 nights – Saigon – Siem Reap

Today you will check in the RV Mekong Prestige’s desk at 9 AM at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Transfer by bus to My Tho town, which is 70 KM from city.  En route, we will make a stop to visit the Cho Lon market and the lacquer factory.

Reach to My Tho at noon time, you are warmly welcomed on board the RV Mekong Prestige, then tour and safety briefing are presented by our cruise manager. Vietnamese lunch will be served in restaurant, then start cruising smoothly along the Mekong River. In the evening, beautiful welcome Dinner is served and enjoy the Vietnamese traditional music show (Dong Ca Tai Tu).

Meals include: lunch, dinner

Overnight on board

Cai Be is the most bustling river market in the Mekong Delta River in Vietnam, where more than 400 sampans gather every day, starting in earnest from 5 a.m.. Each boat has one bamboo stick on the front to display that vendor’s product, be it Vietnamese fish sauce, rice paper for dumplings, or colorful sweet confectionery.

In the morning, our ship will reach to Cai Be in the morning, after buffet breakfast we will take a morning junk trip around Cai Be floating market, visit the most well – known French Gothic Cathedral. Take a show walk along the river bank and visit local manufacturer producing rice paper and coconut candies and others. Back to ship for lunch.

In the afternoon, we will cruise to Vinh Long Province and tour in Sa Dec Town by visiting French Writer Marguerite Duras’s house.

She spent parts of her childhood in Sa Dec, a sprawling busy town on the Mekong Delta. Both the school where Duras’ mother taught and the small house behind it where the family lived still stand. We see the house of Marguerite’s Chinese Lover. The house is a small museum of “The Lover” in Sadec. Visit to a Caodaist Temple and stroll through the beautiful local market. Night navigation in the river delta.

Overnight on board

Have your breakfast on board, today we will see the real life of Vietnamese people along the Mekong River by visiting a fishing farm in Tan Chau on the Ban Sac River.

We continue to a walking tour to handicraft villages where they made woven mat and raw silk. Then enjoy the fun rickshaw ride round the beautiful town, later back to pier for lunch, check out the formalities in Cambodia border, then sail up the Mekong river to Phnom Penh.

Overnight on board

Phnom Penh was once the Paris of the East. Despite its rapid development, it has retained a lot of its rustic charm and elegance. After breakfast, we will be captivated by a comprehensive lecture on Cambodia’s modern history. This will be followed by a city tour of this dynamic, historical capital city of Cambodia which has managed to preserve huge slices of its French colonial allure.

Sightseeing in the morning will include visiting the dazzling white and gold edifice of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, and witnessing exceptionally beautiful Khmer craft at the National Museum. Back to boat for lunch.

In the afternoon, we will take a short excursions to visit the former High School “S21”, converted to a detention centre under the Red Khmer’s rule between 1975 and 1979, followed by a visit to Wat Phnom after which the city was named.

In the evening, Take a rest on your cabin balcony or the lounge and get prepared for an exciting evening event. The evening starts with a variety of cocktails served on the sun deck. Take a seat and enjoy the following Apsara dance performance. Experience the brilliance and richness of this culture, the soothing sounds of traditional music, the calming scent of incense sticks and a barbeque on the sun deck. It is indeed a truly marvellous experience, dining in the open with the stars and the moon as our companions.

Meals include: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight on board

Have breakfast on board, then our ship will sail up to Oudong and enjoy the stunning views along the River bank. Lunch on board.  Arrival at Oudong in the early afternoon, 40 kilometers from Phnom Penh.  Between 1618 and 1866, Oudong was the capital city of Cambodia. Erected on a hilltop this place houses numerous Stupas dating of the last Khmer Kings. We see the Vipassana Dhura Pagoda, a place of meditation for Buddhist Monks. After the visit buses depart for Kampong Tralach to visit the very charming Vihara of the Wat Kampong Leu Pagoda dating back to the last century to see the beautiful wall paintings. Return to the ship by ox-drawn carriage.

Meals include: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight on board

Have breakfast on board, then our ship will sail up to Oudong and enjoy the stunning views along the River bank. Lunch on board.  Arrival at Oudong in the early afternoon, 40 kilometers from Phnom Penh.  Between 1618 and 1866, Oudong was the capital city of Cambodia.

Erected on a hilltop this place houses numerous Stupas dating of the last Khmer Kings. We see the Vipassana Dhura Pagoda, a place of meditation for Buddhist Monks.

After the visit buses depart for Kampong Tralach to visit the very charming Vihara of the Wat Kampong Leu Pagoda dating back to the last century to see the beautiful wall paintings. Return to the ship by ox-drawn carriage.

Overnight on board

Have buffet breakfast on board, then sail on the Tonle Sap River which connects the Mekong River to the Tonle Lake – biggest fresh water lake in Asia.

Arrive at Kampong Chhnang, located approximately 90 km from Phnom Penh. This is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. We will take a motor boat to visit real Khmer vilagers. The life of the entire population is connected to the river with local people using the canal system which criss-cross this little town. We go ashore to stroll through the scenic market.

Meals include: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight on board

We cross the lake early in the morning* (Please note that when there is low water, the transfer to Siem Reap will be made by coach or speed boat). The great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 km in length, with interesting and varied bird life resulting from the varied the water levels in the lake and river depending on the time of year and rainfall. Disembarkation after breakfast and transfer to hotel in Siem Reap.