RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh

*BRIEF ITINERARY:
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – My Tho
Day 2: My Tho – Cai Be
Day 3: Cai Be – Vinh Long – Sa Dec
Day  4: Sa Dec – Chau Doc
Day 5: Chau Doc – Koh Dek Chau
Day 6: Koh Dek Chau – Phnom Penh

Day 1 – RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – My Tho (L/D)

07:45 Lan Diep is open for embarking. Clearance of departure formalities. Security briefing.
08:30 Departure for My Tho. Lunch and leisure on board during navigation.
17:30 Arrival at My Tho – Lan Diep drops anchor on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island. Local musician band embarks to play traditional music for 45 minutes.
19:00 Welcome drink and info meeting about cruise, crew introduction. Welcome dinner.

Overnight on the Lan Diep Cruise.

Day 2 – RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh: My Tho – Cai Be (B/L/D)

07:00 Breakfast. Local boats come alongside Lan Diep 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.
10:45 Return at the pier – you 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. You are-embark Lan Diep that leaves My Tho for Cai Be. Lunch and leisure on board.

18:00 Lan Diep at anchor on river on the proximity of Cai Be.Dinner and overnight on the Lan Diep Cruise.

Day 3 – RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh: Cai Be – Vinh Long – Sa Dec (B/L/D)

07:00 Breakfast. Locals boat come alongside Lan Diep, pick up pax 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.

12:30 Return on the Lan Diep, departure for Sa Dec. Lunch on board during the navigation. Arrive 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 “Chinese man’s house” (from Duras’ novel “The Lover”, also made into a movie).

17:00 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. Re-embarking, Lan Diep leaves Sa Dec port and drop anchor few miles away. Dinner and overnight on the Lan Diep Cruise.

Day  4 – RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh: Sa Dec – Chau Doc (B/L/D)

06:30 Early departure for Chau Doc. Breakfast during navigation. Leisure and relax onboard.

13:30 Arrival after lunch at Victoria Hotel Chau Doc jetty. Located to the north at the beginning of Mekong’s famous delta, Chau Doc straddles both banks of the Mekong which fans out to the dimensions of a river mouth here. Floating fish farms have sprung up everywhere. Bamboo fish drying racks are set up a meter above the water’s surface. The bourgeoning downtown area features some charmingly rustic colonial buildings, squeezed in by the marketplace – the colorful, vibrant heart of the city. As always, these busy parts of town, despite their sometimes strong odors, offer wonderful photo opportunities…

14:30 Departure for fish raising rafts and Cham minority village by local boat. Return to the Victoria hotel for a walk to Chau Doc market. Visit of 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, and 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.

18:30 Return to the boat after sunset. Dinner at the Victoria Hotel’s restaurant. Overnight on the Lan Diep Cruise at the jetty of the hotel; you are free to enjoy the hotel facilities (swimming pool, sauna, bar) or stroll in Chau Doc.

Day 5 – RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh: Chau Doc – Koh Dek Chau (B/L/D)

07:00 Lan Diep leaves for Vinh Xuong (Vietnamese border). Breakfast during navigation. Arrive at Vinh Xuong check-point – Formalities clearance for Lan Diep to cross the border.
13:00 Lan Diep leaves Vinh Xuong check point for Cambodia. Lunch during the navigation. Arrival at Kaam Samnaar check-point – Formalities clearance for crossing the border.
15:30 Lan Diep leaves Kaam Samnaar check point for Koh Dek Chau Island. Arrive at Koh 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 Koh 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.
17:30 Lan Diep leaves for Phnom Penh and drops anchor few miles away. 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 the Lan Diep Cruise.

Day 6 – RV Lan Diep Cruise Trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh: Koh Dek Chau – Phnom Penh (B/L)

07:00 Breakfast. Depart Lan Diep for Phnom Penh. Time to pack, leisure onboard.
13:00 Arrival at Phnom Penh after a last lunch onboard.

End of services!

Full board accommodation, including meals, coffee, tea & drinking water.
French or English speaking guide.
Visits mentioned in the program.
Entrance fees.
Transportation from departure port to arrival port.[/include] [exclude]

Personal Travel Insurance.
Tours & meals other than those mentioned in the program.
Transfers from/to airport and hotels.
Personal expenses.
Gratuities for the crew.
Transfer from hotel to port and vice-versa.[/exclude]