RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days

*BRIEF ITINERARY:
Day 1 – Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho – Cai Be Floating Market
Day 2 – Sa Dec -Cu Lao Gien
Day 3 – Chau Doc
Day 4 – Phnom Penh
Day 5 – Kampong Chhnang
Day 6 – Chong Koh, Angkor Ban
Day 7 – Wat Hanchey – Kampong Cham
Day 8 – Kampong Cham – Siem Reap

Day 1 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Ho Chi Minh City cruising tour to My Tho and then towards Cai Be Floating Market

Highlighted Excursions: Cai Be sampan cruise, An Kiet House, and local rice paper and candy making establishment.

You will be met at meeting point then transferred to My Tho, where your ship awaits you. Enjoy a few hours of scenic sailing before embarking on a luxurious sampan cruise through Cai Be for a tour of the historic An Kiet House—a former imperial residence—and its beautiful gardens. Afterward, take a short walk to a local establishment where workers make everything from rice paper and rice wine to coconut candy. During the evening, you’ll enjoy a special Welcome Reception onboard the ship.

Meals: Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 2 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Sa Dec cruising tour to Cu Lao Gien

Highlighted Excursions: Sa Dec Canal Cruise, brick and rice processing factories, Huynh Thuy Le house, and Cu Lao Gien Cathedral.

Sadec is a town in Dong Tháp Province in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. It is a river port and agricultural and industrial trading center. During the Vietnam War in 1966 and 1967, it was the site of an American PBR Patrol Boat, River base. It’s famous with one of the biggest flower village in Vietnam. You can taste some special foods here

Today’s sampan cruise through Sa Dec’s narrow canals is the perfect opportunity to observe locals going about their daily routines. You’ll visit a local factory where bricks and tiles are made with clay from the Mekong River. Here, you’ll also learn how rice husks from the rice processing facility next door are used to fuel the brick factory’s kilns that fill the Sa Dec landscape—just one example of the Vietnamese people’s remarkable ingenuity. Return to your luxurious sampan and sail past bustling markets into the center of town for a tour of the former home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le made famous by its connection to best-selling French novelist, Marguerite Duras. Mr Huynh Thuy Le, the “lover” of Marguerite Duras, famous French novelist, and inspiration for the film L’Amant (The Lover), directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. After lunch onboard, we’ll sail to the island of Cu Lao Gien to tour one of the oldest Cathedrals in Southern Vietnam.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 3 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Chau Doc cruising package

Highlighted Excursions: Chau Doc Harbor cruise, fish farm, and Holy Temples at the base of Sam Mountain

In the Mekong Delta, residents live, work, and even shop on the water. Today, you’ll be immersed in local life touring lively Chau Doc harbor, which teems with traditional Vietnamese floating markets and homes. Chau Doc is located on the banks of the Hua Giang River, a tributary of the Mekong which is a French-style town with many colonial buildings but the most interesting places to visit are the temples and mosques and Sam Mountain with its Buddhist shrines. You can see housewives paddling their sampans from boat to boat, bartering and socializing with the harbor’s many vendors. Then you visit a floating fish farm to learn about this important local industry and where you’ll feed the thousands of tilapia and other fish being raised. Later, you’ll board a shuttle to visit the base of Sam Mountain, one of the holiest sights in southern Vietnam where millions (estimated 8 to 10 million) of Vietnamese visit as part of an annual pilgrimage.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 4 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Phnom Penh cruising tour

Featured Excursions: Choeung Ek Memorial Stupa and grounds, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, and Phnom Penh city tour.

Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodian which is located at the confluence of three great rivers, also known as “CHAKTOMOUK” meaning FOUR FACES

The orchards and fields surrounding Choeung Ek belie what took place here during the violent reign of the Khmer Rouge. It is impossible to remain unmoved when visiting this area known as the “Killing Fields.” Afterward, you’ll visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, also known as “S-21,” a former high school transformed by the Khmer Rouge into a torture and interrogation center. The fear, sadness, and disbelief conveyed in many prisoners’ mug shots will touch you, while the brave defiance displayed by others will remind you of the indomitable power of the human spirit.

Following your powerful morning excursion, you take an afternoon cycle tour of Phnom Penh’s wide boulevards and French-infused architecture. After a visit to the impressive Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, you’ll tour the National Museum, which features a grand collection of artifacts from the Angkor Wat Temple Complex. Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 5 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Kampong Chhnang cruising tours

Featured Excursions: Tonlé Sap river cruise and Kampong Chhnang walking tour

Here, you’ll cruise the Tonlé Sap River to the city of Kampong Chhnang – the great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 km in length. Along the way, enjoy a scenic view of the wild lives while passing through inspirational floating villages. You stop for a walking tour of Kampong Chhnang, a bustling riverfront community supported by the local fish trade. You come back the River Saigon for a sunset cruise as you cruise the Tonlé River returning to the Mekong River

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 6 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Chong Koh, Angkor Ban cruising tours

Highlighted Excursions: Chong Koh walking tour and Angkor Ban walking tour

Chong Koh is a small village famous along the Mekong for its silk and cotton weaving; as you walk along the village’s main road, you’ll see looms under nearly every home and women offering beautifully crafted scarves and tablecloths.

You’ll pop into a villager’s home to learn about how fruits and vegetables are used by the locals to treat illness. Afterward, you visit the village school to observe and interact with school children. Don’t be surprised if your arrival is greeted by squeals of delight—the children love visitors, and love to practice their English.

Later, you’ll sail to the very rural village of Angkor Ban. You can enjoy a walking tour of this charming horse-and-cart hamlet, visiting traditional Khmer homes and talking with monks at the local Buddhist monastery.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 7 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Wat Hanchey cruising tour to Kampong Cham

Highlighted Excursions: Wat Hanchey Temple Complex, Phnom Pros and Phnom Srey Monastery, and Nokor Bachey Temple

You arrive to Wat Hanchey, a beautifully situated temple complex with incredible views overlooking the Mekong River. Take your time enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and marvel at the quality of the 7th-century artifacts and then enjoy a traditional water-blessing by the local monks.

Visiting the twin holy hilltops of Phnom Prosand Phnom Srey (Man Hill and Woman Hill), both of which are topped by multiple temples and frolicking monkeys. You’ll then descend to the baseof the hills to view the massive gilded statues of Buddha. Afterward, you travel to Nokor Bachey Temple, built during the same period as the temples constructed at Angkor Wat, it boasts awealth of intricate wall carvings and several ancient Buddha statues and Royal Cambodian Theme Dinner.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner
Overnight: River Orchid Cruise

Day 8 – RV River Orchid Cruise Holiday from Saigon to Siem Reap – 8 Days: Kampong Cham cruising tour to Siem Reap

Highlighted Excursion: Siem Reap City

You’ll disembark your ship in the morning and transfer to Siem Reap, gateway to ancient Angkor monument by executive coach.

Meals: Breakfast

End of services!

Transfers to and from The River Orchid Cruise at start and end of voyage.

Accommodation in luxury AC en-suite cabin with twin/double basic on the River Orchid Cruise.

English speaking guides.

All meals, coffee and tea, mineral water.

Admission fees for all sightseeing places.[/include] [exclude]

All visa cost.

Personal expenses.

Drinks at bar, laundry.

Tips and gratuities.