Begin the day with your Insider Experience then return to your hotel for breakfast. Drive to My Tho and board the RV Apsara, your boutique river ship and home for the next seven nights. Exuding a locally inspired ambience, the ship offers twin balconies with every suite to ensure a unique and scenic perspective on your Mekong River cruise.
Set sail from My Tho and soak in the scenery as you cruise towards Cai Be, where you anchor overnight. Settle in and familiarise yourself with your suite or relax up on the Sun Deck and watch life along the river. Tonight, enjoy your special Welcome Dinner on board with your fellow travellers.
Early risers can witness the sunrise from the Sun Deck and enjoy coffee and freshly baked pastries in the Saigon Lounge. Keep an eye open for the wholesalers pedalling their tropical fruits and vegetables at the floating market.
Board your small tender boat, a traditional sampan for your first excursion on the banks of the Mekong. See the colonial port filled with crumbling colonial buildings and flowering gardens. Step ashore to visit the Cai Be Church, the tallest church in the Mekong Delta with its impressive bell tower. Afterwards, visit a rice paper and coconut candy manufacturer and learn how these tasty Vietnamese favourites are made.
Head back to the ship and sit down to lunch whilst cruising to the quaint town of Sa Dec. Upon arrival, explore Sa Dec by foot and meet some sellers at the market. From fish to leafy vegetables and mangoes the markets are a riot of colour and activity. Continue past crumbling waterside mansions to the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le who inspired the French writer Marguerite Duras’ novel, L’Amant (The Lover). Hear the stories of this Vietnamese Chinese tragic love story retold by your local guide.
Return to the ship to unwind or relax with a rejuvenating treatment from the spa. As the sun sets, the RV Apsara sets sail for Tan Chau. Dine in the restaurant and later spend time in the lounge enjoying the evening entertainment or sip on a late-night cocktail.
Transfer to a small boat for a cruise along the tiny tributaries that snake around Tan Chau, the last stop before the border. Step ashore for a rickshaw tour and weave through rambling laneways past shops and friendly locals and stop to visit a local silk and rattan weaving workshop.
Later, step back in time during a visit to Vinh Hoa, also known as Evergreen Island. Take the opportunity to see traditional Vietnamese farming, where the land is ploughed by water buffalo and where you will see authentic rural Mekong life.
Appreciate some down time and watch the scenery of the Mekong River pass as the RV Apsara spends the afternoon cruising towards the Cambodian border. While border formalities are carried out, sit down and enjoy the onboard activities and presentations. Cross into Cambodia and cruise overnight towards the capital, Phnom Penh.
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