You embark the Toum Tiou in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) mid afternoon and set sail by late afternoon. As you head into the Mekong Delta towards My Tho you will enjoy you first of many glorious sunsets.

 

An early rise to catch the sun rising over the still waters and then you set sail navigating the marvellous canals of Cho Gao. Before long My Tho comes into view and the Toum Tiou drops anchor close to Thoi Son Island. My Tho is 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 surrounding countryside is home to some of the most luxuriant gardens in Vietnam, with their coconut palms, banana and mango trees. Local boats come alongside the Toum Tiou to transfer you to the mainland. Here you will take a short trip to Vinh Trang Pagoda and discover My Tho market. Mid morning the Toum Tiou departs and you cruise to Cai Be. Here once again local boats will pick you up and take you on a tour of the fascinating Cai Be Floating Market. Afterwards you continue to Vinh Long, on route passing brick and pottery factories as well as witnessing local life which is organized around the water, houses on stilts, hawkers in boats, hundreds of small boats crisscrossing in all directions, and the many smiling Vietnamese faces. After returning to the Toum Tiou you sail to Sa Dec where she drops anchor and you spend the night.

 

After breakfast there is a short tour of the local area including visiting a local primary school and a pagoda. You will have the opportunity to stroll around Sa Dec market, situated on the banks of the Mekong. This interesting ‘city’ only has 30,000 inhabitants and is fascinating in its unspoiled authenticity and undisturbed by tourists. It provides a glimpse of the delta where a few French colonial houses still remain, including the ‘Chinaman's House’, from Duras' novel ‘The Lover’ (which was also made in to a movie). The afternoon is spent leisurely cruising through the Delta towards Chau Doc. After arrival local boats will take you to visit fish farms as well as a local Cham minority village. If time allows you will also get to experience the sunset from the top of Sam Mountain where its famous Buddhist sanctuaries offer an unobstructed view over the mosaic of glistening rice paddies stretching off into the distant Cambodia. This evening you enjoy dinner at the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel as well as being able to use its swimming pool and bar.

 

The Toum Tiou sets sail early this morning and heads to Vinh Xuong, the Vietnamese / Cambodian border. After completing the customs formalities the Toum Tiou heads into Cambodian waters and drops anchor at Koh Dek Chau island which allows a fascinating, close-up look at daily rural life in Cambodia. On the fringes of civilization, the 600 people who live on Koh Dek Chau will receive your visit with some surprise and the excited children will escort you along your way. You will wander through the village that occupies the full length of the island, walking along a trail shaded by date palms. Late afternoon you set sail for Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, arriving in time for dinner.

 

This morning you will learn about the dark side of Cambodia - its more recent turbulent and harrowing history. Initially you visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S21), ironically a former school, located in a quiet Phnom Penh suburb, this was the infamous Khmer Rouge prison / torture centre. Once you have gained an initial insight of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime you will be driven 15km from Phnom Penh to visit the ‘Killing Fields’. This is where Toul Sleng prisoners were forcibly marched and then executed; it is now a memorial site located in a beautiful tranquil setting. You will return to Phnom Penh for lunch at a local restaurant, after which the rest of the day is free at your leisure to further explore this charming city. This evenings on-board dinner is a treat as you are mesmerized by an hypnotic Apsara dance.

 

This morning you visit the terracotta red National Museum which offers a charming setting for a comprehensive collection of Khmer artifacts, and then move on to the nearby Royal Palace, on the banks of the mighty Mekong river. Inside the Palace walls you will be treated to the Throne Hall, the Chan Chaya Pavilion, and the King’s residential quarters. You will also see the Silver Pagoda, so named as it is claimed its floor is made up of over 4,000 silver tiles! At noon the Toum Tiou leaves Phnom Penh for Kompong Tralach and its wonderful vihara belonging to Wat Kompong Tralach Leu pagoda. To reach it involves a stroll through Kompong Tralach Krom village then crossing some gorgeous stretches of emerald rice paddy as you leave the river behind The Vihara dates back to the early 19th century. It was most probably built on an older site, as indicated by the laterite foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer from weathering. Standing by itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest pagoda that receives very few visitors. As the sun sets you return to the Toum Tiou, sail a short distance, and then drop anchor for the night.

 

The Toum Tiou sets sail in the early morning and soon arrives in the town of Kompong Chhnang, which is one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonle Sap. Although fish farming is widely practiced in the area, Kompong Chhnang is better known for its pottery and earthenware which has remained unchanged in style for centuries, and which is produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire country. And not to be overlooked are the products of the Thnot tree (the sugar palm – a real national symbol) that abounds in the area, such as the mellow tasting, caramel-colored sugar cake and the potentially potent sugar palm wine. After some sightseeing the Toum Tiou continues to Kompong Luong, where local boats will come alongside and sail you around this fascinating, remote, completely self-sufficient, floating town. Here you will see a floating school, floating ice-making factories, and floating pagodas, service stations, pigsties, stores, boat and television repair shops, video clubs, karaoke bars, a police station... everything is floating on the water. All trades are represented and everybody from children to grandparents go by boat through the network of canals that cross this little town. This evening the Toum Tiou drops anchor amidst the enchanting flooded forest. This evening, your last aboard the Toum Tiou, you will enjoy cocktails and the Captain’s farewell dinner.
(N.B. During the low water season Feb – June instead of sailing to Kompong Luong the Toum Tiou sails you to Chnok Tru, where local boats take you around the biggest floating market on the Tonle Sap. This evening the Toum Tiou drops anchor close to Chnok Tru).