Day 1: Phnom Penh – Chau Doc
06:30: Toum Tiou is opened for embarkation at the International Port of Phnom Penh. 0
7:30: Customs formalities. Toum Tiou leaves Phnom Penh for Kôh Dek Chau island, breakfast during navigation.
09:00: Arrival at Kôh 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 Kôh 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.
10:30: Re-embarking, departure for Kaam Samnaar (Cambodian border).
14:00: Toum Tiou arrives at Immigration check point in Kaam Samnaar. Clearance of departure formalities.
16:30: Departure for Chau Doc.
19:00: Toum Tiou drops anchor before the canal of Chau Doc. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 2: Chau Doc – Vinh Long
08:00 Arrival 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...Short panoramic tour of the city. This is the perfect timing to discover the effervescence of the local market. Back to the pier, departure for fish raising rafts and Cham minority village by local boat.
10:00: Toum Tiou leaves Chau Doc for Sa Dec. Lunch during navigation.
17:00: Arrival at Sa Dec – Short panoramic tour of Sa Dec and transfer by bus 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 "Chinaman's house" (from Duras' novel "The Lover", also made into a movie).
19:00: Return to the boat, departure for Vinh Long. Dinner during navigation. Toum Tiou drops anchor few miles before Vinh Long. Overnight on board.
Day 3: Cai Be – My Tho
07:00: Breakfast.
08:30: Arrival at Vinh Long, local boats pick up passengers for visiting 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. Departure for Cai Be Floating Market – going across the Mekong River en route.
11:30: Passengers re-embark at Cai Be, Toum Tiou leaves Cai Be for My Tho, lunch during navigation.
14:30: Arrival at My Tho – Toum Tiou drops anchor on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island Localboats come alongside Toum Tiou 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. 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.
15:30: Return at the pier - you will 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
16:30: Re-embarking the Toum Tiou that leaves My Tho for Saigon. Lunch and leisure on board while navigating on the marvelous canal of Cho Gao.
19:00: Captain’s farewell dinner (Enriched menu + 1 glass of wine). Toum Tiou drops anchor on river en route. Overnight on board.
Day 4: My Tho – Saigon
07:00: Departure for Saigon, breakfast and leisure on board.
11:00: Toum Tiou arrives at Saigon port – customs formalities clearance
** Arrival to Saigon is depended on the traffic level of the Cho Gao canal. It may be late +/- 2 hours to arrive the port. |