5 Days Downstream Phom Penh Saigon on RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise: Explore the labyrinthine canal system around Tan Chau in the afternoon to visit a Taoist temple where monks will tell your fate. Visit a fish farm and gain merit by releasing fish back into the Mekong before continuing via local communities near Xe Loi, pausing to assist people in tending to their farms.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Phnom Penh
Activities: Disembark at Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
After breakfast, arrive at the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.
Please be advised that our personnel will give over your passports after 10.00 immigration requirements.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 2: Vietnam Border – Tan Chau
Activities: Visit a Taoist shrine in the intricate canal system of Tan Chau before setting sail towards the Vietnam border.
During the immobile time at the Vietnam border for formalities, there is an optional tour of the functioning ship and fruit carving courses on deck. Explore the labyrinthine canal system around Tan Chau in the afternoon to visit a Taoist temple where monks will tell your fate. Visit a fish farm and gain merit by releasing fish back into the Mekong before continuing via local communities near Xe Loi, pausing to assist people in tending to their farms.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 3: Con Phuoc Island
Activities: Sail along a short canal to Con Phuoc Island, where you will anchor and disembark to tour the island by tuk-tuk, seeing basket making and visiting a 100-year-old Catholic church.
Morning navigation up a short canal to a mooring off Con Phuoc Island, followed by tuk-tuk exploration of the island to see basket manufacture, a 100-year-old Catholic church, and local woodworkers.
After a brief river cruise in the afternoon, we take a short bus ride to Gao Giong’s “green paradise” and bird refuge. Here, tens of thousands of water birds and egrets congregate in the Duong Tharp Muoi, often known as the ‘Plain of Reeds’. The canals are traversed by rowboats in order to reach the primary nesting locations.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 4: Ben Tre
Activities: Ben Tre’s fruit plantations are accessible by sampans across mangroves and bamboo woods.
After breakfast, the ship moors off the island of Cho Lach for a lesson in creating traditional Banh Xeo and further views of Delta life, farmland, and native Vietnamese hospitality. After returning to the boat, we go downstream to Ben Tre. Where we sail by sampan through mangroves and bamboo gardens to reach Ben Tre’s fruit farms. These local artists welcome guests inside their homes for tea, fruit, and honey delicacies created with their own honey. This region is teeming with avian life, and on the way back we ride by horse-drawn cart through the verdant countryside.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 5: My Tho – Saigon
Activities: Cruise to My Tho, disembark, and then check into your accommodation.
Early morning cruise to My Tho, when travelers depart for a morning trip to Saigon by bus.
Arrive at Saigon about 10.30 in the morning.
Meals: Breakfast
