5 Days Upstream Saigon Phnom Penh on RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise: Travel by sampan through bamboo and mangrove gardens to the Ben Tre fruit farms. These neighborhood craftspeople welcome guests into their houses for tea, fruit, and items produced with their own honey while they are at work. We anchor in a little canal off Con Phuoc Island and disembark to tour the island using the Xe Loi method, stopping to meet local woodworkers and observe basket makers as well as a century-old Catholic church.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Saigon – My Tho
Activities: Pickup at the Saigon Meeting Point, then transport to the My Tho cruise embarkation port.
Transfer to My Tho Port from the meeting location in Saigon. We board your Pandaw and then go downstream to Ben Tre, where we drop an anchor. A presentation about Vietnamese living in the Mekong Delta is given in the afternoon. Passengers may enjoy an indigenous dancing ensemble during cocktail hour and get to know your essential crew members.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 2: Ben Tre
Activities: Travel by sampan through bamboo and mangrove gardens to Ben Tre’s fruit farms.
Travel by sampan through bamboo and mangrove gardens to the Ben Tre fruit farms. These neighborhood craftspeople welcome guests into their houses for tea, fruit, and items produced with their own honey while they are at work. On the way back, a horse-drawn carriage takes us through the verdant countryside and through a region rich in birdlife. Following lunch, the ship moors off the island of Cho Lach for pot-making demonstrations, more insights into Delta life, agriculture, and native Viet hospitality, including a cooking instruction on how to prepare traditional Banh Xeo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 3: Con Phuoc Island
Activities: Visit the bird refuge at the Gao Giong “green oasis,” then set off to explore the island by Xi Loi and take in the basket-making and a 100-year-old Catholic Church.
The short bus ride to the Gao Giong “green oasis” and its bird sanctuary takes place after breakfast. The Duong Tharp Muoi, also known as the “Plain of Reeds,” is home to a wide variety of water and egrets that flock in their tens of thousands. To transport us to the main nesting locations, rowing boats travel the canals. Once back on board, we sail upstream to Con Phuoc Island. We anchor in a little canal off Con Phuoc Island and disembark to tour the island using the Xe Loi method, stopping to meet local woodworkers and observe basket makers as well as a century-old Catholic church.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 4: Border Crossing – Tan Chau
Activities: Explore Tan Chau’s maze-like canal network to find a Taoist temple while crossing the border.
Visit a Taoist temple in the afternoon where the monks will interpret your future by navigating the maze-like network of canals around Tan Chau. After pausing to assist people in tending their farms, continue through the nearby villages of Xi Loi. Next, stop at a fish farm to tour and gain merit by releasing fish back into the Mekong. An optional tour of the functioning ship and fruit carving lessons on deck are available during the afternoon’s lengthy border crossing procedures.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 5: Phnom Penh
Activities: Disembark at Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
After breakfast, disembark at Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Please be aware that our team will distribute your passports at 10:00 when the immigration process is complete.
Meals: Breakfast
