Trip Highlights:
- Explore the canal network of Mekong Delta - Cruising cross with numerous narrow canals
- Experience the culture and taste the typical foods with special cuisines.
- Explore more of the local villages by bike
- Have a cooking demonstration on boat
- Visit the Cham Islamic village, the Mubarak Mosque in Chau Doc
Day 1 Ben Tre – VungLiem– Tra On
08:00 Our driver will pick you up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh city transfer to Ben Tre (transportation is NOT INCLUDED in the cabin price)
Your cruise departs at 10:00 AM from the Ham Luong Pier in Ben Tre Town. Upon boarding your private sampan, your luggage will be brought to your cabin, while you enjoy a refreshing welcome cocktail on the deck and meet the crew members.
Continue cruising along the Ham Luong river and head to Van Nuoc Trong canal to explore the exciting local daily activities along the riverbank and stop at a village for a short walk to visit the coconut processing place where you can see how the coconuts are being utilized in many ways, such as coconut fiber making.
Return to the boat for a cold drink and some time to relax on deck. Lunch will be served on board. We then head down the Vung Liem canal to visit traditional brickworks and the lively town of Vung Liem with its fascinating Cao Dai Temple, one of the biggest religions in the South of Vietnam. We will visit these places by bikes.(Or motorbike taxi for advanced request)
The boat will then cruise to Tra On where we will stop for the night. While on board, freshen up, and then head to the deck where you will have a cooking demonstration before enjoying a delicious, 5-course dinner onboard.
The rest of the evening is spent at your leisure.
Meals: Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Mango Cruise
Day 2 Tra On – Can Tho – Long Xuyen–VamNao
In the early morning your boat will start cruising towards Can Tho where you will be transferred to a smaller boat to visit the spectacular Cai Rang Floating Market (the Mekong’s largest & busiest!)Mingle amongst the hundreds of trading vessels. Feel free to buy fruits or drinks, even coffee, from the local boats.
After your market visit, transfer back to your boat for breakfast. Cruising will resume along the Hau River (Lower River) to Long Xuyen. It will be another chance for you to take some great pictures of the Long Xuyen Floating Market and have a chat with the friendly locals.
Then continue cruising, while taking in the tropical scenery and laid-back life style.
You will stop at another small village for a bike ride where you will visit some traditional local workshops as well as the daily activities along the canal.
Freshen up, and relax. Dinner will be served onboard. Spend the remainder of the evening at your leisure while the boat cruises to VamNao for overnight.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Accommodation: Mango Cruise
Day 3 VamNao – Chau Doc
Enjoy breakfast in the morning while cruising to HoaHao en route to Chau Doc.
As you continue cruising, you will start to notice more houses on stilts and flooded fields. This area is prone to severe flooding and as result, is one of the Delta’s poorest regions.
You can stop in the village and chat with the cheerful local kids.
Continue to visit the Cham Islamic village in Chau Giang; one of the biggest Muslim towns in Vietnam where the locals speak both Vietnamese and Cham languages. They read the Quran in Arabic and, of course, all the men in the village wish to travel to Mecca once in their lifetime. You will visit the Mubarak Mosque, one of the mosques in the Chau Doc area.
The cruise will then make its way to the pier in Chau Doc town, where you will be dropped off at around 10 am. At this point you can either return to Saigon via private car, or take the speedboat to Phnom Penh the following morning.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch
Accommodation: NA
