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Saigon to Angkor on Toum Tiou Cruise
Duration: 8 days
- 7 nights
Departure: Set departure
Start From: Saigon
Destinations: Saigon, CuChi, TayNinh, MyTho,
VinhLong, CaiBe, SaDec, ChauDoc, Kok
Dec Chou, Phnom Penh, Kompong Chalach, Kompong Chnang,
Kompong
Luong, Siem Reap, Angkor.
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Put
the mythical Southeast Asian Angkor ( Siem Rea) and
Saigon side by side and you have a meeting of two countries
divided by an invisible line at the river. But the line
becomes real when you compare their very different cultures,
landscapes and pace of life. After the impressive pastoral
riverbanks of Cambodia, we arrive in the "Land of the Nine
Dragons", the rice granary of Vietnam. We are constantly
struck by the hectic pace of life in this country as we pass
houses over fish rearing pens in Chau Doc, the boat yards of
Long Xuyen, Marguerite Duras' hometown of Sa Dec, the
aquatic gardens of Vinh Long, the floating market in Cai Be,
the temples, pagodas, brickworks, then the trawlers of My
Tho, before dropping anchor at the nostalgic port of Saigon.

About Toum Tiou Boat & pictures of the trip...click
here
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BRIEF
ITINERARY:
Day 1 - Sunday: Saigon – My Tho (D)
Day 2 - Monday: My Tho – Cai Be – Vinh Long (B,L,D)
Day 3 - Tuesday: Sa Dec – Chau Doc (B,L,D)
Day 4 - Wednesday: Kôh Dek Chau – Phnom Penh (B,L,D)
Day 5 - Thursday: Phnom Penh (B,L,D)
Day 6 - Friday: Phnom Penh – Kompong Tralach (B,L,D)
Day 7 - Saturday: Kampong Chnang – Kampong Luong
(B,L,D)
Day 8 - Sunday: Kampong Luong – Siem Reap (B)
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DETAIL
ITINERARY:
Day 1 - Sunday: Saigon – My Tho (D)
+ 15:45 Toum Tiou is open for embarking.
+ 16:00 Clearance of departure formalities.
+ 16:30 Departure for My Tho, security briefing.
+ 19:00 Welcome drink and info meeting about cruise,
crew introduction. Welcome dinner. Overnight onboard
Day 2 - Monday: My Tho – Cai Be – Vinh Long (B,L,D)
+ 06:00 Breakfast.
+ 07:00 Sa Dec - Short panoramic tour and transfer
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).
+ 09:00 Passengers re-embark; Toum Tiou leaves Sa
Dec for Chau Doc, lunch and leisure on board.
+ 17:00 Arrival after lunch at Victoria Hotel Chau
Doc jetty.
Departure for fish raising rafts and Cham minority
village by local boat. Return to the Victoria. If
the timing is allowing it, watch of the sunset on
the Sam Mountain which peaks at 237 meters. Its
well-known Buddhist sanctuaries offer an
unobstructed view over the mosaic of glistening rice
paddies below. To the left is Cambodia, the flow of
the Mekong on the horizon breaks into an infinity of
silver ribbons. Visit on the way of the Lady Chua Xu
temple and Tay An Pagoda.
+ 19:30 Return to the boat, Dinner at the Victoria
Hotel’s restaurant. Overnight onboard at the jetty
of the hotel; passengers are free to enjoy the hotel
facilities (swimming pool, billiards, bar, Internet)
or stroll in Chau Doc.
Day 3 - Tuesday: Sa Dec – Chau Doc (B,L,D)
+ 07:00 Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the
morning.Breakfast during navigation on the marvelous
canal of Cho Gao.
+ 08:00 Arrival at My Tho – Toum Tiou drops anchor
on river in the proximity of Thoi Son Island. 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. Local boats are coming 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, stop for a
visit of My Tho market. Return at the pier -
Passengers 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
+ 10:00 Passengers re-embark Toum Tiou and leaves My
Tho for Cai Be. Lunch and leisure on board.
+ 13:30 Toum Tiou drops anchor at Cai Be. Local
boats are coming alongside Toum Tiou, picking up the
passengers and cruise around Cai Be Floating
Market.Continuing for Vinh Long - 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.
+ 16:30 Return on the Toum Tiou, departure for Sa
Dec.
+ 19:30 Arrival at Sa Dec, Toum Tiou drops anchor on
the river. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 4 - Wednesday: Kôh Dek Chau – Phnom Penh (B,L,D)
Toum Tiou leaves early in the morning for Vinh Xuong
(Vietnamese border). Breakfast during navigation.+
08:00 Arrival at Vinh Xuong check-point –
Formalities clearance for Toum Tiou to cross the
border.
+ 10:30 Toum Tiou leaves Vinh Xuong check point for
Kôh Dek Chau Island. Lunch during the navigation.
+ 14:30 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 visitwith some
surprise. School children will escort you along your
way. You will go through the village that
occupiesthe full length of the island, walking along
a trail shaded by date palms.
+ 16:00 Toum Tiou leaves for Phnom Penh.
+ 20:00 Arrival at Phnom Penh. Dinner and overnight
on board.
Day 5 - Thursday: Phnom Penh (B,L,D)
+ 08:00 Breakfast, departure for the “KILLING
FIELDS” - Tuol Sleng Museum, old center of
detention, of torture and execution between 1975 and
1979. The visit of this place is essential to
understand what could be the fatal madness
perpetrated by the Khmer Rouges.
+ 12.00 Return to Phnom Penh, lunch in a local
restaurant.
+ 15:00 Balance of the day free exploration on own.
Suggestions can be made up on the interest of
passengers. FCC, Russian market, other boutiques
(antiques), etc.
+ 19:00 Return to the boat. Local group performs on
board traditional “APSARA” show for 45 minutes.
Overnight on board.
Day 6 - Friday: Phnom Penh – Kompong Tralach (B,L,D)
+ 07:00 Breakfast, half day city sightseeing tour
including the Royal Palace and the National Museum.
+ 12:00 The Toum Tiou leaves Phnom Penh for Kompong
Tralach. Lunch during navigation.
+ 16:00 Arrival at Kampong Tralach to visit its
wonderful Vihara belonging to Wat Kampong Tralach
Leu pagoda. To get to it, we cross Kampong Tralach
Krom village along a small road perpendicular to the
river, crossing some gorgeous stretches of emerald
rice paddy as we leave the river behind. The Vihara
dates back to early last century. It was probably
built on an older site, as indicated by the latérite
foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural
paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer
from weathering. They remain one of the last
survivors of cultural destruction that continues
unabated due to widespread indifference. Standing by
itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest
pagoda that receives very few visitors. Its
isolation may well be its undoing, as was the case
for Wat Tani Pagoda in the province of Kampot.
+ 18:00 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou drops
anchor few miles away. Diner and overnight on board.
Day 7 - Saturday: Kampong Chnang – Kampong Luong
(B,L,D)
+ 07:00 Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the
morning. Sail to Kampong Chnang. Breakfast during
navigation.
+ 08:00 Arrival to Kampong Chnang. Located some 56
miles from Phnom Penh, the town of Kampong Chnang is
one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonlé Sap.
Fish farming is also widely practiced in the area.
The area is famous for its pottery ware, unchanged
in style for centuries, which is produced in
sufficient quantities to supply the entire country.
And not to be overlooked are the products of the
Thnot tree (sugar palm – a real national symbol)
that abounds in the area: a mellow tasting,
caramel-colored sugar sold in large cakes and palm
wine.
+ 10:30 Passengers re-embark the Toum Tiou. Lunch on
board on the way to Kampong Luong.
+ 15:00 Arrival at Kampong Luong. Local boats are
coming along the Toum Tiou and picking passengers
for the visit. Almost totally overlooked by tourists
because of its remoteness and difficult access, the
village is completely self-sufficient. A floating
school, factories to make ice for fish preservation,
church, pagoda, service stations, pigsty, stores,
boat or television repair shops, video club, karaoke
bar, police station... everything is on the water.
All trades are represented and everybody from
children to grandparents goes by boat through the
network of canals that cross this little town.
+ 18:00 Passengers re-embark. The Toum Tiou stays
overnight under the protection of the flooded
forest. If the timing is allowing it, the boat
navigates to approach Kompong Pluk, a charming
village near Siem Reap.
+ 19:30 Farewell cocktail (1 glass of local liquor
or juice) with Master of Ship & Cruise Manager.
Captain’s farewell dinner (Enriched menu + 1 glass
of wine). Overnight on board.
Day 8 - Sunday: Kampong Luong – Siem Reap (B)
Departure of the Toum Tiou early in the morning.
Time to pack and relax a half a day by crossing the
Tonlé Sap Lake. Eventual visit of Kompong Pluk
before the arrival.
+ 11:00 Arrival at Phnom Krom pier (~5 miles from
Siem Reap)
TOUR PRICE: US$/Cabin
applied to 30 Sep 2009
Twin cabin: 2812 US$ for 2 persons.
Single cabin: 2134 US$ for single person.
Include:
English / French speaking guide
Deluxe double / twin cabin on Toum Tiou boat
Full-board (Meals, tea, water, coffee)
Admission fees and permits where applicable
Exclude:
Airfares & airport taxes
Transfer from hotel to dock / from dock to hotel
Pre/post trip arrangement
Visa and visa arrangement
Travel insurance
Other personal expenses
Customize Your Private Tour
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Co., Ltd specializes in private
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Hanoi,
Halong
Bay,
MaiChau,
Sapa,
NinhBinh,
PhongNha,
DMZ,
Hue,
Danang,
Hoian,
NhaTrang,
DaLat,
PhanThiet-MuiNe,
Saigon,
Mekong Delta ,
PhuQuoc,
CuChi Tunnels,
CaoDai Temple
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