A Mekong river cruise is a unique beast even for the most seasoned of travellers. Unlike monolithic ocean cruise ships, the focus isn’t on retaining customers on board with blockbuster West End shows and round-the-clock entertainment. The focus is on your locality, the culture, and the people. And unlike European river cruises, it isn’t about pristine scenery but more about experiencing hustle and bustle of the ‘rice bowl’ of Asia.
The Mekong river spans over six countries and is the world’s largest inland fishery. CroisiEurope’s refined Indochine II explores two of the countries along this route over a ten-night trip: Cambodia and Vietnam.
The ship
This intimate, elegant ship was built in 2017 and can accommodate up to 62 passengers in 31 airy, spacious cabins. On our sailing, there were under 30 passengers, resulting in a very luxurious and attentive experience due to the high staff-to-customer ratio.
Particularly impressive is the relatively low height of the ship meaning it can sail into lesser-known parts of the Tonlé Sap River. It can be an issue when taller ships try to cross local bridges during high tide.
Cabin
Another positive is that all cabins offer a private balcony and Indochine II was the first cruise ship sailing on the Mekong to offer this. Dark, exotic wood panelling and shuttered doors afford the room a colonial accent on an otherwise modern cruise ship. All cabins have generous picture windows with four offering mini-terraces.
They’ve conveniently separated the toilet and the shower area on opposite sides of the room. The TV tended to show what movie was playing upstairs in the lounge area and we were told internet reception would be patchy unless you were on the sun deck (even then it was a lottery). But on a Mekong cruise, it isn’t about virtual entertainment, it is about living real-life experiences and the breath-taking views of the local scenery.
Food and drink
In the restaurant you’ll find a healthy buffet-style lunch with a mixture of Asian and European-style salads along with varied hot dishes, whilst dinner alternates between a European style four-course dinner and family-style sharing Asian nights. Dishes include the likes of yellow lentil soup, beef lok lak (a Cambodian classic) and flambé bananas with rum (it did bring a smile to our faces when it was written as ‘flammable bananas’ on the menu). Ingredients are picked fresh daily from the local markets by their talented chefs, so it will vary depending on seasonality.
Parts of the trip are not spent on the cruise, notably two days staying at the world-class Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort in Siem Reap. As such, there are included dining options at top eateries in Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City. Chanrey Tree in Siem Reap is where you can experience Khmer cuisine at its finest. The sumptuous setting with dim lighting and soothing greenery is a million miles from the hectic nature of Pub street where tourists tend to congregate. Whilst the extensive buffet at Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon is a great way to experiment with Asian dishes you might not normally try.
Activities
You will find most of the passengers on board lounging on the sun deck, taking in the sights and sounds of the Mekong or cooling down in the swimming pool. There is a massage salon that charges around £20 for a treatment, which is not too dissimilar to what you might find on the mainland in Cambodia and Vietnam.
It is infinitely better value than any other cruise ship in other parts of the world. You can indulge in some retail therapy in the cosy shop selling everything from local Buddha sculptures to ornate, handcrafted scarves. There are also books, board games and movie nights available.
Excursions in Cambodia
The jewel in the CroisiEurope crown is undoubtedly their expertly arranged on-shore excursions. Even if the whole ship were French speakers and you and your partner were the only English speakers, they will still provide you with an English-speaking tour guide, who resides on board the ship.
With the number of temples you visit on the cruise, you should be awarded a PhD in architecture, but they are endlessly fascinating due to the noticeable differences in the different sanctuaries. Beng Mealea is one for those with an Indiana Jones spirit of adventure as you negotiate an obstacle course to discover this 12th-century temple that was consumed by the jungle.
Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire has countless sculptural decorations that are occupying archaeologists to this very day. Whilst Angkor Wat is one of those majestic sites like the Forbidden City and Palace of Versailles that offers an awe-inspiring transcendental experience.
Experiential activities include a tuk-tuk ride through hectic Phnom Penh and an ox-cart ride to a pagoda where you will be blessed by a Buddhist monk in rural Kampong Tralach. You will also visit the majestic Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh which has, in recent years, been lovingly restored.
The excursions offer a fine balance between city sites and rural attractions. Likewise, light-hearted moments such as classical Khmer dancing and music on board the ship are contrasted starkly with the very sombre mood of visiting The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It is an encounter you will never forget when you meet the survivor of the genocide still selling books on site.
Excursions in Vietnam
A sea of humanity is a very apt description of most places you’ll visit in Vietnam, from the bustling scooter-filled streets of Ho Chi Minh City to the crowds of worshippers flocking to Tây An Temple in Châu Đốc. Experiential activities are equally abundant when you visit Vietnam from a Sampan boat ride along a canal to crawling through a microscopic tunnel in the Cu Chi tunnels and living the life of a Viet Cong fighter.
The standout temple you’ll visit is the Cao Dai Temple. Cao Dai is a relatively modern religion established in the 1920s and unique to Vietnam. There are also more retail therapy opportunities in Vietnam from visiting a bee farm in Mỹ Tho where you can buy longan honey to visiting the Old Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City filled with boutique gift shops, housed in an impressive colonial building.
There are add-on trips to the Vietnam part of the cruise including cruising in Halong Bay, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and visiting the imperial fortified city of Huế.
Factbox
Prices from £2,244 per person. The price includes the cruise on Indochine II with all meals, drinks with meals, excursions, tips for local tour guides, two nights in Siem Reap and repatriation insurance.
For more information on CroisiEurope’s Mekong River cruises visit croisieurope.co.uk
