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Day 1. Saigon
Welcome onboard the RV La Marguerite. The ship moors at Saigon port. Ho Chi Minh City , (formerly Saigon) Vietnam ?s biggest city still retains its old French colonial architecture in riverside streets. Check-in is at 12:00 noon followed by port and immigration formalities. After checking in to the tastefully appointed cabins, enjoy the fascinating view of the Saigon River from your private balcony or from the sun deck. You can also enjoy cold drinks in our Saigon Lounge while watching the bustling river life pass you by. At 2:00 PM, the ship departs Saigon . We sail by the Saigon River on the international route to the sea and cruise up the broad Mekong Tributary. Tonight meet your fellow passengers on board for a Welcome Dinner at the Mekong Restaurant.
Day 2. Cai Be - Sadec
Arriving at Cai Be in the morning, early risers can enjoy the sunrise on the sun deck. After breakfast we take a morning junk trip around Cai Be to see a floating market, go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colorful port area with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local rice paper manufacturers. We cruise past Vinh Long Province to arrive at Sa Dec for an afternoon walk. French writer Marguerite Duras spent some of her childhood in Sa Dec, a sprawling busy town in the Mekong Delta. In Sa Dec, director Jean-Jaques Annaud shot much of his 1992 film "The Lover". Aside from the fact that the French have long departed, not a lot has changed in Sa Dec since Duras' day. Warehouses, mostly old Chinese shop-houses, bulge with merchandise. Ancient riverboats load and unload at the wharves built almost to the shop doors. Both the school where Duras' mother taught and the small house behind it where the family must have lived still stand. We will spend time in the house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le - the Chinese Lover of Marguerite. The house now is a little museum of "The Lover" in Sadec. In the Evening we cruise through the Mekong Delta to Tan Chau.
Day 3. Tan Chau – Vietnam / Cambodia Border Crossing
Tan Chau is a remote small town on the main Mekong River . After breakfast we transfer to small boats to visit a catfish farm and rice-polishing factory. We go ashore to visit a mat making workshop, and take a short walk in the village to visit a silk weaving workshop. A trishaw ride around this fascinating town takes us back to the pier and we return to the ship by boat for lunch and cast off for the Cambodian border for the usual formalities. In the evening we cruise up the broad Mekong River , which is an international shipping route and moor overnight mid- stream just outside of Phnom Penh .
Day 4. Phnom Penh
Early morning cruise into Phnom Penh and dock at the passenger port terminal. The capital of Cambodia retains its French charm. The old colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to busy cafes, and the renovated river "corniche" is full of life. The city has several impressive Wat's, including Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom and the newly painted Wat Lang Ka. Visit the Royal Palace , the spectacular Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge preserved artifacts embodying the brilliance and richness of Khmer culture. The National Museum is another highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer crafts. An afternoon excursion is arranged to the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge?s grim Tuol Sleng or S21 detention center situated in the suburbs of the city
Day 5. Phnom Penh – Kampong Cham
Early morning departure from Phnom Penh and a stop at the little known Chong Koh silk weaving village for a morning leisure walk. We cruise past the Mekong ?s timeless villages and river life with extensive fishing activities. The scenery is very lovely here, and in the distance, forested hills rise. On the river above Phnom Penh there is little shipping, just real Cambodian life. In the afternoon we stop at Peam Chi Kang village to visit the Wat or Monastery and school. Passengers are at leisure to explore this peaceful and friendly community. In the Wat the splendid village racing boats are stored. Anchor mid-stream at Kampong Cham.
Day 6. Kampong Cham.
Morning journey upriver to the hilltop pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey . Dating from the 8th century, these ancient brick structures characterize the architecture of the Chenla Empire, which predated the glories of Angkor . Sail back downstream over lunch for an exploration of the Kampong Cham Area. We travel by bus to the 12th century Angkorian temple of Wat Nokor . This colorful temple is unique in Cambodia , as a modern Wat it is set within the ruins of an ancient temple. We continue to the Eco Village of Cheungkok. There are many pagodas and shrines on the hilltops.
Day 7. Tongle River
We glance by the capital Phnom Penh in the early morning to change pilots, and then sail the Tonle River , which connects Tonle Lake with the Mekong and Bassac Rivers that merge at Phnom Penh . This river journey is a highlight of the trip. We wind our way through jungle, and as the river narrows we feel we can almost reach out and touch the houses and people who come out to cheer our ship on. Temples abound along the riverbanks at Kampong Chhnang, and we see the rich tapestry of Cambodian rural life. This is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, we make a truly wonderful motorboat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here a stunning variety of bird life may be seen and of considerable interest are the great fish traps, some half a kilometer long, which net a huge tonnage of fish after each monsoon as the fish migrate from the falling lake into the Tonle River .
Day 8, Tonle Lake – Siem Reap
The great lake dominates Cambodia and is over 150 km in length. Here bird life is profuse, and from the middle of the lake one stillness and tranquility as we pass floating fishing villages. Because the water levels of the lake and river vary a great deal according to the time of year and rainfall, we will then either cross the Tonle Lake at dawn and disembark at Siem Reap Port or transfer by coach from Prek Kdam on the Tonle River to Siem Reap stopping for a short rest at Kampong Thom. End of the cruise trip.
