Day 1: Arrival in Saigon

Arrive at Saigon airport via flight xx. Welcome by our local driver from Tonkin Travel, then transfer to the city (15 km – 30 min).

Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City since 1976, is both the largest city and the economic engine of Vietnam. Commerce thrives here, and as a sign of the times, new skyscrapers are being built every year.

The rest of the day is free without a guide or driver for your personal exploration.

Meals on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Included: Private transportation, accommodation

Day 2: Saigon – My Tho – Toum Tiou Cruise

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning free without a guide or driver for your relaxation.

In the afternoon, meet our driver for a transfer without a guide to My Tho (70 km – 1.5 hours drive).

3:45 PM: Toum Tiou is open for boarding. Departure formalities.

7:00 PM: Festive aperitif (one drink offered), presentation of the crew. Welcome dinner. Overnight on board.

Included: Private transportation, accommodation, English-speaking guide on board, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: My Tho – Cai Be – Vinh Long – Sa Dec

Depart from Toum Tiou early in the morning.

7:00 AM: Breakfast while crossing the beautiful Cho Gao canal.

10:00 AM: Arrive at My Tho – Toum Tiou anchors near Thoi Son Island.

My Tho, "the good fragrant herb" according to its literal translation, is a quiet and prosperous town of about 100,000 inhabitants, known for its many orchards and fruit gardens, and vast rice fields. The climate is warm and pleasant year-round. The surrounding countryside is one of Vietnam's most lush gardens (coconut palms, banana trees, mango trees).

Local boats take passengers across the river. Depart by bus to Vinh Trang Pagoda, short panoramic city tour en route. Visit the local market of My Tho. Return to the pier - Passengers sail on the river to Dragon Island in local boats to visit the island, explore the daily life of local people and enjoy seasonal fruits.

11:30 AM: Boarding, Toum Tiou leaves My Tho for Cai Be. Lunch and relaxation on board.

3:30 PM: Toum Tiou anchors near Cai Be. Local boats take passengers to visit its floating market. Discovery of Vinh Long: a brick factory and pottery, Binh Hoa Phuoc fruit tree nursery, a traditional house, and an exhibition room of traditional agricultural tools.

Vinh Long, the "Majestic Dragon" according to the translation, is located in the center of the delta regions, between two arms of the Mekong. One can explore by boat through the small channels and orchards leading to Cai Be's floating market. Vinh Long, land made rich by the alluvium, is the land of mandarins and oranges.

Life is organized around and with water. Stilt houses, commerce by boat, hundreds of boats crossing in all directions.

The hospitality of the inhabitants makes it an excellent tourist destination.

6:00 PM: Boarding on Toum Tiou. Navigation towards Sa Dec.

7:30 PM: Toum Tiou anchors just before Sa Dec.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Included: Accommodation, English-speaking guide on board, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Sa Dec – Chau Doc

6:00 AM: Breakfast

7:00 AM: Sa Dec – Morning market escapade then panoramic city tour by bus on the way to Trung Vuong primary school and Kien An Cung pagoda.

In this town of 30,000 inhabitants, authentic and tourist-free, one can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a small delta town where a few colonial houses and "the Chinese House" (from Marguerite Duras's novel "The Lover," also adapted for the screen) still exist.

9:00 AM: Return to the boat, Toum Tiou leaves Sa Dec for Chau Doc

Relaxation on board, lunch during navigation.

5:00 PM: Arrival in Chau Doc. Departure in local boats to visit the Cham minority village, with its fish farms. If conditions permit, sunset on Nui Sam hill, which "peaks" at 237 m and offers its famous Buddhist sanctuaries with a breathtaking view over the fragmented and sparkling rice fields. On the left, one can see neighboring Cambodia and the Mekong on the horizon dividing its silver ribbons endlessly. Visit on the way Chua Xu temple and Tay An pagoda.

7:30 PM: Return to the boat and dinner on board.

Overnight on board.

Included: Accommodation, English-speaking guide on board, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Vinh Xuong – Phnom Penh

Departure from the boat early in the morning towards the border. Breakfast during navigation.

8:00 AM: Toum Tiou arrives at the border crossing. Administrative formalities.

10:30 AM: The boat leaves the border for Phnom Penh, lunch on board during navigation.

7:00 PM: Arrival in Phnom Penh, passengers are free to explore the Cambodian capital. Dinner and overnight on board.

Included: Accommodation, English-speaking guide on board, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Phnom Penh

8:00 AM: Breakfast, departure for the visit to the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and Russian Market.

12:00 PM: Return to the boat, lunch on board.

3:00 PM: Free afternoon for exploration. (Your guide will be available to make suggestions based on your interests. The Tuol Sleng Museum, a former detention, torture, and execution center between 1975 and 1979. A visit to this site is essential to understand a bit of the murderous madness perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge.)

7:00 PM: Return to the boat, a group of local musicians comes on board for a traditional "APSARA" show for 45 minutes.

Dinner in a restaurant specializing in local cuisine. Overnight on board.

Included: Accommodation, English-speaking guide on board, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Phnom Penh – Koh Chen – Kompong Tralach

7:00 AM: Breakfast. Navigation to Koh Chen.

9:30 AM: Arrival at Koh Chen. Visit the village of artisans, whose inhabitants specialize in silverwork.

11:30 AM: Return to the boat.

12:00 PM: Departure from the boat, lunch on board while navigating to Kompong Tralach.

2:00 PM: Arrival at Kampong Tralach to visit the beautiful Vihara of Wat Kompong Tralach Leu Pagoda. It is accessed by crossing the village of Kompong Tralach Krom via a small road perpendicular to the river amid a beautiful rice paddy landscape.

The Vihara dates from the early last century and was probably built on an older site as suggested by the laterite foundations. It retains beautiful wall paintings that are beginning to suffer from the ravages of time.

Entirely isolated in the middle of rice paddies, it is a modest pagoda that is very little visited, and its isolation may eventually be fatal as was the case last May for Wat Tani Pagoda in Kampot province.

6:00 PM: Boarding, Toum Tiou anchors a few kilometers upstream. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 8: Kompong Chnang – Chnok Tru

7:00 AM: Departure from the boat early in the morning, navigating towards Kampong Chnang. Breakfast during navigation.

9:00 AM: Arrival in Kampong Chnang.

Located about 90 kilometers from Phnom Penh, the town of Kompong Chnang is one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonlé Sap. It also practices fish farming. The region is famous for its particularly archaic pottery which supplies the entire country. Not to forget the resources linked to the cultivation of Thnot (sugar palm – a real national symbol) that abounds in the area: palm sugar and wine.

11:30 AM: Boarding on Toum Tiou, lunch while navigating to Chnok Tru.

4:30 PM: Arrival in Chnok Tru. Boarding on local boats for the visit to the largest floating village on the Tonlé Sap river.

6:00 PM: Return to Toum Tiou, which remains anchored for the night near Chnok Tru.

7:30 PM: Festive aperitif (one drink offered) with the Commissioner of the Board and the Captain.

Farewell dinner (gala menu + one glass of wine offered). Overnight on board.

Day 9: Chnok Tru – Siem Reap

Departure from the boat early in the morning. It is time to pack up and relax during a morning crossing of Lake Tonlé Sap.

11:00 AM: Arrival at Phnom Krom, the Siem Reap jetty. (~10 km from Siem Reap)

After disembarking from the boat. Welcome by our guide and driver for transfer to downtown Siem Reap.

Start of visits to the temples of the Roluos group, whose monuments are among the first, largest, and most durable temples built by the Khmer kings (877-889), marking the beginning of classical Khmer art: Bakong, Preah Ko, and Lolei. Return to Siem Reap. Check-in at the hotel.

Meals on your own. Overnight at a hotel in Siem Reap.

Included: Private transportation, accommodation, English-speaking guide, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast.

Day 10: Siem Reap – Angkor Temples

Breakfast at the hotel.

The morning starts with the most iconic of all temples: Angkor Wat. Construction began during the reign of Suryavarman in the 12th century. The complex spans nearly 210 hectares, unveiling to visitors the majesty and beauty of its impressive architecture, sandstone bas-reliefs, and representations of Vishnu and other Buddhist deities.

Afternoon, visit Banteay Srei, a temple built in the 10th century. Dedicated to Shiva, also known as the Citadel of Women, it is renowned for the fineness of its pink sandstone lintels depicting Aspara dancers or scenes from Hindu mythology.

On the way back, visit Sras Srang, the "Bathing Basin," and the Buddhist temple Ta Prohm, where nature is reclaiming its rights, and giant roots envelop the monuments.

In the late afternoon, depart to reach Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset over Angkor Wat.

Overnight at the hotel.

Included: Private transportation, accommodation, English-speaking guide, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast

Day 11: Siem Reap – Angkor Temples

Breakfast at the hotel.

Depart by tuk-tuk for Preah Khan, a temple erected in 1191 in honor of Angkor's first Mahayana Buddhist king. It is notable for its vaulted corridors, sculpted friezes, and because nature is omnipresent, lichen covers the bas-reliefs and silk-cotton trees support much of the temple.

Visit Neak Pean Temple. This island temple, also called "Entwined Nagas," sits at the center of a large basin, itself bordered by four smaller basins symbolizing Anavatapta, a sacred lake in the Himalayas. Visit Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda temples built in the 12th century. Their Devatas, these female deities, and their sandstone lintels are of rare finesse.

In the afternoon, discover Angkor Thom, the Great City. This architectural splendor is full of symbols. There are many monuments to see, among others, the Bayon, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King, and countless sculpted figures. The grandeur and foundations of the Khmer civilization are encapsulated in this extraordinary place.

Included: Private transportation, accommodation, English-speaking guide, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast

Day 12: Siem Reap – Flight to Saigon

Morning excursion to Kbal Spean (the River of a Thousand Lingas) 30 km (1 hour drive) north of Angkor. In the 11th century, hermits carved the sandstone bed of the river that fed Angkor. You reach the site after a 45-minute walk through the forest. First, in the foreground, lingas (phallic symbols), here in the form of paving stones which gave the site its name: the "river of a thousand lingas", then on the rocks, figures of deities: Vishnu sleeping on a serpent, Nandin the bull, Shiva, and Urma. As the water flowed over these mythological scenes, it was sanctified...

Return to Siem Reap around noon.

After hotel check-out (12 PM), you have the afternoon free until your transfer without a guide to Siem Reap airport for your evening flight to Saigon. End of our services.

Included: Private transportation, English-speaking guide, entrance fees, meals: Breakfast.