Mekong Princess Vietnam river cruise
This small-group cruise gives an intimate look at the vibrant river that’s a “source of life” throughout South-East Asia.
It’s not just the decor that immediately impresses upon boarding Mekong Princess. It’s the warm welcome by staff who, we soon discover, must surely have been engaged for their sunny personalities as well as skills. It’s a river ship of smiles that are consistently warm and never forced. When there’s a bureaucratic kerfuffle with my Vietnam visa, for example, cruise director Eric mounts a rescue mission in several languages. The team immediately swings into action, calls are made, deals are done. Cheers ring out when the process works.
We are travelling from Kampong Chan, near Siem Reap in Cambodia, downstream to Ho Chi Minh City on the Mekong, the world’s 12th-longest river and a trading route that rises in the Tibetan plateau and eases into the South China Sea. At its heart, it’s a muddy-coloured swath stirred with sediment and a vital trading route and “source of life”, as one guide puts it.
The 28-passenger Mekong Princess is a minnow by most river-ship standards and the only luxury passenger vessel that can dock direct at our final arrival port and pass under all the bridges. It was launched in 2015, purpose-built for the region and with exclusive access to smaller islands, such as Hong Hgu in Vietnam. The long, lean vessel is 63m long, with a beam of 10m and maximum speed of about eight knots, and its low-profile, lacy balcony trimmings, and copious use of teak and brass make it one of the most elegant on the river. Green credentials? No single-use plastics, no waste expelled into the Mekong.
There are just two decks with a total of 14 cabins arrayed across each. It’s worth the extra for the two Angkor Suites at the prow of the top level. These have private al fresco spaces with lounging chairs for instant river panoramas, and super-spacious interiors. Next in line up the top are Tonle and Aspara category suites, with Saigon and Junior suites on the lower deck; all have stylish marble ensuites and side views of the river, with full safety-railed windows that open for big views and fresh air. But most guests choose to gather in the shaded sun lounge (cushioned loungers and ceiling fans) for broad vistas, especially when the waterway becomes busier as we cross into Vietnam’s Mekong Delta waters.
Mornings start with sunrise tea, proper espresso coffee and fresh pastries in the Ramvong Lounge on the top deck. Breakfasts and lunches in Indochine Restaurant (think: French empire chairs and chandeliers) are abundant buffets, with dishes reflecting the regions through which Mekong Princess is cruising. The food, especially a la carte dinners, is extraordinarily good, with flavours slipping seamlessly between Cambodian and Vietnamese specialties and forays into the fiery spices of Thailand and French culinary traditions. There could be a squid salad with water spinach, shrimp paste, Thai basil and lotus root; a flaky fish and tamarind curry with okra, carrot, star anise and coriander; or pork loin marinated in garlic and mint, served with port wine jus, roast potato wedges and sauteed spinach. There’s a “healthy spa” menu plus vegetarian dishes, such as roasted zucchini with couscous stuffing and basil tomato sauce. Then there are desserts, which include tapioca pudding with coconut cream and a range of ice cream and sorbet flavours as zingy as lime and passionfruit.
Cooking classes and demonstrations, too, are on offer, plus wine and selected spirits come generously included in the fare. Movie screenings? Good Morning, Vietnam, naturally. Each evening, Eric runs through the following day’s schedule of activities and while many passengers hop off and do the lot, just dipping in and out of the itinerary allows for R&R on board as the pace can be pretty busy. But time spent ashore illuminates the history, culture and social hierarchy of villages along the Mekong and is therefore of lasting value. The ship’s staff provide refillable water bottles, earplugs, headsets and rechargeable listening devices for excursions, but at least moderate fitness is required to get in and out of sampans.
The company has a strong social enterprise agenda, works extensively with riverside communities and sources food, where possible, from local markets. Its projects have included rebuilding an orphanage, sponsoring schools and supporting the training of dentists and health workers. As we visit rural settlements on this itinerary, the welcome we receive is genuine and the interactions memorable. At a pagoda in the Cambodian town of Angkor Ban, we receive a traditional blessing and visit a classroom where trainee Buddhist monks are studying. They smile shyly as they practise English with us and show their mathematics workbooks.
On one of the evenings on the Cambodian leg, there’s an onboard show by children from an orphanage supported by Mekong Princess. They perform classic Aspara dances in traditional costumes and music by a live band chimes high on the sultry breeze. There’s also an optional trip by private coach to the notorious Khmer Rouge killing fields of Choeung Ek and S-21. More personalised outings create lasting impressions, too, such as our journey on the fourth day aboard a large sampan to Hong Hgu Island, almost on the Cambodia-Vietnam border, where traditional boats are constructed according to age-old designs and methods. We watch a veteran builder in action and visit homes where women are weaving exquisite Khmer-style scarfs, destined to be exported to Thailand and Vietnam.
Then we’re off to Cu Lao Gieng Island to board motorbikes with ute-style trays on the back that roar us off to a Catholic church built in the 1870s, around the same time as Notre Dame Cathedral in what was then Saigon. These tours prove a bonding mission, too, for guests. Back on board, dinner tables are regularly regrouped in Indochine for more conviviality and swapping of stories about our experiences.
Our favourite excursion is at Ban Tre in Vietnam, a few days before journey’s end. To reach a small island, we glide by sampan through a waterway lined with mangroves and deeply shaded by overhanging trees. It’s cool, green and jungle-like. We reach a village with orchards growing the endemic fruit we’ve seen at markets beside the Mekong and visit a small factory where delicious coconut candy is being cut and wrapped. Then we hop aboard a simple two-person canoe and pass along a man-made canal shaded by nipa palms. Baubles of sunlight shine through the fronds. It’s eerily quiet and feels like moving frame by frame through a flickering movie filmed in simpler times. The next, and final, stop is Ho Chi Minh City. What a juxtaposition. Time to return, sadly, to the rush of 21st-century reality.
In the know
Mekong Princess offers year-round voyages of varying lengths and itinerary inclusions. Australian small-ship specialist Cruise Traveller has special rates for its 2023 Mekong Majesty packages, with savings of $760 a couple or $495 for solo travellers for bookings made by August 14. The 12-night Mekong Majesty cruise and tour package includes three nights accommodation in Siem Reap plus a cultural show and a three-day pass and sunrise tuktuk tour to Angkor Wat. Guests then board Mekong Princess for a seven-night journey downstream to central Ho Chi Minh City. Excursions, cultural performances, cooking classes, selected onboard beverages and Wi-Fi included. Also covered are two nights accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City, with complimentary tours and a farewell dinner cruise on the Saigon River. Special rates from $6295 a person, twin-share, in a Junior Suite; from $9040 for solo occupancy. Flights from Australia not included.
Jo Makito was a guest of Cruise Traveller.