Temples, forests, a Vespa tour on luxury cruise from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- An eight-night river cruise to Ho Chi Minh City in air-conditioned luxury, with off-boat excursions, offers a window to life on their banks
We first catch sight of her tied up in Koah Chen Port.
The RV Toum Tiou II, our home for the next eight nights, sits floating on the Tonle Sap River in the Cambodian port town, which is a five-hour bus ride from the city of Siem Reap and the departure point for our cruise to Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam.
The boat, operated by Compagnie Fluviale Mekong Cruises, is designed to edge the shoreline, offering passengers a view of daily life along the river as well as off-boat experiences.
With a steel hull and three teak decks, it features 14 air-conditioned cabins with en suites and an on-board chef serving buffets of local and international dishes. Guests are outnumbered by staff bearing beaming smiles.
While we familiarise ourselves with the dining room and sun deck, where we will spend most of our time while on board, the staff deliver our luggage to the cabins.
Our trip begins with an upriver journey towards Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and then back down towards Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, 115km (71 miles) to the south, where the Tonle Sap River meets the Mekong.