CroisiEurope's new ship on the Mekong River allows you to explore Vietnam and Cambodia with maximum comfort and the renowned service of the French company.
Article from CruisesNews magazine
The list of monuments and cities to visit is as exotic as it is attractive: Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh and the Silver Pagoda, Ho-Chi-Minh (formerly Saigon) and above all, incredible landscapes, temples and colonial buildings, tuk-tuk rides, sailing along the fascinating Chao Gao canal and a thousand and one adventures that will be etched in our retinas forever.
The Croisieurope program combines a cruise with a stay in Siem Reap, making the trip a total of 13 days. The cruise route is one-way, so if you embark in Ho Chi Minh City, you'll end your stay in Siem Reap, and vice versa. If you embark in Siem Reap, you'll spend two nights in a hotel before boarding the Indochine II.
The first activities in Siem Reap include a visit to Senteurs d'Angkor, a traditional workshop producing soaps, cosmetics, and spices that gives back to the local community and introduces you to the aromas and sensations of Cambodia.
Angkor is such an impressive monumental complex that we will need two days to visit it.
The following day we visit Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire. We begin with the beautiful temple of Banteay Srei, built by women in the 10th century in honor of the Hindu god Shiva, and then continue to the impressive temple of Ta Prohm, which has been preserved exactly as it was found, with the trees whose enormous roots embrace the stone structures. It is a unique and mysterious landscape that has served as the backdrop for some iconic films such as Tomb Raider and The Jungle Book.
We pass through the walls of Angkor Thom, the walled royal city, at the heart of which stands the Buddhist-style Bayon temple, famous for its 172 smiling faces and 54 towers. A true UNESCO World Heritage icon that will surely fill our memory cards with photographs. The day ends with a show at the Phare Circus and dinner at a local restaurant.
On the fourth day of our trip, we return to Angkor to visit the last jewel on our list: Angkor Wat, a masterpiece of Cambodian architecture and the largest religious building in the world. Such is the importance of this temple that its image is featured on the Cambodian flag. After the visit, we finally board the Indochine II, which at dawn will sail across Tonlé Sap Lake to Kampong Chhnang, a port city of great fishing importance, where we can sample local products and take a boat trip through one of the fascinating floating villages so typical of Cambodia. It is a powerful experience that reveals to us other ways of life very different from our own.
The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a complex of buildings that has been the residence of the kings of Cambodia since its construction in 1866. It faces east and is situated on the western bank of a four-part division of the Mekong River called Chaktomuk in honor of Brahma.
Our sixth day of travel will feature the charming Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda and the small village of Koh Chen, full of leather and silver artisans, as a prelude to our arrival by boat to Phnom Penh, where we will visit the most important monuments with a tuk-tuk ride before going to sleep.
The following day we will take a more in-depth look at the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, as well as the National Museum and the Tuol Svay Prey S21 school, a former Khmer Rouge detention center. As the sun sets, we will leave Cambodia behind and enter Vietnam. After passing through customs in the morning, we will continue sailing to Chau Doc, an important fish-farming center, which we will have the opportunity to visit, along with Sam Mountain, the Phat Thay Tay An Pagoda, and the Ba Chua Xu Temple.
Tonle Lake is located in Cambodia and represents the largest expanse of fresh water in Southeast Asia and is also vital to the regional economy because of its rich fishing grounds and the fertility of its banks for rice cultivation.
Sa Dec is our destination for the next day, which will be marked by sailing. There, we can enjoy the comfortable facilities of the Indochine II, such as the deck pool, the brightly colored, air-conditioned lounge, or recover from our long days of sightseeing with a professional massage.
We are now in the Mekong Delta, and after visiting some farms, it's time for a boat trip through the intricate canals among water palms—a unique and wild environment reminiscent of so many American films.
Ta Prohm Temple. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a Khmer temple from the late 12th century, located in the Angkor complex. It served as a Buddhist monastery, housing at least 12,640 people.
Finally, the Indochine II will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, renamed in honor of the poet, politician, and military leader who was a key figure in the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, as well as the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Despite being the largest city in Vietnam, the capital is Hanoi, 1,760 km to the north.
Here we'll enjoy a panoramic tour of the city, including the imposing Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Post Office, among other points of interest, before exploring the National History Museum. We'll have free time for shopping at the vast Cholon Market before heading to the airport to conclude this unforgettable trip.
A journey along the Mekong with Croisieurope will surely be one of our most cherished memories, thanks to the exceptional landscapes, monuments, and lifestyle, as well as the comfort and safety of a modern ship with attentive passenger service.
Exotic Launch
Shortly before guests arrived at the christening ceremony of Indochine II on Saturday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, two saffron-clad monks made the rounds of the ship's public areas, scattering jasmine buds from silver bowls as a ritual blessing to CroisiEurope's new ship on the Mekong River.
The trip to the Mekong with Croisieurope will surely be one of our best memories in life.
With the launch of the 62-passenger Indochine II, CroisiEurope now has five ships sailing the Mekong River and its tributaries in Cambodia and Vietnam. The ship will travel between Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Ho Chi Minh City on nine-day itineraries from August to April.
The French family-owned line targets an international clientele and prides itself on offering all-inclusive packages at competitive prices. As its name suggests, CroisiEurope's fleet of 50 ships primarily operates in European waters. But the creation of the Indochine II responds to the growing demand for premium vessels on the Mekong River, as noted by e-commerce director Lucas Schmitter, whose grandfather, Gerard Schmitter, founded the company in 1976. The other four ships in its Asian fleet, including the 48-passenger Indochine I, were acquired by CroisiEurope when it purchased Compagnie Fluviale du Mekong in 2014.
The Indochine II shares some of the colonial ambiance of its other Mekong cruise ships, but adds a contemporary European style. All cabins have private balconies. The interiors are bright and spacious. And it boasts a large swimming pool.
The Indochine II's shallow draft allows it to cruise Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake and the river itself for longer periods during the season than some other riverboats. And at 216 feet long by 42 feet wide, it's well-proportioned to pass through the Gao Canal in Ho Chi Minh City, where most other vessels cannot, allowing passengers to spend the night on board at the beginning or end of their cruise and providing easy access to the bustling Vietnamese capital.
The Mekong River. The Mekong River is one of the world's great rivers, the 8th longest and the 5th longest of the Asian rivers. It has an estimated length of 4,880 km, drains a basin of 810,000 km² (larger than countries like Turkey, China, or Zambia), and has an annual discharge of 475 km³. It originates in China, on the Tibetan Plateau, and flows through Yunnan Province, continuing through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
There has been an increase in interest in Mekong River cruises, said Naidah Yazdani, director of CroisiEurope Asia, noting that “it is a more comfortable way to travel than going by bus and staying in hotels.”.
Unfortunately, the monks' efforts weren't enough to thwart Mother Nature, who blew fiercely as the christening ceremony was getting underway on the banks of the Tonle Sap River. Gusts of wind and rain forced the guests to board the ship. But what could have seemed like an inopportune start turned out well. In the time it took to enjoy a glass or two of champagne in the ship's lounge, the sky cleared, and everyone gathered again outside for the formal christening, with a bottle of champagne breaking against the hull of the Indochine II, with Prince Sisowath Chivannariddh and Princess Norodom Sita acting as godparents.
Technical specifications
- Year of construction: 2017
- Capacity: 62 passengers
- Draft: 1.6 meters
- Length: 65 meters
- Sleeve: 13 meters
- Cruising speed: 12 knots
- Cabins: 31
Onboard amenities include
a restaurant, lounge bar, sun deck with pool and bar, laundry service, and massages. Books and board games are available, and there are lectures, panel discussions, and onboard entertainment. Films about Indochinese and Asian culture and history will also be shown.
