Viking Tours- Magnificent Mekong
 

Has anyone done this tour? Would appreciate any comments if you have. Thank you and Happy Travels!

Haven't done it, but took a look. Not enough time in Hanoi, which you can fix by arriving early, but also not enough time in Siem Reap, which you can't fix. I have no idea what you'll do on day 10, it only takes half a day to get fom PP to Chau Doc, going against the flow! I didn't find the delta very interesting, so it would be too much time there for me, but I'm not into cruising, so you might like it. That looks to be a very small boat, and there are no photos of it in the brochure I have.

I saw the brochure as well. If I were going to do a Mekong Cruise, I'd do it in one of the boats that specialize in this cruise, like Pandaw, the Marguerite or the Javaraman.

My 2 cents ..... Just got off the Jahan boat. WOH we had a ball. 7 days Siem Reap to HCMC. I saw things that I will remember my whole life. First time for us doing any form of organised tour, enjoyed every second.

Thank you for your responses. We have been to Siem Reap( amazing place!) before but want to see it again. Did it when we were in Thailand(6 did the extension so it was like a private tour). We are using frequent flyers to go and it was a huge hassle to get over there (giving up on Delta pts. to difficult to use) so it will be an inexpensive trip.my husband wasn't excited about going- seen one fish ,flower or floating market and you have seen them all is his attitude. I thought the cruise would be a break from the hussle of the cities. Ship doesn't matter, all we need is a bed. We are very lay back and food and lodging isn't a big issue like it is for many folks. I remember protesting the war and would like to see the area in person. We like small boats( refuse to do big cruise ships) and we like socializing with people at the end of the day. We usually travel with friends. I know most people like going it alone, but part of the fun is meeting others too. Have never had a bad group, actually always great groups. Like to unwind after before or after dinner and share travel tales. I'll try to post something when we return. The trip isn't until Christmas. Appreciate your responses and any suggestions of what we should not miss would be great. Happy Travels!

I think that last year Viking used the Pandaw boats. Is that still the case? Beds are like built in bunks?
Many other companies are doing this river cruise route now so you have choices to compare, AmaWaterways and others.

The name of the boat is the RV Tonle and it is 180 feet long and has 38 staterooms and 10 singles. From the pictures, it looks like bunk type with storage underneath. I'm sure they lease their boats. We picked this one because it fits our open dates and were able to use ff points. Folks on this site have always been so helpful and I have learned so much. You guys always come through! Again, any suggestions are helpful. Happy Travels.

Checked on the RV Tonie and it is a Pandaw boat. Looks really cool on the Pandaw website.

My husband and I are thinking of booking a trip with Viking for 2013 on the RV Indochina; all trips in 2013 are on this ship instead of the RV Tonle. If anyone has gone on this ship we would love to read your comments. We are currently trying to decide which month to travel. Dec/Jan is much more expensive than the other months so those months are out. We are thinking maybe Sep or Oct. One thing we definitely want to avoid is to be in a low river situation and have to be diverted to a bus to get to our ship. Thanks!

That's a Pandaw ship. See: http://www.pandaw.com/rv%20indochina...daw-c-102.html

When we were researching a Mekong trip, we worried about not being able to have local foods at meals. I wrote to both Viking and AMAWaterways and was sent menus. There was a clear distinction and I chose AmaWaterways with Asian choices available at all meals for that reason over Viking's "some Asian influenced dishes".Perhaps Viking has changed as this was a year ago.

The pictures on the Pandaw website show western cutlery. It also says that breakfast and lunch are outdoors. In the heat and humidity...

We are from south Louisiana so heat and humidity are normal for us. Wouldn't know what to do if my hair didn't friz. I'm sure chopsticks will be available. I'm not at my best working with them so will appreciate the option.

My point was that if there are no chopsticks visible, there is likely no Asian food to use them on.

I live in North Carolina, but I certainly don't eat outside in the summer.

We took Viking to China several years ago which has a similar format to this trip. Breakfast and lunch were mostly European & American on the ship and lunch and dinners off the ship were local dishes. We even had some people complain about too much Chinese food, can you believe that???

A friend told me that they ate sandwiches for lunch on their Viking China trip which horrified me. That is why I wrote both companies to check out their menus.

We have sailed on Star Clipper sail boats and many of their meals were served in the cockpit. Their bar was also outside as well as inside and most folks did the out side bar to enjoy the weather. Personally, I love getting up in the morning and smelling the water, hearing the diesel engine purring along, hearing the waves as they lap at the bow of the boat and watching the world pass by. I also like seeing the scenery not through a window. Like using all of my senses. I'll probably spend most of the time up on deck. Hot, yes but it's part of enjoying the country. As I said, we are very easy, never have been horrified by a sandwich. I sure they served other food items too. I do understand that some folks simply don't like food from other countries and prefer what they are used to eating. We have traveled with a friend that always lost weight because she was so major picky about food, but she never complained. Just came back slimmer and happy about it. I think it depends on each individual as to what makes them happy and what they are looking for in a trip. Me, I'm just thrilled and happy to be there. Many people don't get the opportunity to travel so I feel blessed and am ok with a sandwich or two if that's what I'm given.

I did this trip recently and loved it. As others have mentioned, the RV Tonle and RV Indochina are Pandaw boats, leased by Viking. They are very similar, with the major difference that the Indochina is a bit newer and doesn't have single cabins as the Tonle (built 2002, I believe) does. All the cabins on the Indochina are on the upper decks, with outside entrances, while the Tonle has its single cabins on the lower deck with only portholes.

Viking provides the hotel manager aboard the ship, and two Vietnamese program directors/head guides, who join the tour at the beginning in either Hanoi or Saigon and stay with until the end. The tour is split into two groups of about 30 who stay together throughout the trip. However, especially aboard ship the groups mingle freely and one gets to know everyone on the tour.

The dining room is good, with an ample breakfast buffet and set lunch and dinner menus. There are three choices for the main course at each meal which also include vegetarian and Asian options in addition to a western style choice. Wine and beer are provided at lunch and dinner at no charge.

Most people tend to congregate on the sundeck (which has ample shade) which has an open bar (premium wines and spirits do cost). There is also an air-conditioned saloon bar which tends to be used mostly for evening movies (L'Amant, The Quiet American, The Killing Fields, and an Angkor documentrary were shown).

The cabins were comfortable enough and air-conditioned of course, and I heard few complaints about them.

Viking emphasizes that this is not a cruise for any one with mobility problems. On board, there are only stairs to get from one deck to another, and in many cases embarking and debarking is either into a smaller boat or across a small gangplank and often up many steps cut into mud embankments. The full crew is mustered on these occasions to help the passengers make their way safely.

Most nights, the ship is moored alongside and there was only once that I recall that it travelled at night (until about 10pm).

I'll continue this post later with my observations on the actual tour and sights. I found it first class in every respect.

I'll just add one footnote to the preceding regarding dining.

<<The pictures on the Pandaw website show western cutlery. It also says that breakfast and lunch are outdoors. In the heat and humidity...>>

This may be true for Pandaw cruises, and the dining room indeed has sliding doors. However the hotel operations on the boat are to Viking standards and the dining room is air-conditioned. I never once saw those doors opened.

The tables were set with western cutlery, but chopsticks were always available, even at breakfast, for those who wanted them.

In addition to the open bar (the Vietnamese and Cambodian beers are excellent), free hors d'oeuvres are provided every evening for happy hour. The daily cocktail (made with local gin, vodka, rum and whiskey of course) was usually pretty good for those who like that sort of thing.

During the cruise itself, all meals were provided on board, but there were opportunities in Phnom Penh for those who wished to dine out at their own expense.

Laverndrye,
Wow! Thank you for posting. Please,please continue to post! Exactly what I'm excited about reading. Thank you!

I also want to thank you Laverndrye. What a great review. Can't wait to read more. We booked our trip on the RV Indochina for 22 Sept 2013. We also arranged Bangkok as a pre-trip beginning on the 19th. We decided to do our own air arrangements and just pay the fee for transfers as VRC told us this is their only river cruise that they do not offer the custom air option. We want to ensure we get flights with the least amount of stops and on our airline of choice. The cabin we booked is 306. We had originally picked 304, then looked more closely at the pictures of the ship and realized our view would be obstructed by these white criss-cross poles.

I'm glad to hear that my information is of some help.

There were some questions regarding time to travel. This can be a bit tricky as the wet and dry seasons are at different times in the North and South, but as most of the trip is spent in southern Vietnam and Cambodia, the dry season in that part of South-East Asia is the most critical. Prices are highest in January and February because according to our guides that is the ideal time for this trip. It's in the middle of the dry season and not yet too hot. Early March is also good, but by the end of March the temperatures are rising to daily highs of 38C or so and although the humidity is high, it is not nearly so bad as the summer continues. The wet season with high heat and very high humidity continues from May until Sep/Oct and is considered the low season for touring.

Regarding low water, it's true that in the dry season the levels in Tonle Sap (the great lake) are low, and they rise very significantly when the Mekong floods and backs up the Tonle Sap river into the lake. From a practical point of view, this makes no difference to the cruise, as the river is not navigable to Siem Reap for the cruise boats at any time of year. Thus there is a bus transfer (about 5 hours) between Siem Reap and Kampong Cham on the Mekong. Similarly, the cruises start (or end) at My Tho in the Delta, which involves about a two hour bus trip to or from Saigon.

Regarding airport transfers, if you haven't arranged your air through Viking, don't waste your money buying a transfer through them. I started my trip with the Bangkok extension and took a cab from the airport to my hotel. It's a fixed rate which worked out to be about $16 for a 45 minute trip. Similarly in Hanoi a cab from the Metropole hotel downtown to the airport (again about a 45 minute trip) was $17 fixed rate. I imagine that the rate from Tan Son Nhat airport to downtown Saigon would be about the same.

The hotels which Viking uses are all 5-star and among if not the best in each city. In Bangkok, it is the Hilton Milennium, right on the river. The main tour uses all Sofitels--the Saigon Plaza, the luxurious Angkor Phokeethra in Siem Reap and the legendary Metropole in Hanoi. For those going to Halong Bay, the Novotel is definitely the nicest hotel in town. I could not fault any of them. Well, perhaps the pianist in the cocktail bar in Siem Reap, while willing, was perhaps out of his depth. However the troupe of Cambodian classical dancers and musicians who perform there every night more than made up for his deficiencies.

In my next installment I'll talk a bit about the actual tour.

Thank you again! Waiting with a big happy face for your next installment!

My apologies for not getting back to this earlier.

I promised to post about the actual tour, and I do have a few observations to make. I won't detail the itinerary, as it is available on the Viking website, but will comment on some of the highlights.

I started with the pre-trip extension in Bangkok and as you have already been there I won't comment other than to say that it was a very interesting three days and did cover the highlights of the city very well.

We flew from Bangkok to Saigon (although it is officially Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon appears to be the term used by most, including our Vietnamese guides) on Vietnam airlines. We were met by one of the Viking guides and taken to the Sofitel Saigon Plaza, which was very centrally located within walking distance of many of the sights of the city. The rest of the afternoon and evening were free as those joining the tour were arriving throughout the day and evening. The guides were very helpful in suggesting places to visit and dine.

The next day we were split into two groups of about thirty each with a guide who would be with us until the end of the trip in Hanoi. However, there were many opportunities, particularly on the boat for the two groups to mingle.

The tour of Saigon hit most of the highlights, but did not include a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels outside the city. Dinner was at a very nice restaurant and featured Vietnamese cuisine.

Leaving Saigon the next day, the bus trip to My Tho in the Delta took about two hours and we embarked on the MV Tonle.

The next few days were spent visiting Vietnamese towns and villages which we reached by sampan. They included visits to small enterprises making candies, a brick works, a fish farm and a wholesale market. These may sound somewhat boring, but most of us agreed that the visits were quite fascinating. We walked around small villages, often thronged by children, rode round the town of Chau Doc in pedicabs, and visited the Chinese house featured in Marguerite Duras' autobiographical novel, "The Lover". (The film based on the novel was shown aboard one night).

Crossing into Cambodia, we reach Phnom Penh where the boat berthed for three nights. Along with the guided tours (and more pedicab rides through the city traffic) there was free time to explore the city and markets, and for those who wished to go ashore in the evening, the dock was very centrally located. Although an alternative was provided to the tour to the Choeung Ek Khmer Rouge killing fields site and the Tuol Sleng detention and torture sites, most people opted to take the tour. Our local Cambodian guides were excellent, and openly described their personal experiences as children during that terrible time. One night a troupe of street children who had been trained in traditional Cambodian music and dance performed on board. Very charming indeed.

From Phnom Penh, we made our way to Kampong Cham, visiting a number of Cambodian villages, schools, Buddhist monasteries and temples. We had the opportunity to walk through several villages, and one highlight, not in the published itinerary, was a trip by oxcart through the countryside. All very fascinating.

In addition to the topical films which I mentioned in a earlier post, there were several talks on board given by the Vietnamese guides, by the Cambodian guides, and by a French history professor, long resident in Cambodia, who could speak more freely about the history and politics than could the Cambodians guides (although they were very candid indeed about their own personal histories).

At Kampong Cham we disembarked after seven nights on board, and travelled by bus for five hours or so to Siem Reap. Box lunches were provided and this was the only sub-standard meal of the entire trip. At Siem Reap we checked into the very luxurious Sofitel Royal Angkor where that night a group of traditional Cambodian dances and musicians performed in the main dining room.

The next two days were spent touring four of the 56 temples at Angkor, including the world famous Angkor Wat, and the Ta Prom temple with the jungle growth covering much of the ruins. The local guides were very knowledgeable in guiding us through these massive ruins. The hotel was not far from Angkor Wat and some opted for an early morning tuk-tuk ride out to see the sunrise there, but both mornings were somewhat overcast and the sunrises were reported to be not very spectacular.

After the first dinner at the hotel, the next two nights featured visits to two of the better restaurants in Siem Reap for local Cambodian fare. There were tours to a silk farm and artisanal centre in Siem Reap, and a late lunch before the early evening departure to Hanoi. Some opted to stay at the hotel for the morning and lounge by the pool until check-out at noon.

We arrived in Hanoi in the evening and it was after 9PM before we were settled in the magnificent century-old Metropole Hotel. (This was the reason for the late lunch in Siem Reap).

The one day of touring in Hanoi hit all the highlights, including a visit to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum (one person declined to participate) and the evening and tour ended with a farewell dinner at the swanky Press Club, across the street from the hotel.

18 people opted for the post-trip extension to Halong Bay. It was a five-hour trip by bus, including lunch, and an overnight stay at the Novotel--the best in town. Other tour companies feature an overnight stay on a junk in the Bay, but Viking opted for a four hour cruise the next day. The weather was not conducive to a spectacular visit as after weeks of sunny weather it was overcast and misty and perhaps we didn't see the Bay at its best. I was somewhat disappointed. After the cruise, another 5 hour trip back to Hanoi and a final night at the Metropole. The next day the group dispersed to their various flights home.

The guides were superb, particularly the two Viking Vietnamese program directors who were with us for the whole trip. The local guides brought their local knowlege and experience and they were all very good indeed. Language was not a problem as they all spoke English very well indeed. Quietvox earphones were used throughout the tour--a huge benefit, particularly where there were many other visitors such as at Angkor.

This is probably too much information, but I would be glad to answer specific questions on the Viking tour.

Thank you again for posting! The trip sounds interesting and exciting!I really enjoy little villages and seeing how people live. Were you able to purchase candles, and some of the other handicraft to help support the people? I've been busy reading books about the war and am disappointed that we will not tour the tunnels. Can't have it all. It sounds like the hotels are great too.How was walking around the major cities? I've heard tales of taking your life in your hands to cross a street. Was it do able? What did you purchase to take home as a rememberance? I'm hoping to find some orginal art.
Thank you again for such an excellent post. I have really enjoyed reading it!

Did you take anything to hand out to the children Ex: pencils, mardi gras beads (we are from New Orleans) or crayons? Any other suggestions on anything will be most welcome.

On the tour to Cai Be, the candy factory, you can certainly buy their products, which include coconut caramels, rice cakes (something like Rice Krispie squares), rice wine (with or without the snake in the bottle) made on the premises and other assorted goodies. I don't recall seeing handicrafts in the other Vietnamese Delta villages, but in Cambodia most of the villages had locally made handicrafts for sale, including locally made silk products.

The best places to buy high quality work are at the lacquer factory in Saigon (exquisite pieces at very reasonable prices) and at Angkor d'Artisan in Siem Reap. The latter serves as a school to train artisans in traditional Cambodian crafts and has very high quality objects in silk, silver, stone carvings, wood and lacquer. You will also have a chance to browse in the huge public markets in Saigon, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. You will not have much free time in Hanoi, but there are many shopping opportunities there as well.

I suppose one is always taking one's life in hand when travelling, but crossing streets in the large cities in Vietnam and Cambodia can be intimidating at first. As traffic lights are few and far between, you simply have to wait for a bit of a gap in the traffic and start out--don't look to either side, but straight ahead and keep at a steady pace. Above all, do not run. The motor scooters and cars will flow around you. Have faith.

You may also be a bit intimidated by the pedicab ride in the heavy traffic in Phnom Penh, particularly as the technique for left turns is for the driver to ease into the oncoming traffic before the turn and then into the oncoming traffic again before moving over. However, it all seems to work!

south, please don't take things to hand out to the children, as it encourages them to be beggars. If you want to contribute to the quality of life of these children take a look at www.theplf.org

laverendrye, I'm amazed that the tour company would tell you that there are 56 temples at Angkor... there are over a thousand in quite a large area. Nonetheless, it sounds like you quite enjoyed the trip. Thanks for telling us about your experience.

We have visited schools in China, Cambodia and Egypt and were asked to take pencils, books, and crayons. In Cambodia, it was actually a floating school. Really interesting to see,I believe Grand Circle Foundation sends money to some of the schools however I understand the begging thing. We visited the Angkor d'Artisan and purchased some pillow covers. A delightful place.

Laverendrye, you have been most helpful and I certainly appreciate you taking the time to answer all of my questions.Happy Travels!

<<laverendrye, I'm amazed that the tour company would tell you that there are 56 temples at Angkor... there are over a thousand in quite a large area. Nonetheless, it sounds like you quite enjoyed the trip. Thanks for telling us about your experience.>>

Thanks for the correction. I don't know where the number 56 came from, but it jumped into my septuagenarian brain and stayed there. I was also sloppy in talking about temples, when I really meant to say sites, which include palaces and temples and other buildings.

According to my 6th edition of Dawn Rooney's "Angkor", one of the most authoritative guidebooks, there are 74 accessible sites within the 200 sq km area north of Siem Reap. Now some of these sites are quite large with many buildings, such as at Angkor Thom, and others are quite small, such as Banteay Srei.

How many temples are there? I don't know. But there certainly is a lot more to see than the most famous, Angkor Wat. Rooney has grouped the 74 sites into 14 groups and suggests that each group needs about a half-day to properly appreciate. This suggests a minimum of a week for serious visitors to Angkor.

At any rate the four chosen for our 2 day tour, Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Banteay Srei, and Ta Prohm are among the most popular, and certainly give one an appreciation of the variety of the ruins at Angkor.

Laverendrye,
Thanks so much for the information. We'll be going on your exact same itinerary, except without the post trip to Halong Bay. I'm interested in your pre trip to Bangkok. Did the two formal tours last all day? What time was your flight from Bangkok to Saigon? Did you have a VRC guide while in Bangkok?

You wrote about visiting some villages. Did anyone on your trip bring school supplies, etc. for the children? I know VRC specifically encouraged that in China.

Tks, Cathy

I agree that Dawn Rooney is the Angkor expert. We used her book as a guide when we spent a week at Angkor. The "over a thousand" number I gave includes sites that are farther away and includes many that are not currently accessible.

I enjoyed most those sites where we had the place to ourselves to sit in the quiet and meditate. The sites packed with tourists were spectacular, but our experience was not as moving.

I'm putting this up again hoping someone who has done this trip recently will be incouraged to post a trip report, information or even pictures. Thanks!

We're doing the exact itinerary that Laverendrye did (with the Bangkok pre-tour)mid November 2012. I was wondering if anyone that did this tour got to visit the floating markets in Bangkok? Does VRC take you there? Also, are mosquitos a problem on the cruise portion? Is it worth bothering with malaria pills (we're going at the end of the wet season) ?

Edy, do visit a travel medicine professional to discuss anti-malarials and recommended vaccines. Take a look at www.cdc.gov/travel to prepare for your travel medicine visit. It's the resource the travel clinic will use.

A very helpful report. Just why people need. I think it is possible to fly from Phnom Penh to Ankor and avoid the long bus trip.

<<I was wondering if anyone that did this tour got to visit the floating markets in Bangkok? Does VRC take you there?>>

The Viking tour program does not take you to any floating markets. If you are thinking of the most famous one, at Damnoen Saduak, it is about 100km outside Bangkok and with the traffic congestion is really an all-day trip. There is one floating market within the Bangkok area, Taling Chan. I didn't go there, but understand it is more of a riverside market with some boats tied up alongside.

There is one free afternoon in the Viking Bangkok program and there are some tours which can be arranged with your guide at a reasonable cost. A group of us went with our guide to the Jim Thompson House and Chinatown, both of which were quite interesting.

<<Also, are mosquitos a problem on the cruise portion? Is it worth bothering with malaria pills (we're going at the end of the wet season)>>

Before I left I consulted a local travel clinic, and they advised that with the exception of a small area in Cambodia, the rest of the trip was through areas that are malaria-free. I did take malaria pills (malarone) for three days just be sure, but it really wasn't necessary at all. The area in question was between Kampong Cham and Siem Reap, but we travelled during the day in a bus (about a 5 hour ride) so even had there been mosquitos in the area, they would not likely have been out, nor would there have been much chance of being bitten on the bus. However conditions do change, so check with your own travel clinic. During the whole trip I don't think I encountered a single mosquito (the ones which are active during the day can carry dengue fever).

Enjoy your trip. It's a wonderful itinerary.

Taking Malarone for three days won't do you any good. You should start taking it one to two days before arriving in the malaria area, and continue for seven days afterwards.

You are right. I did take the malarone not for three, but for nine days--one day before, one while in the area and seven after.

Just booked Viking for March-April Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. I know this is silly, but the only thing I really worry about is very narrow roads over mountains! Could you please tell me about the bus rides?

We are also adding on about ten days to Hoi An, Danang and Hue and a trip west to the mountains.

Thoughts?