Mekong River

We thought to finish off our trip to Vietnam we would do an overnight Mekong River cruise. It was probably not what we had expected, but at the same time it was another experience to add to our stable.

We chose a Mekong Eyes Cruise with our specific boat being the Mekong Eyes Classic. Our journey commenced with a drive to Can Tho from Saigon which was about 4 hours, so quite a long journey to reach our destination.

We were welcomed on board with drinks and then set sail down the river. Our cabin was super tiny, just big enough for the bed to fit in, with a very small ensuite. It was certainly very different from the opulence of the Halong Bay cruise we took. There was a tiny verandah on the back of the boat but we felt more comfortable sitting on the upper deck to view the scenery along the river.

During the afternoon cruise we disembarked and were taken on a guided walk to a local village. We can’t say this was the most pleasant thing we have done. The afternoon was quite drizzly, there were plenty of mosquitoes around and we were pretty much walking through a jungle type environment. Not our ideal way of spending an afternoon, and in hindsight we probably would have enjoyed staying on the boat and relaxing.

However, the local village people were very friendly and it did offer us insight into another way of living for the Vietnamese people. We visited a rural farm where they were producing mushrooms and honey so our guided tour around here was quite interesting.

As part of our afternoon adventure we were able to take a Sampan ride to explore the small side canals of the river. We really enjoyed this and although there was not a lot to see as we travelled, the experience was rewarding enough.

The following morning we continued our travels towards Cai Be passing colourful barges on the water and wooden ship building yards. The river is a fascinating place with plenty of trade taking place.

During the course of the morning we visited a private family home where we were given a lovely morning tea. The family were quite talented and put on a musical performance for us, which again allowed us to enjoy the diverse culture of this country.

When we reached Cai Be we were transferred to a smaller tourist boat to check out the floating markets. We could not say there were dozens of traders on the water so this was a little disappointing. However, we did visit a tourist spot where they were giving demonstrations on how to make rice paper rolls which was quite interesting. It also had a pretty good souvenir shop attached to it which had some different products to buy compared to other outlets.

All in all we probably would not have taken this cruise if we had known more about it before we travelled. However, everything is an adventure and we are thankful that we experienced something quite different to tick off our bucket list.

Travel Tips

Mosquitoes are an issue around the Mekong River so be prepared with insect repellant and long pants.
If you take a sampan ride on your cruise you will need to tip the guide/driver at the end. These are local people who depend heavily on tourism to supplement their income.