Fleewinter

Bassac Cruise Mekong Delta - VMK001

This beautiful wooden boat is modelled on the traditional Vietnamese rice barges and offers 24 hour cruises down the vast waters of the Mekong Delta.

24 Bedrooms, Sleeps 48

Wooden boat
Full board
Air conditioning
Hand held shower over sink
En-suites
Bar
Deck
Dining area and sun beds

“Bassac cruise outstanding - the highlight of the holiday. Quality all the way. Did not want to get off!” - Frances L, Jan 2015

Grab yourself a cold beer from the bar and sit back on the deck to watch rural river life pass you by as the sun sinks below the horizon. Cruising the Mekong Delta is a unique experience - this enormous mix of canals and rivers is a lifeline for the locals and people watching is perhaps the best activity of all on this cruise.

Of all the short river cruises that are on offer in the Mekong Delta, Bassac is the original and it has stood the test of time. French owner Benoit is extremely passionate about his boats and his tours, which is evident on board.

The cabins are very small - but you will not be spending much time in them anyway as when you are not visiting local villages and floating markets, you will find yourself on the deck eating, drinking or just gazing on deck. The wooden cabins are very basic - they have air conditioning and a bed but not much else. Ideally take a small bag on the boat as there is not much room for luggage (you should be able to leave your big suitcases with the hotel). The cabins have small en-suites with a little hand-held shower attached to the basin (please see picture).

But you are not here to sit in your cabin, you are here to watch the bustling world of the Mekong Delta. The cruises run daily between Can Tho and Cai Be - and you could be starting in either place depending on the day you travel. The excursions vary but you are likely to visit a local village and see some of the handicraft trades that they work in, and in the morning of the second day visit one of the biggest floating markets in the country - where boats are piled up with pineapples and other wares that are sold to passer-bus on smaller rowing boats.

Bassac actually have three different boats that run this cruise. It is not possible to request a specific boat as they are regularly alternated. Bassac I, which has six cabins, actually once was a rice barge originally, which was bought and overhauled into the cozy cabin cruiser it is today, and although Bassac II and III (with 10 and 12 cabins respectively) are entirely new hull designs, more adapted to their present purpose, they were built with the same craftsmanship and according to the same tradition.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner is included in the rate. Can Tho is about a four hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), while Cai Be takes about three hours.