Song Xanh Sampan Mekong Delta Cruise 3 Days 2 Nights

Posted By : schnuppse
We are still on the boat while I am writing this review and we love every minute. The boat is beautiful but what makes it special is the super kind staff and our lovely tour guide lady. The serve delicious food and make you feel very comfortable while cruising Mekong River. We would absolutely do it again.
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Posted On : 2023-11-13 07:54:57

Posted By : Gerry D
When we were picked up by a driver at our Ho Chi Minh City hotel, we had no idea what an adventure lay ahead of us. 2 1/2 hours later, we arrived at our Victoria Cruises Sampan. We were greeted by Thanh our wonderful tour guide. He spoke very good English, and spent the next two and a half days telling us about Vietnamese culture and life in the Mekong Delta. We were greeted with cool wash cloths, and shown to our luxurious quarters. There are two bedrooms with comfortable beds, two bathrooms, mosquito netting , air conditioning and Wi-Fi, which we did not expect. The architecture of the traditional sampan was delightful and we also had a living room area where we could watch the activity of the river go by. There is also a TV which we never used as watching life in the Delta was much more interesting.
Thanh accompanied us on many excursions. We rode bikes in a rural area, visited a temple, tasted candy at a candy factory, watched the hard-working people making ceramic pots, learned about a political leader on Tiger Island,visited the market at Sa Dec and rode in a small boat on one of the many tributary canals. We had a real feel for life along the river as we watched the loading and unloading of bags of rice, floating past the floating market and seeing the many houses that line the river.

We were treated to delicious meals by our chef, Phong, looked after by our steward Kiet and safely delivered by Captain Yung to Chau Doc where we disembarked and stayed in the luxurious Victoria Hotel part of our tour. The buffet breakfast the next morning was delicious.

If you want to treat yourself to a once in a lifetime adventure, this is the tour for you. We were two people, but the sampan could accommodate four people. It is a memory I shall treasure.
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Posted On : 2023-10-28 04:59:55

Posted By : mattD937
The trip far exceeded our expectations. The boat was amazing but the best part was the service from our guide Xuyen and the crew. We had delicious meals and were never hungry. We enjoyed the day trips and also appreciated the time to relax and take in the scenery.
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Posted On : 2023-07-07 22:09:30

Posted By : 293varunt
I searched websites for cruises that would allow us to stay on the river or nearby. I am a photographer, an avid geography, culture, travel buff and my wife is not as willing. We both have dietary restrictions (I am vegetarian/vegan and my wife needs no/low fat food and no red meat). The overall experience was something I am okay with but the Mekong Delta is polluted, smells awful at some points (but this is not a criticism of Vietnam. Many places across the globe are struggling with the drastic effects of pollution along their major river systems).

There were some photo ops but nothing fascinating. Every time we stopped to visit something on the land, like an artisan shop, a workshop, a temple or something, it underwhelmed us. Song Xanh sampan (the boat) was average. The crew did their best and we are grateful to them to have made it good enough but the boat by Victoria Cruises needs better equipment. In May-Aug I cannot imagine night stays on the boat when the temperatures are 30+ Celcius (120+F) with humidity and still air. No breeze!

Song Xanh Sampan boat by Victoria Cruise had one fan and another portable fan unit. But honestly, if I had the energy, I could blow harder and faster the entire night. We both are not ones that need comfortable AC and pampered climate. They don't need to have AC units but the fans need to be more in number and better.

The sleeping is under a mosquito net and that worked well. Again, I didn't need an AC unit but if you can't tolerate an environment with no AC, then this trip (or this boat) is not your choice.

For a photographer, there weren't many excursions deeper into the country side to see rice fields or similar scenery. So your mileage may vary.

Overall:

Experience satisfaction: 3/5
Song Xanh Sampan boat/facilities: 2/5
Song Xanh Crew: 5/5
Restaurant staff at Le Longanier: 5/5

Song Xanh itinerary planning and value for sites: 3/5 (Cai Rang is the only thing of memory and that lasted 30 min. The bicycle tour in Cai Be is very poor thinking because you will be cycling at peak temperatures in the hot and muggy southern Vietnam region when even the locals are resting or having lunch. By the end of the bicycling, we both lost appetites to eat anything. So the delicious lunch was underutilized.)
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Posted On : 2023-05-26 19:38:18

Posted By : DeniseG01060
A beautiful boat on a fascinating river! If you enjoy small river cruises, this is a wonderful trip. We were pampered by the staff, and found the experience quite relaxing. The boat was so lovely, and the fact that our room was air conditioned at night made the experience comfortable for us. The food was great, with many options for 2 people, and they met my dietary requests (non-dairy pescatarian) very happily. The Mekong Delta area is a working river, and there are a wide range of boats on the river, from tiny wooden fishing boats, to large commercial barges. Our guide, Giu, was quite knowledgeable about the area and took us to learn about coconut candy making as well as brick making using traditional methods. We also had several other excursions, including visits to see temples and a market area. Cruising on board was a favorite activity, with so much to see! If you consider this trip, be aware that you will be traveling on a working river, gaining insight into the lives of people who live here; this is not a nature preserve.
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Posted On : 2022-12-16 20:19:45