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11 day / mekong river cruise vietnam to cambodia


vietzay
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Did a similar cruise in September last year with a company booked out of Australia (they had a special deal on) and had a good time despite getting a bug half way through the trip. Our ship was fortunate that we were able to sail all the way up to Siem Reap across the lake which is not often possible due to water levels.

 

I think you need to find out more details about the quality of the ship the company is using as I could not find too much detail in the web site you posted and it might not be as good as one might expect. Do your research

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  • 4 weeks later...

  • Ho Chi Minh city
  • Mekong delta
  • Phnom Penh
  • Chong Konh
  • Tonle lake
  • Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

Has anyone experience this? here is the program in details : http://www.vietnameseprivatetours.com/tour/11-day-mekong-river-cruise-vietnam-to-cambodia/

 

YES!! Have many suggestions and ideas!! Super enjoyed our visit in Vietnam, etc., earlier this year. Full details can be seen below on my live/blog. Plus a few visual samples below. Please ask on my live/blog any and all questions. Happy to share more, hear about your interests, info needs, etc.

 

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Telegraph for this weekend, they have this headline: 17 reasons to visit Vietnam with some of these highlights: Hustle and bustle in Hanoi: What makes the capital so interesting is that it feels very old-fashioned, stuck in the past with its French colonial history entrenched in its pavement cafes, architecture and wide tree-lined boulevards. Take a ride in one of the thousands of tuk-tuks swarming through the city’s streets to get a sense of the daily buzz.

 

That is just one of the seventeen reasons cited. Bring back nice memories in reading this fun profile. Here is more: "Halong Bay: Increasingly popular, especially with the Chinese thanks to its proximity to the border, Halong Bay remains a staggering sight: shimmering turquoise waters punctuated by mossy rocks rising steeply out of nowhere. Ho Chi Minh City offers a contrast to northern Hanoi. The swaggering city of the south is all modern skyscrapers and new building projects. Find a hotel bar high up to admire the lights as the sun sets - many would have propped up war correspondents in the Sixties."

 

Full story at:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/vietnam/articles/reasons-to-visit-vietnam/

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 25,440 views. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

 

Here are just a few visuals samples from what we saw and did with Avalon while sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many more photos and details on the full live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

CMY_0654%202_zpsu3xzdbr1.jpg

 

CMY_1642%202_zpsylne46ki.jpg

 

CMY_1874_zpskuw4drgj.jpg

 

We saw many temples, palaces, markets and samples of daily life/work, including at this below spectacular Royal structure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.:

CMY_1271_zpsif0trcea.jpg

CMY_1025%203_zpsn1ha0rtn.jpg

 

CMY_0470%201_zpsdpnhanc1.jpg

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I didn’t see any details on the website about the ship, hotels, group size etc. There are many different groups doing these tours. I personally would do quite a bit more research before booking this.

 

We went with Abercrombie and Kent for ours, almost identical to yours, except we also did Bangkok. Ship was 24 passenger, all guests on the same tour. Hotels were very high quality. It was a fantastic trip.

 

There are many many threads on the River cruising forum here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=191

 

You can use the search function in the upper right side for “Mekong.”

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I totally agree with Bpos and Pudgesmom. I have never heard of the company. The very least I would expect is to see reviews of the company who is offering the holiday and would also want to know which boat is being used and the nationality of the other travellers on that boat. It may be that they are an agent just selling you a cruise on another company's boat - in which case you may be best going direct to that company. It could also be a scam i.e. a website set up to get people to book a fictitious cruise which never happens.

 

I would also check the river cruise forums as you may find more people who may just have heard of the company concerned.

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One of my BIL/SIL with other extended family members just returned recently from a land-based 10 days tour, starting @HCMC, traveling north to Hue, Halong Bay & Hanoi - being originally from there, they had plenty of local help as some of their friends are in the travel business.

 

What he recommended is to check out some of the tour operators listed on the official VN government tourism website, look at some of them & cross-check TripAdvisor ratings & reviews.

http://www.vietnamtourism.com/en/index.php/services/travels

This is a random one that I chose as an example, not an endorsement or anything - noticed the difference, if any.

 

Looking at the link/website of the above referenced 11 day river cruise, VN to Cambodia ... I am just a little concerned about exactly who the operator is, are they acting as a broker/agent - it seemed that they are VPT but also Vietnam Luxury Travel, but, a branch or division of My Way Travel ??? (as listed on the official International Tourism license, issued by the VN Gov't authorities ... dated 2014. Cannot verify if the operating certificate has an expiration date/indefinite, and/or renewed annually or biannually, etc. - might be worth asking, and, also ask about their insurance coverage & amount, etc.)

 

As best as I can research - the operator/business is based in Hanoi with no additional branches, and, the listed contact # is a mobile telephone # - and, online search shown that it's been used under other aliases in past years ... most likely, acting as a broker/agent to set up these tours, which is fine in itself. I would suggest, ask them if they have an alternate means of contact 24/7 in case of emergencies in route, i.e. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Skype, Twitter, etc.

 

As far as the cruise ship(s) are concerned - these are going to be smaller than your typical Euro river cruises, more like smaller yachts custom built for sailings. From the info that I found, these 2 appeared to be offered by the above:

http://huonghaisealifecruise.com/en/page/FAQ

(see the "warning" in the upper right corner of the webpage)

http://bellezzacruises.com/

 

Might also be worthwhile to contact the VN Tourism office by email to ask them about the operator, including the telephone # to see if they know of them & their history, etc. with a simple request. Best of luck & wishes. Happy planning ahead !

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Unfortunately any advice you may get ( if you are lucky to hear from them at all) will be such that I would be highly suspect and not rely on the information they provide. Just like many of their overseas consulates and embassies, they will tell you "anything" that may or not be true to get you to deal with them or an associate, usually at a much higher cost than you can find elsewhere

 

Also the op is referring to a Mekong river cruise not Halong Bay!

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Sounding more suspicious than ever to me. You could go to the Trip Advisor forums for Vietnam/Cambodia and look for local agents (could ask question of not apparent). If the exact name of a local agent is the one for your link, and there are a lot of good reviews for them on TA under 'things to do, then should be OK.

 

IF a name is similar but not the same, it could well be someone wanting to impersonate a reliable agent (and may be a scam) and I would not have any intention of using them.

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Unfortunately any advice you may get will be such that I would be highly suspect and not rely on ... like many of their overseas consulates and embassies ... op is referring to a Mekong river cruise not Halong Bay!
I don't necessary disagree with you but should we - simply - put unquestioned faith & trust upon Tripadvisors' review and/or solely on the basis of posted feedback on these forum ??

 

OP's agent/operator of the 11 days Mekong River private/luxury package is based on an address in Hanoi to the north (with no branch office presence in HCMC) that's over 30 hours over roads & highways or a 2.5+ hour non-stop flight by air.

 

Cai Be (district) is southwest of HCMC. another 3 hours over the roadway. The tour mentioned Saigon - better known as HCMC these days - stops or major tourist landmarks aren't included or extras ?? Assuming a midday arrival by air - there's virtually no time to rest, take in a lunch or transition from jet-lag, etc. spending a night "pre-cruise" in HCMC (District 1 is the location of given hotel - it's a nice one but there are dozens of these classics, all 5 stars. It's shameful to visit the city on a pass-thru and not even sightsee for a day or 2, before the countryside.

 

Bulk of this (really a 10 days cruise) are spend in Cambodia, crossing on Day #4 ... departure is on Day 11. Any backtracking to see HCMC, optionally extra or add-ons, it seemed ...

 

Questions I would ask is what kind of air-conditioned vehicle, almost all of the ones used, including taxi are fully air-conditioned, i.e. Toyota Highlander are popular. We had a M-Benz Sprinter van, sitting high up w. excellent visibility all around us ... when extended family friends chartered it for 2 days - with a driver and tour guide that spoke English.

 

This packaged tour might well be a very nice one - but I would ask for very specific details in writing, the outline is very vague & non-specific, including deposits, payment terms and cancellation/refund policies, etc. etc. - before wiring or transfering money or do money transfer for deposits to secure the package ... which, by definitions, suggesting that the costs of this will run into thousands of USD for 2 travelers, and even more for a group of 4 to 6, etc. Check out their credentials and references very, very carefully is the bottom line.

 

This is another (click to view) random link - definitely not endorsement nor approval nor affiliated or associated them, cannot vouch for their reputation & services, etc. - but, compare & notice the difference in what they are offering, etc.

Edited by mking8288
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Unfortunately any advice you may get ( if you are lucky to hear from them at all) will be such that I would be highly suspect and not rely on the information they provide. Just like many of their overseas consulates and embassies, they will tell you "anything" that may or not be true to get you to deal with them or an associate, usually at a much higher cost than you can find elsewhere

 

Also the op is referring to a Mekong river cruise not Halong Bay![/quot

 

Just to clarify my first paragraph in the above quote - I am referring only to Vietnam Tourism Offices and Vietnamese Consulates and embassies.

 

I put a lot of reliance on posts on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor, would not make bookings or travel arrangements and research without reference to either forum as appropriate.

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