Its boutique 32-cabin Mekong Pandaw and 38-cabin Tonle Pandaw operate these cruises from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly the French colonial Saigon) through culturally and geographically divergent Vietnam and Cambodia to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Highlights along the way include the Vietnam Delta region, back-water village areas that can only be reached by the shallow-draught Pandaws and local “country boats,” a Cambodian orphanage funded by voluntary donations from Pandaw’s guests, over-water villages, wetlands, the 60km wide Tonle Lake and the legendary temple complexes of Angkor Wat.
The two nights given free as part of these package in January and February 2010 are at the 5-star Sofitel Plaza in Ho Chi Minh City, and would normally be valued at $248 per person; the hotel is located in the heart of the city close to the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace and the bustling Central Markets.
