3-day Mekong Eyes Cruise Vietnam - Cambodia

The first two days, especially the cruise part was wonderful. The third day was successful in that we got to Cambodia and through immigration without issue but the tour operators could provide better description to set expectations. While the 3rd day experience was enlightening and entertaining in some respects, it wasn’t really much focused on the Mekong and it probably wasn’t the most efficient immigration crossing

This was a trip starting on Friday in Phnom Penh and finishing on Sunday in HCMC. It was a journey of two halves. The first day was pretty awful. I was picked up from my hotel late morning and taken down to the dock where there was a good deal of hanging around before we set off down the Mekong in a speed boat. This was no luxury cruise - the boat was cramped and we could see little. There was a five-hour delay at the border owing to an IT failure; at least the boat company had the decency to give us all an egg roll. The hotel at Chao Doc was very nice - just a shame that we only arrived there at 23:00h so could barely enjoy it. Breakfast the next morning at the hotel was excellent. There was an uninspiring three hour drive to join the cruise boat after which things started to improve. Cabin was good as was the food on board - a four-course lunch and similar at dinner. There was an afternoon excursion. The boat does not move overnight. On the final day breakfast was on the deck and activities consisted of a sanpan ride, some Vietnamese folk music, a bike ride and a glass of snake oil. Finally a minibus took us to Saigon.

Was slightly sceptical originally booking Mekong Eyes Classic boat for the 3 day trip Saigon to Phnom Penh as we can be a bit particular. But this turned out to be a highlight of our 3 week holiday. Absolutely lovely and clean boat , side trips on shore were certainly interesting, staff were exceptional ( shout out to Kiem our guide) and the lunches and dinners were fine dining. The food quality was unexpected and extremely good. Also a minor thing , but not having to share our dining table was a bonus. I am so glad we chose Mekong Eyes Classic over the bigger cruises. Also being a smaller boat it was able to travel some areas that bigger boats couldn't. Would highly recommend Mekong Eyes Classic .

We actually did the 4-day tour (2 nights on the boat), but can't seem to be able to review this option. It was the perfect way to explore and spend time on the Mekong Delta while making our way to Cambodia. This package includes a night at the Victoria Hotel in Chau Doc (very nice) and where you catch the ferry to Phnom Penh right in front of the hotel. The paper work for leaving Vietnam and entering Cambodia takes about a total of 2 hours, other than that it is an enjoyable way to travel. Note that passport photos were not required for the visa application (they simply take a photo of your passport and of you with their smart phone). The fee had also increased to $37. The staff on the boat was very attentive, polite and some spoke some English. The boat has a tour guide for the different sightseeing activities.

We could have spent a lot longer meandering through the Mekong on the boat. Everything is provided and thought of including the beer from the company microbrewery. The air-con rooms are comfortable with en-suite and hot shower. We opted to stay aboard for the village walks and the sampans and floating market were generally as expected for a tourist experience, because that is what they are? We were there for the cruise on the Mekong & that certainly exceeded my expectations we will make plans to return

We actually did the reverse cruise from Phnom Phen to Saigon. Though advertised as a 3 day 2 night cruise we spent less than 24 hours on the boat. The boat was ok, the food excellent. The side trips average. Just some advice, read between the lines. It's as advertised but we hadn't appreciated that we would spend 4 hours on the speed boat having spent 90 minutes waiting for the boat, trip was fine along the Mekong, but arrived in the dark with no-one to greet us, though hotel was next door. The Victoria, which was great. Next day a three hour taxi to the boat, interesting travelling through the countryside and towns. Boat left about 12pm. After the cruise we disembarked at 8am and had some trips. The Sampan ride was short and quiet a disappointment. Three hour taxi to Saigon then, though a nice lunch stop was included. Overall, we didn't think it was worth what we paid. And keep your cash close, we were 2million short when we checked our money later.

We booked the tour from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh. The first night on the Mekong was nice, though not very relaxing due to the noise of the generator at night. The transfers all worked very well. But there was a lack of a uniform approach. We always had another driver, no tour guide with us on the way and therefore no information regarding lunch, check-in at the hotel etc. In Chau Doc we were simply dumped at the hotel with no info regarding pick up the next morning or options for dinner. It is also a pity that there is no water or soft drinks in the food. The value for money is definitely not right for us for this tour.

I did the Mekong Eyes tour four a total of 4 days and 3 nights - 2 nights were on the Mekong eyes riverboat and 1 night was in a hotel in Chau Doc, before taking a speedboat to Phnom Penh. The riverboat was really nice; the room was cozy with teak finishes and a nice size bathroom, though pretty much no closet. The food was really delicious and a highlight of the tour. The guide “Cutie” was very nice and funny. Cruising down the Mekong and watching the sun set while enjoying happy hour drinks was another highlight of the trip. The excursions off the boat were relaxing and enjoyable, and included village walks and trip to floating market. The speedboat trip to Phnom Penh was also hassle-free, we had to make a stop on Vietnam side and then on Cambodia side to get the visa, and the guide who accompanied us took our passports and visa fees and handled everything for us without any problems. The one downside I found was that 3days and 2 nights on the riverboat turned out to be too long, 2 days and 1 night is entirely sufficient. Then if you want to continue on to Phnom Penh you can spend an additional night in a hotel in Chau Doc and take the speedboat up, which was really enjoyable.

Do yourself a favour …. Experience this wonderful trip. Boat has wonderful amenities, clean , neat and fresh. Food was like you went to a first class restaurant at every meal… big congrats to the chef and kitchen staff. What can be said about the staff , they all go above and beyond their call of duty to make the stay memorable. Jonathon our tour guide was so knowledgeable, friendly, funny and made all the excursions great. Dining room staff were fantastic especially Lauren , Kin and An.

We booked the 3-day2-day tour with pick-up in Saigon and drop-off in Phu Quoc. First the good: actually a really good tour, exactly as we had imagined. The logistics worked out great, the staff were extremely friendly, Tuk, our tour guide, explained a lot about the history of Vietnam and the customs on the Mekong in a nice and entertaining way. A real asset. The excursions were also well chosen. In principle, it could have been a great tour. Now for the not so nice part: The boat has 16 cabins, 12 "normal" ones on the lower deck and 4 "premium" ones with a balcony on the upper deck. We booked one of the balcony cabins and were initially very impressed - until the boat set off. Unfortunately, the premium cabins are located in the stern above the two large engines, and there seems to be no insulation at all. Staying in the "premium" cabin was impossible because of the noise. The same applied to the balcony, where the exhaust fumes were added - the exhausts are on the side just above the waterline, a little in front of the balcony. Even if you didn't get to use the great cabin, you could escape it during the day and stay on the deck. Unfortunately, one of the two engines ran all night to operate the air conditioning and lights, and in the morning the engines started up at 5:20 (day 1) and around 5:50 (day 2). You can imagine our mood in the morning. If you want to go on the boat, you should make sure you book one of the cabins right at the front on the lower deck.