Gecko Eyes Cruise Cai Be - Sa Dec 2 days

We pick you up at your hotel in Saigon (District 1 and parts of District 3) and transfer you to the pier in Cai Be (approximately a 2-hour drive), where you board the Gecko Eyes. After a refreshing welcome drink, we introduce you to the onboard facilities and your cosy cabin. As lunch is served on the top deck, the boat begins cruising. Sit back and relax on the sun deck or in the air-conditioned lounge while enjoying the fantastic scenery and observing the daily life of the Mekong people.

After lunch, we arrive in charming Sa Dec for a city tour. Explore the bustling and colorful local market, enjoy a coffee along the pleasant riverside promenade, and visit a nearby flower village with orchards. The charming town still boasts plenty of colonial architecture, particularly around the old market, the church, and the many historic villas and traders' houses. We visit one of these houses, a beautifully renovated traditional residence that once belonged to a Chinese trader's family. This elegant building was associated with the Chinese lover of Marguerite Duras, the central figure in her novel The Lover.

Writer Marguerite Duras grew up in the colonial town of Sa Dec, where her mother worked as a teacher. In 1984, she published the apparently autobiographical novel L’Amant, translated into English as The Lover, which describes her adolescent affair with a Chinese man. The novel won the prestigious Goncourt Prize in 1984. In 1991, Jean-Jacques Annaud directed the successful film The Lover. It was among the first Western films shot in Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Many scenes were filmed in Sa Dec, where several original locations associated with Marguerite Duras's life can still be found, particularly the family home of her Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le.

In the late afternoon, we return to the Gecko Eyes and enjoy a sunset cruise, with more fantastic photo opportunities from aboard. If time allows, we may make a brief stop at a brick kiln or enjoy a short bicycle ride before dinner is served on board. We then moor for the night, where you will stay aboard your floating hotel in the Mekong Delta.

Meals: L, D

Accommodation: Gecko Eyes Cruise

Wake up refreshed to the sounds of the Mekong River and get ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta. At 6:30 AM, the boat sets off on a sunrise cruise. Enjoy an early breakfast while watching local people go about their daily activities, from drying exotic fruits to building boats in wooden boatyards.

After breakfast, we board a sampan boat to visit the Can Tho Floating Market. Marvel at the abundance of exotic fruits, vegetables, and skillfully handcrafted regional products. We approach the boats to chat and bargain with the merchants. Please note that times are changing in Vietnam, and modern trading methods are gradually replacing traditional practices. This trend has also affected the Can Tho Floating Market, which has been gradually shrinking.

After visiting the floating market, you have the opportunity to enjoy a guided walk around Can Tho, a beautiful town in the Mekong Delta.

After lunch at Mekong Rest Stop, we transfer you back to your hotel in Saigon.

Meals: B, L

Accommodation: Gecko Eyes Cruise