The Mekong is the third longest river in Asia and the 12^th longest in the world. It has been the lifeline of the countries it touches along its 4,900 km journey. Now, with exclusive luxury cruising on the Mekong, one can experience the abundance of these regions while enjoying the slow-paced cruising on a luxury river cruise vessel. Harmeet Sehgal reports from the Mekong on-board the brand-new luxury vessel, APT Mekong Serenity.

“It’s the mother of all rivers, the Mekong”, and she flows very gently”, said our Cruise Director modestly, as he welcomed guests at the cruise check-in hotel in Ho Chi Minh city. There was excitement in the air as bags were tagged and lined up for loading on the coach and 44 guests boarded the coaches to start the two-hour journey to My Tho to board APT Mekong Serenity. My Tho is a cruise port in South Vietnam 70kms from Ho Chi Minh City on the Mekong delta from where most Mekong cruises depart.

The journey to My Tho

The road to My Tho is cluttered with heavy traffic and the drive takes us through the colourful shantytowns and countryside planted rice-paddy fields. Slaphappy buffaloes mud-bathe in puddles and hurried locals go about their business in the warm afternoon. En-route, Mr. Thanh, our Cruise Director shares the excitement ahead and details of the wonderful things in store on the ship and on planned excursions and signifies the importance of enjoying and being present in the moment.

The magnificent APT Mekong Serenity

“There she is”, says a guest as we all gazed with excitement at the newly painted, tall cruise ship docked at My Tho pier. Embarking the vessel was nothing less than a grand event with the hotel manager Mr. Jason welcoming guests along with his crew with the warmest smile and a chilled glass of Champagne. APT Mekong Serenity is a brand-new state-of-the-art luxury river cruise vessel with all the bells and whistles. She was launched in September 2023 and is 93 meters in length with five decks. It houses 44 staterooms and suites with a maximum capacity of 88 guests and all staterooms and suites have balconies. This is luxury cruising at its best. 

Spectacular interiors

The character of the ship’s interiors is captivating and tastefully designed. The artworks depict the visual intricacies from the Indo-chine region. The ship is modern, yet brings about the nostalgia of the yesteryears of luxury cruising. A grand spiral staircase wraps around the elevator shaft from top-deck to bottom and there is a bar at almost every level of the ship.

The ship houses two restaurants including one speciality dining room, a lounge and bar, and the Horizon bar at the pool deck, which is a top spot to relax for sundowner. On a typical seven days cruise, guests will be pampered with the best of food and wine with the ship’s kitchen dishing over 1,500 eggs, 35 cases of beer, and over 300 litres of wine.

APT Mekong Serenity would be our home for the next seven nights. After our Champagne we settle in for lunch at the ship’s speciality dining room, Lemongrass. A great opportunity to meet fellow guests and share our travel stories.

The owner’s suite

After lunch we check-in to our suite on the top-deck. Tastefully furnished, the Suite is 43 Sq. Mts of premium relaxing space, with large indoor floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows plus a private outdoor balcony terrace with a sunlounge setting.

There is a queen bed with crisp linen, and an ensuite with a separate spa and shower.

The suite comes with a silver butler service and a daily fresh fruit platter, and the best thing about any cruise is that you only just have to unpack once.

We head to the pool deck for a drink after the safety briefing and the ship’s engines start with a gentle roar. It was time to set sail. The sunset cast a breathtaking purple hue on the Mekong as we departed My Tho. As the locals sailed in their small boats back to their abode for the night, our cruise on the Mekong was just starting.

As the evening progressed, guests are invited to the Harmony Lounge for Captain’s cocktails on the first night of sailing. A great way for the crew to get to know the guests, our requirements, and tastes to create a bespoke experience and to ensure guests’ comfort is at the highest possible.

The next morning, we wake up to bright sunshine on the Mekong. The Serenity is anchored on the outskirts of Cai Be which would be our first shore excursion. We head to breakfast at the restaurant, fresh from a great night’s sleep in our suite. At the Lemongrass restaurant, a magnificent breakfast awaits. Fresh cut fruit, pastries and savouries, eggs to order, and an Asian ‘Pho’ corner along with freshly brewed coffee was all a part of breakfast that would rival top hotels.

Visiting Cai Be

After breakfast we gather at the ship’s gangway to collect our lifejackets and board the Sampan (traditional longboat). We begin our excursion along the banks of the Mekong. A short boat ride later, we arrive on Cai Be shores where busy locals wizz past on their mopeds. The local shops welcome tourists with warm smiles enticing them to make a quick purchase for a bargain.

We walk towards Cai Be Catholic church passing through crumbling colonial buildings remnant of a bygone era. French villas and waterside mansions sit vacated, now mostly owned by the Vietnam government. They portray a glimpse of the rich architecture that was brought by the French settlements.

Walking through the flowering gardens we arrive at the tallest of all churches on the delta. The Cai Be Catholic Church is a magnificent building built in Roman architecture style. It’s bell tower with it’s set of four bells that were cast in France in 1931. We take a seat inside the chapel amazed at the preserved architecture, limestone pillars and painted windows.

As we continue through our excursion through the local markets, there are vendors selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish. We arrive at the local rice paper and coconut manufacturers. Rice and coconut are top cash-crops of the region with Vietnam being the third largest exporter of rice. Rice is not only the major staple in the Vietnamese cuisine but is also used to make rice paper, rice wine and husk of rice is used as a fuel for it fast combustion and high heat. The local manufacturing is a cottage industry style operation where locals create varietals made out of rice and coconut using age-old recipes and techniques.

As we continue through our excursion through the local markets, there are vendors selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish. We arrive at the local rice paper and coconut manufacturers. Rice and coconut are top cash-crops of the region with Vietnam being the third largest exporter of rice. Rice is not only the major staple in the Vietnamese cuisine but is also used to make rice paper, rice wine and husk of rice is used as a fuel for it fast combustion and high heat. The local manufacturing is a cottage industry style operation where locals create varietals made out of rice and coconut using age-old recipes and techniques.

It’s enlightening to experience the intricacies of making thinly leavened rice papers traditionally used in Vietnamese rice paper rolls and coconut candy by condensing coconut milk, all with naturally occurring ingredients. Rice wine is made by fermenting the sugars with yeast to make a potent, cloudy alcoholic drink that’s meant to have natural healing qualities. The adjoining shop sold colourful clothing, and artifacts from the region including snake wine – the famous Vietnamese rice-wine infused with cobra and scorpion. Apparently, the venom of the reptiles infuses with the wine to give it medicinal qualities which act as an aphrodisiac.

Top lunch on APT Mekong Serenity

It’s time to head back to the Serenity where a scrumptious lunch awaits. Hungry from the shore excursions we settle in the ship’s speciality restaurant where the chefs have created a Vietnamese lunch including a wide variety of salads and accompaniments.

Off to Cambodia

We set sail again and towards the Cambodian border. There is a lot more activity on the river with trade boats shipping rice and commodities across the border. On the APT Mekong Serenity, there is never a dull day whether it’s a shore excursion or activity on the ship. There is excitement on the pool deck as the ship’s culinary team has lined up a cooking demonstration for guests.

The spectacle gave a deep understanding of the fresh and delightful produce from the Indo-Chine region like Durian, Jackfruit, Morning Glory and Kohlrabi and fruits ranging from flavoursome mangoes, Mangosteen, Star Fruit and Rambutan. Talented chefs delighted guests with their honed culinary skills and taught valuable tips and tricks to whip up amazing Asian delights.

Cultural performances on-board

The rich cultural diversity of the Indo-Chine region is steeped in history with predominantly Hindu and Buddhist religions practised on the Mekong Delta. The characters of Rama and Hanuman acted out in skits is a popular depiction of romance and war from the Hindu epic Ramayana. At various docking locations, APT supports communities by encouraging local artists to come on-board and demonstrate their skills and entertain guests integrating grater good and cause to support communities.

Young artistic dance groups dressed up in colourful costumes and intricate makeup come on-board the cruise to preform for the evening entertainment in traditional dance and drama. APT is proud to bring the vibrance of the Indo-Chine region to guests and also leaving the region better off. APT’s encourages all children in the region to attend school rather than get engaged in the tourism trade for short term gains. But equally it supports them and encourages arts and culture performances like these. APT’s ‘One Tomorrow’ is a NFP charitable fund that assists the wellbeing of the communities.

Sailing into Phnom Phen

The next morning, we woke up to a change in scenery as we sailed into the Cambodian capital Phnom Phen. The Paddy fields on the shoreline gave way to the skyscrapers across the skyline of the historic capital city. After a hearty breakfast we head out for our ‘Freedom of Choice’ sightseeing option, an opportunity to select from one of the three seasonal local touring options.

Killing fields of Khmer Rouge

One option is the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge regime – a site where over a million Khmer people were butchered by the rogue regime. A sombre site, the local guide explains the genocide that occurred 40 years ago. We then head to the infamous Prison 21 where prisoners of the regime were tortured into submission and forced to sign on their death warrants before being executed mercilessly in the killing fields. We meet a survivor of the Khmer regime, Chum Mey, at S21 prison, who was once a prisoner there and was tortured by Khmer regime. He survived to tell his tale through a published book that he sells to tourists, which accounts for a chilling depiction of what occurred at the prison.

That afternoon we explore Phnom Phen. We rendezvous at the local shopping hub around downtown Russian market before it was time to head back to the ship. Relaxing on the pool deck, our night’s entertainment was a bit of country nostalgia with a solo artist mesmerising guests to the golden tunes of yesteryears. We sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy his melodious acoustics that run into the late hours of the evening.

The last evening was a farewell cocktail and a vote of thanks from the crew of the ship. We were treated to cocktails and canapes and mingled with the crew who we had come to know closely over the past week of sailing. As night fell, we took to our cabins reflecting back on the one of the most memorable experiences in a lifetime of our journey across two countries. Our river cruise was a conduit to rich culture and history across the Indo-Chine region and what better way to do it all in the lap of luxury on-board the APT Mekong Serenity.