A perfect home away from home on the Mekong

“Socola is the Vietnamese word for chocolate. It comes from the French word chocolat.”

The things you learn when sitting in a church on the shores of the Mekong River. I’ve been cruising along this mighty Asian waterway aboard the cruise ship Mekong Serenity, which plies the river northward over seven nights from an embarkation point near Ho Chi Minh City. At the end we’ll be transferred by bus to the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat.

For the moment, though, I’m on my first excursion off the river ship in southern Vietnam. Boarding a sampan, a traditional boat with an upward-curved bow, our group is transported across the river to Cai Be, where we walk to the local church. It’s a survivor of the French colonial era, opened in 1934, and though its architecture is very European it seems to have taken on some of the colour and energy of Vietnam. Inside, the bright tropical sunlight brings the stained-glass to vivid life, while the stonework near the altar is decorated with bright purple lilies.

It’s while we’re sitting on the pews that our guide, Hung, tells us about the history of the church, followed by a beginners’ lesson in the Vietnamese language, with its key tonal shifts. The letters “ma”, for example, can have meanings ranging from horse to ghost, depending on the tone applied to that crucial vowel.

We then head across the river to our next stop, a small-scale factory in which food and drink is prepared in traditional ways: this includes snake wine, rice paper, and condensed milk compressed into little sweets. The most entertaining thing here is a giant cauldron of heated rice that members of our group are invited to stir with a big stick. The rice pops spectacularly and is then made into a traditional sweet.

Such excursions are fun, of course, but I’m looking forward to spending quality time on the ship. I’m something of a novice regarding cruises, having spent much more time on trains than boats. Aside from a voyage on a supply ship off the Quebec coast in 2022, my other cruise experiences were many years ago. So I’m rusty on cruise etiquette, and the first question that occurs to me is: should you go on all the tours?

Since off-ship excursions are included with the fare on APT’s Mekong Serenity, it would make sense to join as many as possible. On the other hand, I really like the idea of relaxing on the river ship, watching the broad river flow by while I read Mad about the Mekong, a book describing a challenging French expedition of the 1860s. In the end I decide to mix both: sometimes go on excursions, sometimes stay aboard.

The ship is certainly pleasant. On the first day we go straight to lunch, so our first impression of the Mekong Serenity is of its dining room, a tastefully decorated space with comfortable seating and river views from the big windows along each side.

When I reach my cabin on Deck 1, just above the waterline, I find a spacious suite with a queen bed, sofa, armchair, built-in desk, bar fridge and bathroom. The piece de resistance is a balcony with two chairs, facing the water on the port side. It’s too warm during the day to sit there but I can see myself there at night. The room is a comfortable place to relax, and surprisingly large (certainly much bigger than the train compartments I’m more used to). There are just 44 suites on board and 44 crew, so the emphasis is on space and service.

With the occasional carved timber statue adding a touch of local culture, the decor throughout the ship has an elegantly restrained look, with dark timber tones. The big communal area is the lounge bar on Deck 2, with plenty of armchairs and sofas, and bar staff ever ready to pour a drink. Most drinks are included in the fare but cocktails are extra – though as they start from $US6 ($9), they won’t break the bank.

One level above the lounge is another bar with open-air seating arranged around a small swimming pool that I intend to use but never do. Deck 3 is also home to the fancy Angkor and Bayon suites, which have extra space and features such as spa baths, and sun loungers on their balconies. Above this level is a sun deck that I never see anyone using, perhaps because the sun is blazing hot at this time of year.

Meals are naturally the most social time on board, and as I’m travelling solo I make a point of sitting with different people as often as possible. My fellow passengers are mostly Australians, with a few Brits and New Zealanders thrown in, and they’re a diverse lot. After a couple of days I’ve met a port controller, a marketing person, two supermarket owners, a bus driver, a retired nurse and a former plant nursery owner. A fair percentage are retirees but many are still working and taking a break from the office.

An unusual aspect of dining aboard the Mekong Serenity is the display of dishes outside the restaurant door. This sounds potentially tacky but we’re not talking about plastic models. Instead, the kitchen crew prepare an example of each dish and display it lovingly on appropriate crockery, for guests to examine as we arrive for a meal. It’s a good idea because the menu is composed of both familiar Western dishes and less familiar local ones; seeing them on display makes you more likely to plump for the unknown.

The food is excellent. Western dishes are ably handled by the kitchen crew but the local dishes benefit from local expertise. To give you an example of the menu, one lunch features a dim sum selection or papaya pork salad, followed by cream of vegetable soup or chilled pineapple soup, with a main-course choice of pad thai, five-spice pork tenderloin or gnocchi. Dessert is a caramelised citrus tart, fresh local fruit or ice cream.

The crew of the ship are superb, always friendly and efficient. Over the seven days a rapport forms between the passengers and the mostly Cambodian serving staff, who remember our little foibles about seating and food choices.

There’s a second restaurant on board, by the way, hidden at the far end of the ship. One dinner at Indochine is included for each passenger, and on my night there I enjoy a delicious degustation menu formed entirely of Vietnamese dishes.

It’s not all about on-board pleasures: there are several more excursions to teach us more about the world beyond the river. On the fourth day we wake at Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, having crossed the international border the previous day.

There are various tours available here, and as a history graduate, I’m interested in the “Killing Fields tour” – they were used by the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. The first stop on this grim excursion is a former school that the regime used for interrogations, then we transfer to the local Killing Field (there were many) on the edge of the city. It’s now a peaceful place in which the undulating grassy surface is kept pristine while visitors pass by on boardwalks, ending at a towering memorial to the victims.

The following days offer more tours: one to a silk-producing village, one to Angkor Ban, a village left intact by the Khmer Rouge that acts as a time capsule of life before the regime. On board we enjoy culture as varied as a performance of young Cambodian musicians and dancers, and of the crew, who present a funny set of musical performances in competition with each other.

The food is delicious, the company friendly, and the boat a perfect home upon the water, far from home.

THE DETAILS

CRUISE
An 11-day APT “Spiritual Cambodia and the Mekong” journey, with eight days/seven nights aboard Mekong Serenity, runs from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap or vice versa and costs from $6995 a passenger. Meals, most drinks and signature experiences are included, along with three nights’ accommodation at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra resort in Siem Reap. See aptouring.com

STAY
Park Hyatt Saigon is a stylish place to stay in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. From VND6,272,000 ($359) a night. See hyatt.com
The Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra resort offers delightful accommodation near Angkor Wat in Cambodia. From $US210 ($315) a night. See sofitel-angkor-phokeethra.com

FLY
Singapore Airlines flies to Ho Chi Minh City via Singapore. See singaporeair.com