Captain Dinh Hoe Holds The Line

Captain Tran Dinh Hoe

• Major February discounts on CFM Mekong River TT2 cruises

Captain Tran Dinh Hoe looks at me and smiles. He remembers. It was a year ago when he let me take the helm of the Toum Tiou 2 on the New Discovery Tour. We were cruising the Mekong River from Tonle Sap Lake, S.E. Asia’s largest freshwater lake between Cambodia and Vietnam. Everything would have been okay had the boat not taken a bearing off course prompting the Captain to nudge me aside to restore control.

“Not my fault,” I argued. Captain Dinh Hoe was firm in his smile. No chance of a repeat this year. It seems my time as the captain of the 28-berth boutique river boat has come to an end.

Hard to whinge, I thought. Being a captain on the Mekong, even for a spell, remains a treasured memory. It is one of many that flow back from one of the great travel experiences of all time. It is a ‘must do’.

Shore excursion

My original trip was the CFM New Discovery Tour, a 9-day 8-night cruise that begins at the dock at Koh Chen south of Siem Reap, home to the stunning Angkor Wat temples, and ends in bustling HoChiMinh City (HCMC), Vietnam, Saigon to locals. You can also do the reverse trip. This tour includes isolated Mekong waterways and a meld of lush greenery, bamboo hamlets and buffalo-ploughed rice fields. An abundance of water birds are found here including Cambodia’s national bird the giant Ibis, ducks and herons as well as smiling people, floating villages, majestic temples and cloudless skies.

This time I am traveling on the Phnom Penh to Saigon (HCMC) 6day/5night New Discovery Tour that offers more light adventure than a typical river cruise. As well as excellent onboard facilities and delicious cuisine, passengers enjoy on-land walking, visits to villages and orchards, and a variety of biking, kayaking, and sampan/rowing boat/motorboat experiences - all tailored to suit individual preferences and ages.

In addition to traditional friendly Khmer service with English-speaking staff, the TT2 New Discovery itinerary includes are visits Khmer, Cham and Vietnamese communities, walks into the unspoilt Tra Su Forest and climbs to stunning Udong Hill. Tour guests also enjoy a cable car ride to the top of Sam Mountain in Chau Doc,and ‘insider’ highlights of bustling Phnom Penh and Saigon (HCMC).

Toum Tiou 2

The TT2 reflects a bygone era of romantic river cruising and service. Built of teak with the safety of a steel hull, passengers relax in comfort and safety. Standouts include cosy air-conditioned double cabins, large lounge areas, panoramic viewing and strolling spaces, and a serviced bar and restaurant. The upper deck hosts six cabins while the lower deck features eight cabins: All offer uninterrupted views of the river and breathtaking sunrises and sunsets.

The CFM New Discovery Tour is now on sale beginning at A$2,937 (US$1,824) per person for a shared Lower Deck cabin and A$4,880 (US$3,031) for a double cabin with single use.

A 10% early booking discount is available on all departures from July 2025 to April 2026. But you need to book before 31 January, 2025.

A 50 percent discount offer is available on the second person in a shared cabin and no single supplement for solo travellers for February 2025 New Discovery Tours: Saigon to Siem Reap 12-20 February 2025; and Siem Reap to Saigon 20-28 February 2025.

Further information

Contact: office@cfmekong.com
Telephone: +855 (0) 23 216 070 and +855 (0) 12 240 859
Reservations: www.cfmekong.com; office@cfmekong.com or hazel@cfmekong.com
Charter: hazel@cfmekong.com
Offices: 313 Preah Sisowath Quay, Office 20, Phnom Penh 12207, Cambodia
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - 45c Le Thanh Ton, District 1, HCMC, Vietnam