cruise through the Mekong Delta

 

 Offered as an alternative to the classical tours to Mỹ Tho or Cái Bè, with their excursions on the smaller arroyos and visits of orchards, the services of the Bassac actually provide a radically different experience of the life of what novelist Sơn Nam described as the "River Civilisation" of the Mekong delta, and will take the passengers not on a short visit, but on a cruise from Cái Bè to Cần Thơ or back, on a near-daily schedule.

 Originally designed as a rice barge, the ship features today a large sundeck with a carré-style office, a large open sitting and dining room at the stern and six wooden cabins on the main deck. The cabins offer comfortable accommodation, with air-con and en-suite bathroom, with hotel-grade amenities and the galley provides delicate cuisine, making the cruise a restful experience fit for the last leg of tours through the whole of Vietnam.

 

 

 Freed from questions of accommodation, the focus of the cruise firmly stays on the discovery of real-life Vietnam, among the woods and villages of the Mekong delta. The itinerary takes the ship through smaller rivers across the delta rather than along the main waterways and offers a constantly changing scenery just beyond arm's reach. Among the visits, the afternoon promenade on shore gives an insight into the simple life and welcoming attitude of the peasants in a place where the crops and herds are well tended, fruit abound and nature offers plenty. The ship lights up at dusk, and will offer some quiet experience of the evening on the river around a fine dinner and into the night.

 

 The services of the Bassac are rather select, as the ship can only accommodate up to twelve passengers; and as she is until now unique, the services might be interrupted in case of incident, as was the case after a tropical storm inflicted extensive damage to the ship last summer. The operator, TransMékong, is now building another, larger ship to complement the Bassac in the same standard and spirit but with an accommodation capacity of 20 passengers, allowing for more flexibility and even series booking. As the Bassac II shall sail along the present route from later in this season on, she will also free the first Bassac for smaller parties to easily charter towards other ports.