Mekong! «The mother of waters» for its inhabitants. To truly appreciate it, embark on Le RV Indochine, a charming boat that sails between Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam and Tonlé Sap Lake in Cambodia, to the north of which rise the sumptuous temples of Angkor. A 9-day cruise at the slow pace of the river.
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As night falls, the Mekong becomes an impressionist painting.
Its name rings like the gong of the Buddhist temples that line its banks. From Tibet, where it was born, to Vietnam, where it stretches out in a vast delta with nine arms before disappearing into the China Sea, the Mekong winds its way through 6 countries, shaping landscapes according to the seasons and its beneficent floods. A life-giving artery that fills the shores with its rich alluvial deposits, the Mekong is a nourishing river with timeless landscapes. All the gods and demons of Asia lurk in the magical waves of the "Mother of Rivers", whose genius is venerated by every sailor who paddles her waters. The Naga, the dragon-snake, is said to swim in it. And for any Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese or Cambodian fisherman, it is obvious that the Naga is the master of the place.
Embarking on the RV Indochine in Saigon, one is reminded Patrick Deville and its heroes with the soles of wind or Marguerite Duras The whole work is linked by this silty cord that seems to join the horizon as soon as our ship glides over its waters. Duras and her mother who told her that« Never in her whole life would she see rivers as beautiful, as grand, as wild as the Mekong and its tributaries. ".
The river of nine dragons
The shops are floating, moving from house to house and boat to boat.
Leaving the Saigon River - a loop of the Mekong - via the Chao Gao canal, our boat slowly makes its way towards the Delta, the "garden of Cochinchina" in colonial times as it is today. A veritable rice granary covering 40,000 km², the delta stretches between the nine branches of the waters of the Mekong, known here as Song Cuu Long or the "River of Nine Dragons". In this labyrinth of canals, water and dirt paths, rice paddies and marshes, almost 20 million people live, often sparsely, always in symbiosis with their master. Despite heavy farming, much of the delta is still wild and a sanctuary for biodiversity. But for how long? Over-exploitation of the forest, upstream dams (twelve hydroelectric projects are planned between Laos and Cambodia) and industrial waste are a very real threat to this fragile giant.
Leaning against the rail of the RV Indochine, we plunge into an almost mysterious world, a shifting territory where the banks of the river diverge to melt into the waves. The navigation is slow and leaves us with a view of the water, with infinite modulations of light depending on the time of day. The water where, in the evening, the opal reflections of the pearly skies break up. At sunset, the warm, damp earth exhales the scent of frangipani. You can contemplate the luxuriant orchards, the floating villages or villages on stilts that protect their inhabitants from the rising waters, the fishermen on their sampans, the boats that cross in all directions. Activity is perpetual for this people of the water, who get up very early and breathe with the river. Traders to the core, the Vietnamese criss-cross the river at dawn to reach the many markets that line it.
A river landscape
As we sail along, we discover the simple life of the local people.
The boatmen transport their cargo on overcrowded boats, the women wash their clothes on the banks and the children take a dip in the silt-laden waters. Here, life is a long river... with its own rhythm. At once nonchalant and restless, sometimes fiery during the monsoon floods, never tranquil. Whether nature is benevolent or devastating, it always reclaims its rights. That's why the Mekong commands the respect of those who live alongside it. The fishermen and merchants who ply its waters every day are well aware of this, as they paint two large Mekongs on their boats to ward off evil spirits and ward off the evil eye.
Islets of water hyacinths drift along the water and cluster around our boat at the slightest anchorage, giving the impression that our vessel has landed in the middle of a garden.
Water hyacinths are invasive plants that purify the water in canals and rivers, but they cause problems for small boats that get their propellers caught in these aquatic lianas. Each time we leave these "green moorings", the mate gives instructions to the crew, who manoeuvre carefully to free the propeller from these reefs.
We're stopping over at My Tho, a small town, one of the poorest in the delta, famous for its church and its floating market. A few colonial buildings, rather poorly maintained, are reminders of the French presence here and there.
In December, the lover's house from Marguerite Duras« eponymous novel was classified as a »national historical site" by the Vietnamese authorities in 2010.
Nostalgic for a time that has left its memory like From Dec, where one visits one of the houses of Huyn Thuy Lê, the wealthy Chinese merchant with whom Marguerite Duras had an affair, and who became the subject of her autobiographical novel The Lover.
A grid of rice paddies
We set off on small boats through the aroyos to visit Cai Be.
Daily excursions provide an opportunity to discover the markets, where stalls abound with foods that are unusual for our palates.
Dried seahorses, eleven-day-old incubated eggs, snake wine, skinned water rats... You can find almost anything that's edible for unpicky eaters. Wandering through the villages, you're quickly captivated by the kindness of the inhabitants, the rural atmosphere of the hamlets, and the hospitality of the Cham fishermen. Chau Doc. Fortunately, neither war nor isolation has destroyed the soul of this proud, courageous, and welcoming people.
As you approach Chau Doc, the border town between Vietnam and Cambodia, the fish farms invade the waters. Situated at the heart of a gigantic grid of rice fields, this city hugs the banks of the Mekong, which is as wide here as a river mouth.
Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, home to the royal family.
A full day of sailing then leads us to Phnom Penh. The capital of Cambodia, martyred by the Khmer Rouge, has retained its French charm, with its old colonial architecture and its lively streets.
Upon arriving at the lake Tonle Sap, the hustle and bustle fades away. We cross this vast inland sea, the largest freshwater lake in South-East Asia and the true economic lifeblood of Cambodia (it produces 60% of the country’s fish, amounting to 300,000 tonnes). During the monsoon, the waters of the Mekong flow into the Tonlé Sap River, whose course reverses, discharging the waters into the vast lake of the same name, whose surface area quadruples on this occasion (from 2,600 to 10,000 km²). When the dry season arrives in autumn, the flow reverses. It is then that, every year, the riels (eels that gave their name to the Cambodian national currency) are seen to flock in, and this is an opportunity for Cambodians to celebrate the cycle of life during a major national festival in November (note that during the dry season, navigation on the lake is impossible).
The majestic site of Angkor
At Ta Prohm, the plant meets the mineral.
Then, the culmination of the journey, we reach Siem Reap and the Angkor site where the magic of the plant and mineral universe imbues the vestiges of Khmer civilisation: Angkor Wat and its superb bas-reliefs depicting thousands of apsaras, the royal city of’Angkor Thom, a vast architectural ensemble accessed by five monumental gates, with the Temple-mountain in its centre Bayon, famous for its 172 enigmatic smiling Buddha faces, or even the Ta Prohm whose buildings are invaded by the roots of banyan trees. Not forgetting one of the most romantic temples in this immense city: the Banteay Srei, the «Women's Citadel», stone lace covered in bas-reliefs carved from pink sandstone.
At Bayon, the central temple of the ancient city of Angkor Thom, the faces are all enigmatic smiles.
A colonial-style boat
The Indochine RV, Combining charm and comfort, it is equipped with a metal hull and covered in exotic wood. It has 24 spacious double cabins (16 m²) with en-suite shower rooms and large picture windows. On board, well-being and the art of living are the watchwords: massages, refined and varied cuisine, talks by specialist speakers on cultural and historical subjects, films relating to the destination. The Cambodian crew provides very attentive service. A French-speaking cruise director and purser are the passengers' preferred contacts. The full outdoor upper deck accommodates all leisurely pursuits, as does the bar. Communal dining room, enclosed lounge with bar (modest prices), large screen and comfortable armchairs, air conditioning. Numerous guided tours are planned throughout the cruise: visits to pagodas, markets, villages, temples... Leaving the boat for daily excursions, you will not cease to return to board to continue your reverie as you drift along the water.
Getting there
CroisiEurope fleet propose several circuits, from the temples of Angkor to the Mekong Delta.
Extension possible to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.
Text and Photos: Brigitte Postel
