RV Toum Tiou Cruise
Tour code : VN12 |
Duration : 3 |
Destinations : Saigon - Siem Reap/ Saigon - Phnom Penh/ Phnom Penh - Siem Reap or vice versa
Put the mythical Southeast Asian Angkor ( Siem Reap) and Saigon side by side and you have a meeting of two countries divided by an invisible line at the river. But the line becomes real when you compare their very different cultures, landscapes and pace of life. After the impressive pastoral riverbanks of Cambodia, we arrive in the "Land of the Nine Dragons", the rice granary of Vietnam. We are constantly struck by the hectic pace of life in this country as we pass houses over fish rearing pens in Chau Doc, the boat yards of Long Xuyen, Marguerite Duras' hometown of Sa Dec, the aquatic gardens of Vinh Long, the floating market in Cai Be, the temples, pagodas, brickworks, then the trawlers of My Tho, before dropping anchor at the nostalgic port of Saigon.
Built in the traditional style, the Toum Tiou was christened in 2002 on the river at Phnom Penh, the first Cambodian cruise boat with international standard accommodation.
Fully-paneled in wood, with charm and comfort in mind, we designed it in keeping with the local style. Modestly sized and with the safety of a steel hull, its low draft makes possible an access to the smallest and remotest of villages. With the tasteful decoration of a bygone era, the Toum Tiou has 10 cozy double cabins with private shower, a large lounge area, a panoramic viewing space to the front, a half-covered bar-restaurant to the rear and a roof patio. Air conditioning, hi-fi system and library are provided.
The captain, ship hands, hostesses, cooks and purser are discreet and inconspicuous in the performance of their duties.
Upper deck
Main deck
This traditional locally built boat started out as a freighter with a metal hull and a capacity of 150 tons, with two large but low-ceiling decks in order to maximize storage space. Like all ships of this type, it went up and down the Tonle Sap and Mekong, stopping at Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Kratie and Stung Treng.
We stayed as close as we could to the original line of the ship, because we wanted to retain its slightly curved and elegant lines.
The Toum Tiou measures 38 meters long and 7 meters wide in the middle. It has 10 rooms in all (3.3m x 2.5m), 4 on the main deck and 6 on the upper deck, each air-conditioned and with a bathroom (2.5m x 1.4m) including toilet, shower and sink. The water on board is taken from the river, passed through a powerful filtration system and chlorinated in the final step of the treatment.
In order to make the best possible use of the common areas from the standpoint of both size and variety we have installed a library-reading room on the lower deck. There is also a covered space at the front of the middle deck, a restaurant to the rear anda half-covered sundeck on top.
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