Embark on a Cultural Odyssey

Small-ship experiences between Saigon and Siem Reap on a river you measure with your own hand

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The Calypso Experience

A Floating Sanctuary of Refinement

Calypso Mekong offers a bespoke river cruise experience tailored for the discerning traveler. Navigating the historic waters between Vietnam and Cambodia, our yacht combines modern Western comfort with local soul.

Every detail is curated to provide a sense of peace and profound connection to the landscapes we traverse.

Waterways

Waterways

Tonle Sap reverses its flow each year. Guests measure the river daily: water level, turbidity, depth.

Culture

Culture

Four cultures share one bend of river at Chau Doc. On the Tonle Sap, whole villages float.

Craft

Craft

Vietnamese kiln-makers. Cambodian potters who shape clay without a wheel. Each tells their own trade.

Cuisine

Cuisine

One river, two kitchens: Vietnamese and Khmer. Each meal follows the water outside.

Why Choose Calypso

Reasons to take the smaller ship

Unique Routes

We go where larger ships cannot: narrow canals, raft villages, brick-kiln country.

The Water Decides

The yacht sails by day and anchors each evening. The captain measures wind and visibility before every lake crossing, and the crossing waits when the numbers say so.

Local Voices

Craftspeople tell their own trades. Local guides lead the way ashore.

Aquila 44 on the Mekong

Our Yacht

Aquila 44, built for rivers

A power catamaran small enough to enter canals and raft villages that larger ships cannot reach, with a saloon, galley bar, a flybridge for the afternoons and three private cabins.

13.44 m Length
3 Cabins
6 Guests
Daylight Sailing
Explore the Yacht

Itineraries

Three voyages, one river

8, 11 or 15 nights, each running Saigon to Siem Reap or back, on the same core of anchorages.

8 Nights
The fast line, the main thread

8 Nights · The Essential Mekong

For travellers with less time who still want the whole river.

7 Nights aboard
8 Anchorages
0 Days at anchor
  • Canals dug by hand: Chợ Gạo, Vĩnh Tế
  • Mang Thít brick kilns
  • Tonle Sap crossing and a night on the floating village
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11 Nights
Our flagship voyage

11 Nights · Heart of the Delta

For travellers who read the landscape, not just look at it.

10 Nights aboard
10 Anchorages
1 Day at anchor
  • Cái Răng floating market at daybreak
  • Định Yên mat village and the Thoại Hà canal
  • A full day at anchor in Phnom Penh
  • Oudong hill, the former royal capital
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15 Nights
The fullest telling, with days at rest

15 Nights · The Full Passage

For slow travellers, birdwatchers and nature lovers.

14 Nights aboard
12 Anchorages
3 Days at anchor
  • A night anchored among the Thầy Cai kilns
  • Tràm Chim National Park at first light
  • Núi Sam and the mausoleum of Thoại Ngọc Hầu
  • Three days at anchor: Cần Thơ, Châu Đốc, Phnom Penh
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Trip Highlights & Excursions

Discoveries On Shore

Curated excursions into the culture, craft, and heritage of the destinations along the way.

Floating market

Floating market

By small boat at daybreak, to the barges that still trade for a living.

Mang Thít brick kilns

Mang Thít brick kilns

Walk into a working kiln along Thầy Cai canal; on the 15-night voyage the yacht sleeps among them.

Old Sa Đéc

Old Sa Đéc

The Huỳnh Thủy Lê house and the Indochinese shophouse row, or the flower village of Tân Quy Đông.

Vĩnh Tế canal

Vĩnh Tế canal

The canal dug by hand along the border, which the yacht enters.

Phnom Penh by the river

Phnom Penh by the river

The Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and an evening along Sisowath Quay; on longer voyages, a full day at anchor.

Andong Russei pottery

Andong Russei pottery

Women shape clay without a wheel, beneath their stilt houses.

Crossing the Tonle Sap

Crossing the Tonle Sap

An early start, calm water and a night at anchor in front of the floating village of Kampong Luong.

Guest Stories

Voices of the Mekong

Discover the stories shared by those who have journeyed with us.

A guest on deck watching the river

We expected a cruise. What we got was a river we could actually read. Dropping the sounding line at Vàm Nao, writing the number in the log — that is the moment I will remember.

Margot L. Lyon, France · 11 nights, Saigon → Siem Reap

Six guests, one captain who explains every decision. When the wind rose on the lake he told us the number, and we simply waited. No drama, no pressure.

Daniel & Priya R. Singapore · 8 nights, Siem Reap → Saigon
Guests on the foredeck passing a floating market

We grew up on these rivers and still learned something every day. The kiln family told their own story. The guide only translated.

Hà & Minh T. Ho Chi Minh City · 15 nights, Saigon → Siem Reap

I was nervous about sharing a small yacht with strangers. By the second evening the six of us were comparing Secchi readings over dinner. The Water Log gave us something to do together.

Eleanor W. Melbourne, Australia · 11 nights, Siem Reap → Saigon
Aquila 44 with guests on deck, among palms on a Mekong canal

Three days when the yacht did not move, and they were the best three days. Dawn at Cái Răng, a long lunch, an afternoon on Cồn Sơn. Nothing was staged.

Tomás & Inés G. Madrid, Spain · 15 nights, Siem Reap → Saigon
Aquila 44 drifting on a wide reach of the river

The Blank Chart is the best souvenir I have ever brought home: our whole route in the captain’s hand, the canals in red, and all six signatures on the last day.

James K. Toronto, Canada · 8 nights, Saigon → Siem Reap

Yacht photography: © Nicolas Claris — Aquila Boats.

Ready to Embark?

Three cabins on each sailing. Take one, or take the whole yacht for a private voyage.

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