RV Indochine: 48 passengers, 23 crew, one for every two
The RV Indochine carries 48 passengers in 24 cabins with 23 crew. She is 51 metres long and 11 metres wide, across 3 decks, and was built in 2008. CroisiEurope rates her at 4 anchors.
The figure that matters here is the crew ratio: 23 people for 48 passengers, one crew member for a little over 2 travellers. On the fleet's European river ships it is one in 5. You are not only buying a different itinerary, you are buying a different level of attention, and that is what clients remember far more than the decor.
The Mekong between Vietnam and Cambodia
The itinerary links the Vietnamese delta to Cambodia, through listed sites, riverside villages and the cooking of both countries. The river crosses 6 countries over 4,500 kilometres from the Himalayas, and the cruisable section is where it slows, widens and fills with life.
On this stretch the calls are not monument visits: they are floating markets, family workshops, temples still in use. That is where the difference with a European cruise lies. In Europe you visit what remains; on the Mekong you pass through what continues.
What CroisiEurope does not publish
The cruise line does not publish cabin surface areas for this boat. We will not quote one from memory. For comparison, the RV Lan Diep quotes 16 square metres and the RV Indochine II 18.5 square metres. Ask us for the deck plan: we obtain it from CroisiEurope before you choose your category.
The four Mekong boats in figures
CroisiEurope's 4 Mekong boats carry 28, 44, 48 and 62 passengers, over lengths of 38, 50, 51 and 65 metres, and were built between 2007 and 2017. The Indochine ranks third by size: 51 metres, 24 cabins, 48 passengers, 23 crew, 3 decks, 4 anchors, entered service in 2008. Across the 4 boats the crew ratio sits between 1 to 1.9 and 1 to 2.1 passengers.
The river level, and why the question has to be asked
The Mekong varies sharply with the season, and on the stretch towards Siem Reap the level can change what is covered by boat and what by road. We ask CroisiEurope to confirm for your date before you commit. No client thinks to ask that, and it is exactly the kind of question an advisor is useful for.
Getting there from Montreal
No non-stop flight links Montreal-Trudeau with Ho Chi Minh City. Plan at least one connection, often two, and a full day each way. We always add one or two nights on site before embarkation: across 12 time zones, arriving the previous evening is not enough.
Vietnam and Cambodia apply entry formalities to Canadians, and these evolve. We check them at booking.
What is included and what is not
Full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, excursions in the programme. Gratuities are not included. Travel insurance never is, and on a long-haul destination with multiple connections it changes status: it goes from option to obvious. We itemise every line and explain the scope of Quebec's FICAV fund before anything is signed.
Who she suits
Travellers who want the Mekong without the largest boat or the smallest. Anyone after maximum intimacy should look at the Toum Tiou II, 28 passengers. The full fleet is on our CroisiEurope cruises page.
