TransMékong

Discover the Mekong delta's intense life and spend the night on the river
while enjoying all the comfort of elegant wooden boats.

Cruise the Mekong delta [up]

Explore the Mekong delta : [picture] Rice barges run through the Mekong delta day and night

The Bassac take you into the greener areas of the Mekong delta, overnight on the river and into the middle of the life about the river. The Mystic Sampans take you to the floating market with a breakfast, or to a daytime excursion.

We offer a truly authentic discovery of the Mekong delta and a cruise in comfort.

Without compromising on your comfort, be it accommodation or cuisine, you will be able to get a glimpse of the tremendous activity of the floating markets, of the peaceful life in the countryside and of the bountiful nature in the delta, earning it to be called the rice bowl of Vietnam.

Our crew are discreet and caring, and their professionalism translates into simple and personalized attention. The visits we offer are typically strolls into the real delta landscape, as far away as possible from the touristic areas.

Our boats [up]

[picture] Two Bassac boats at sunset on one of the Mekong's tributaries

the Bassac

If you already know where you are going, enquire and book.

The Bassac are three cabin cruisers entirely built of wood in the Mekong delta and according to the local marine traditions, without compromising on the standards or comfort and safety. They are built for short- to medium-range cruises and are particularly adapted for discovery cruises, open to outside and offering an immediate contact with the green surrounding of the ship.

[picture] Mystic sampan departing to one of the Mekong's floating markets with a breakfast buffet

the Mystic sampans

The Mystic Sampans are day-cruise sampans meant to bring their passengers into the meanders of the smaller rivers of the delta and into floating markets, in comfort, with a meal served at the table or as a buffet, and with all amenities on board. They are designed for the floating markets, but can even run the medium-range route and navigate and serve by night, with some lighting on board.

Cuisine [up]

[picture] A table is set with Mekong fresh-water prawns on board Bassac II during a cruise

Be it in our restaurants, Sao Hôm and Nam Bộ in Cần Thơ, on the Mystic sampans or on board the Bassac, cuisine is one of our better assets, as we offer meals cooked and baked afresh including the bread and pastry for breakfast. As the Bassac have their own galley, they are very reactive to meet the needs and tastes of your passengers, even in case a surprise cake would be de rigueur.

BBC chef Rick Stein made the Bassac one of the first stops of his culinary series Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey, broadcast in 2009.

Read more

[picture] Ánh and Rick Stein on a longboat, towards fish pens on the Northern Mekong delta

We are very proud to announce that the BBC just broadcast the first few episodes of Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey, where he goes from Cambodia into Vietnam and the Mekong delta on board the Bassac II. If you are in the UK, you may see episode 1 and episode 2 on the BBC iPlayer. He took TransMékong's Nguyệt Ánh as his personal guide into the markets and into the Mekong delta's specialities.

[picture] Rick Stein eating phở on board the Bassac during the filming of his Far Eastern Odyssey

Several dishes presented in his book, Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey, he discovered on board the Bassac II, where he himself cooked a phở for the TV series. Among the delicacies he wrote about is the shrimp cooked with mango, Ánh's own creation that makes the reputation of our restaurant Sao Hôm in Cần Thơ.

[picture] Denham's TV made breathtaking images of the Bassac

Rick Stein's series are one of the very top cuisine programs in Europe, and we are very proud he chose us among all for his introduction to Vietnamese cuisine.

The film was made at Tết 2008, when Rick and his 7-strong Denham production team boarded the Bassac II towards Vietnam. Episode 1, in Cambodia, ends with the Bassac as a hint of what is coming next, whereas episode 2, in Vietnam, gets into the heart of the Mekong delta on board, with cooking sessions, market visits and the exploration of fisheries.

Who we are [up]

[picture] Thanh, our French-speaking cruise director, and the shipowners on board a Bassac on a Mekong cruise

TransMékong is a family company established in 2003 in Cần Thơ, in the heart of the Mekong delta, by a franco-vietnamese couple. We both had a few years' prior experience managing projects and SMEs and the urge to escape from it all.

Our team is locally recruited and trained, and we learn from the newcomers as much as from the experience we build together. We foster personal development in a happy team, and many on board took part themselves in the construction of the boats.

We are independant and work very well with all the best receptives and agencies in Vietnam.

We originally bought the hull of an existing rice barge, stripped it bare and built Bassac I, with which we learned much about what building and running a cruise boat entails. Since then we designed ourselves and built Bassac II and III and the Mystic sampans according to the same tradition.

The Bassac pioneered cruises in comfort in the Mekong delta, and we strive to deserve remaining the reference on the region.

Contact us [up]

Cty TNHH Xuyên Mékong
97/10 Ngô Quyền,
P. An Cư, Q. Ninh Kiều
TP. CẦN THƠ, VIỆT NAM

Phone: +84 (710) 382 9540
Fax: +84 (710) 382 9541
e-mail: bassac@transmekong.com

Booking

Would you like to book a trip with us?

The message you send to us should include: the departure date of the trip you are considering, the number of passengers, whether there are children or not, the number of nights and the places of departure and arrival. We shall recontact you with an offer, and for further information. (or send us an )

Feedback

Did you take a journey with us, and would you like to ? Your encouragements and comments are very important to us.

Please especially don't hesitate to let the crew know if you liked their service: this is a powerful encouragement for them to keep up the good work.

If you are looking for third party reviews of our services, or do you wish to give us a review on a third party's web site, please check our courtesy links page.

Professional contact

. Are you a tour operator, a local relay to TOs, a tourism professional? We wish to know you as well as your products. Who knows, with a view to a partnership?

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Web site

Should you like to and its contents, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We publish this web site ourselves, and would thus reply shortly.

Legal notes [up]

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Terms of use

We wish you a happy discovery.

The TransMékong team.

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