Tarantulas, temples and tall tales: Vietnam to Cambodia on the Mekong river is a soul-stirring delight

Alexandra Pereira enjoyed profound human connections along the Mekong river

On the first night of my journey along the mammoth Mekong ‘mother- water’ River, I watch on aghast as my companion crunches down on a large tarantula. He washes it down with a negroni, a sundowner like no other, and barely makes a sound or a squirm.

It feels like an emergency snack, a snatch at nutrients (spiders are rich in protein, folic acid and zinc) as the tangerine sun sets on another intensely hot and heady day of wild, brilliant adventures on and off the muddy waters. Whether or not the arachnid appetiser was a necessity or a choice is another matter; any well-heeled traveller knows better than to turn down a local delicacy offered by new friends. And so it is, I let him do my dirty work as I nurse a dirty martini instead, looking out onto the magenta dusk from the deck of the Aqua Mekong as we enter the wider reaches of southeast Asia’s largest and most historied body of water, leaving behind Marina My Tho port some 75 km by road from Saigon.

A deeply chic and unshowy 62 km long vessel from the outside, the Aqua Mekong was built in dark and moody tones, and takes passengers from south Vietnam into Cambodia, showcasing an armful of remote villages, exquisite trails, silk islands and shrubbed canals over four days (ten in high water season as it heads up north through Cambodia). Our first night onboard is as exciting as you might imagine. The glistening black waters get wider, heavy foliage cloaking views of the land. The odd cargo vessel wanders by; we move silently.

From Vietnam to Cambodia down the Mekong, with incredible food, storytelling and time with the locals

Dinner is jubilant; we swap favourite animes and cities with a Japanese artist travelling solo; we laugh and talk cinema, theatre and telly with a retired actor-activist; everyone on board loosens and becomes boat family, eventually retreating to their sultry cabins as Captain Phúc navigates us overnight to Sa Dec.

Next morning, some of the brave cycle tens of kilometres of paddy fields whilst the rest scale the flora and fauna of Bassac Canal to Chau Doc floating market to see some local dancing. The more romantic of us opt for another excursion. The aluminium skiffs take us to the land, where we explore the house of Huynh Thuy Le, the Chinese aristocrat said to have inspired Marguerite Duras’ autobiographical novel-turned-movie The Lover. It doesn’t feel like a museum – it’s the holiday so there’s no guide and very few tourists. Three old locals in vests and high-waisted slacks who appear to just be chilling here, not part of the setup, pluck on the strings of Phím Lõm guitars and sing.

Near the house, I trot side by side with Aqua’s chef. He introduces to me the market’s greatest delicacies and abundant necessities, from rat meat, toads, eels and gizzards, to kaleidoscopic fruits and vegetables, dried fiery chillies, mountains of rice. Dogs bark, smiling women gut fish, a wrinkly man with an extraordinary face lies smoking in a hammock. I feel most transported in time and place in a morning marketplace. The cacophony of smells is totally new and at times acrid. I buy tiger balm, chillies, and some flip flops, losing my small group for a moment and relishing the chaos around, lingering at one stall and leaping from the jaws of a cute puppy who lunges at me, defending its turf with lethal dagger teeth bigger than its ears. I land in a puddle of fish guts.

Onboard, thankfully, the gorgeous Aqua housekeeping team provide next day laundry service and pressing. This, along with soft drinks, beer and wine, all meals and excursions, is included in your boat fare. My companion and I, platonic, enjoy our twin cabin with his n hers sinks, washing off the tropical sweat and dressing like we’re fictional characters in sophisticated beiges, slacks, smocks and wide brimmed hats. The long salon, bar and library is furnished with deep sofas and literature on national history and geography. I nestle cross legged and bright- eyed as Vietnamese and Cambodian brethren Vuthy, Narath and Thach continue to educate the forty onboard on the rich and complicated history that makes up the fabric of Mekong life, including how the Vietnam War still affects the nations, and how the Cambodian genocide and Rouge occupation came to be, and came to fall in 1979.

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As the region prepares for Khmer New Year, a four day long series of rituals and celebrations, we head up to see the world’s largest Buddha at Long Son Pagoda atop Sam Mountain, before swerving via rickshaw through market towns under the heat of the belting afternoon sun. Towns and villages along the Mekong are preparing for the deity of new year to arrive. Different rituals range from dancing, dressing in bright colours, offerings at temples and finally, grand water fights carried out with great gusto by the youth in the streets of the bigger cities across Cambodia. We are heavy with tears from the stories, grateful to be exploring these lands, and contemplative of the apocalyptic scenes playing out further afield.

The lights are dimmed, and the boat has got quite sultry, and dinner is a barbeque on deck. We enter Cambodian waters overnight. I bookended my sail with time in both Saigon and Phnom Penh, but it’s the food onboard that I remember most vividly. Chef Kim Davet knew how much I love chillies, and also that I hadn’t yet tried Bánh Xèo, providing both with a great big grin.

It’s hard to describe the effect Mekong cuisine has upon the senses. Everything from roasted meats to steamed fish to aromatic curries and salads elucidates the complex terrain, innovation, resourcefulness and care for detail of these lands. You’re tasting history, survival, and industry. Each meal felt lovingly prepared and abundant yet not wasteful, everyone switching tables and seats each mealtime to chat to another guest or two. There was so much green on each plate; it felt like the healthiest, prettiest tasting food I’d ever eaten on a boat.

On the last day we visit a temple and everything feels technicolour, from the neon lights around the statues to the orange robes of the monks, to the metallic spires of the temple and the emerald trees that shower the island. Disembarking, it’s the final day of Khmer New Year. Bidding adieu to new friends and storytellers I’m left with a sense that I really learned something somewhere around the riverbend.

Visit The Mekong yourself

A four night voyage on the Aqua Mekong starts around £3,110 per adult all inclusive. Visit aquaexpeditions.com for more information. London to Phnom Penh return is from around £700 with Malaysia Airways.