Hotels in Can Tho

Sleeping on the Mekong -- Skip the landlubber hotel options and spend the night aboard Les Bassac, a classic, two-deck wooden boat. The luxury junk, run by TransMekong, is the only option for cruising the Mekong Delta in style. You can board Les Bassac at Can Tho or Cai Be, depending on the day of the week. I took the cruise from Can Tho to Cai Be (if you can, travel in the opposite direction -- on day 2 of the cruise, you can visit the Cai Rang market, which is a busier, livelier market than the Cai Be market). Cabins are cozy spaces smelling of fresh wood. Bathrooms are small and lack separate shower units, but they come with stylish Art Deco taps and the amenities of a first-class hotel. The 2-day itinerary consists of sailing along the Mekong, stopping at villages and floating markets along the way, and eating sumptuous meals on deck. Overnight tours start at $204.

TransMekong also runs affordable breakfast and sunset cruises on small wooden sampans for $11 to $15. Contact Trans Mekong (97/10 Ngo Quyen, Can Tho; tel. 071/382-9540; www.transmekong.com) for further details, or book through major outfitters like Exotissimo or Saigon Tourist.