RV Indochina Pandaw

Former name: Viking Mandalay

Specifications of RV Indochina Pandaw

Year of build2009  /  Age: 15
Speed11 kn / 20 km/h / 13 mph
Length (LOA)52 m / 171 ft
Beam (width)10 m / 33 ft
Gross Tonnage700 gt
Passengers60
Crew28
Decks3
Cabins30
Decks with cabins2
Last Refurbishment2019
Sister-shipsBassac Pandaw, Orient Pandaw
Former namesViking Mandalay
OwnerPandaw River Expeditions
OperatorPandaw Cruises

RV Indochina Pandaw Review

Review of RV Indochina Pandaw

RV Indochina Pandaw ship cruises on Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers in Myanmar. The riverboat was built in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) Vietnam and launched in 2009. In 2011, the ship was transferred to Burma. This vessel is also operated under charter by Viking Cruises on Mekong River itineraries between Mandalay and Prome. Indochina's sisterships are Bassac Pandaw (2012) and Orient Pandaw (2008).

RV Indochina Pandaw cruise ship, Irrawaddy River, Myanmar

The ship has a total of 30 identical cabins (sized 16 m2 / 170 ft2). All staterooms offer as standard amenities twin beds (some converting to double, all with premium mattresses, quality linens, duvet, two kinds of pillows), French windows, air-conditioning, spacious wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), writing desk (vanity with chair and make-up mirror), under-bed storage (for suitcases), en-suite bathroom (WC, shower, washbasin, hairdryer, towels, slippers, bathrobes/kimonos, Spa-branded amenities), unlimited bottled water, Yoga mats (for in-cabin use), nightly turndown service. Onboard 24-hour laundry is also available. On all shore excursions are provided shoe cleaning and cold towel services (after), bottled water (Pandaw-branded aluminium bottles as giveaways), first aid-trained assistant guide.

Like on similar Pandaw ships, Indochina Pandaw passengers are able to spend leisure time on the aft part of the covered upper deck. Meals are served bistro-style indoor and outdoor on the upper deck. Breakfast is buffet style but preceded by light bites, tea and coffee for early risers. Lunch is served either buffet style or sit-down, while dinners are 4-course affairs. Pandaw's food ingredients are locally sourced and always fresh.

Domestic beers, spirits, soft drinks, coffee and tea are complimentary and served on the upper deck at the bar/library lounge. An open-bridge policy is in place. Wi-Fi is slow because of the remote regions travelled. However, some riverside ports in the cruise itinerary feature Internet shops.

RV Indochina Pandaw ship

Note: You can see the CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.

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RV Indochina Pandaw ship related cruise news

RV Indochina Pandaw Wiki

When chartered by Viking River Cruises, the ship Indochina Pandaw was branded as "Viking Mandalay". Viking Cruises offered departures from Bangkok.

In February 2019, Pandaw River Expeditions announced a new (twice-weekly) cruise for Indochina Pandaw, starting September 2019 onwards. In the previous years, the shorter itinerary was available for booking as a segment of the 7-day "Classic Mekong" itinerary connecting Saigon with Siem Reap. Due to increased demand, the company decided to dedicate the riverboat Indochina Pandaw for the short-break cruise, which allows travellers to make their own hotel arrangements (in either Saigon or Phnom Penh) before and after the voyage.

Before its new deployment, Indochina Pandaw was extensively drydock refurbished. The short voyage covers much of Mekong Delta and features sampan (flat bottomed wooden boat) trips (through bamboo forests and mangroves), horse cart rides (through the countryside) and a boat trip (through Gao Giong bird sanctuary).