Growing up in the tranquil countryside, where tourism was virtually unheard of, Mr. Smey forged an extraordinary path to become a cruise director at Heritage Line. Born into a humble farming family living in the rural province of Kampong Cham, he spent his formative years working in the rice paddies and looking after the cattle. Whenever he gazed at the sky while resting in the field, the sight of the airplanes overhead would spark his curiosity to explore beyond the horizon and travel the world.
The Beginning: Just Determination & Dreams
Despite limited opportunities in his early years, Smey started out into the world with his high school diploma and some big dreams in his pocket which went far beyond the familiar fields and hills of his childhood. He never wanted to accepted a destiny of formal Cambodian education to dim his aspirations. At the age of 19, he moved to Siem Reap to work as a motorbike mechanic with his uncle. The income was of a manageable amount, and even less left for big savings for the future studies. Determination and hard work paid off when he seized the opportunity to enroll in the Sala Bai Hotel School, embarking on a journey toward a degree in tourism. From a farmer to a mechanic, and now to a man in the tourism industry, Mr. Smey’s future path took some shape leaving hope for more to come.
Grabbing the first chance in hospitality
Mr. Smey was recommended to Heritage Line by a travel industry friend in 2009, marking the beginning of his tourism career that now spanned 15 years. His maiden voyage with the company started aboard Jayavarman, where he first worked as a bartender in the F&B department behind the all-time favourite “Club 1930 Bar”. As a man of words and equipped with a fair amount of British black humour, superiors and staff alike and in particular guests enjoyed his company. Everyone could tell from afar that he loved this job as he did it with pure passion. Reflecting on his decision to work on a ship sailing on the Lower Mekong River, Mr. Smey said, “Working on a cruise is very different from the hotel industry. It feels like a 24hrs job. For a young man as me, being away from my parents and my four siblings for over 10 months per year was often not easy. But i always felt i got a second family when being on the ship with all my colleagues and with the guests being so friendly and amicable.” With each passing year at Heritage Line, Mr. Smey has bonded and blended in more and more and eventually grew into the Heritage Line family as an integral part of it to become today one of the brand’s ambassadors at the fore front. He is holding up the core values of Heritage Line every single day: Bottomless Passion; deep-rooted affection for culture & heritage; heartfelt hospitality.
Maybe, just maybe, these values opened up one of the most rewarding chapters of his journey (but most likely we believe it was his dark humour paired with this irresistible smile).
Mr. & Mrs Smey – love at second sight
This (or his) love story began amidst the hustle and bustle of the ship’s daily life. Mr. Smey was a decorated Assistant General Manager at that time already and had moved to Heritage Line’s flagship ‘The Jahan’. The pretty and determined lady on her part, Ms. Ngim, was working behind the ‘Club 1930 Bar’ on the ship Jayavarman. Do some bells ring? How can it be otherwise that Smey had to have a closer look at his former beloved working premises to double check if standards are met and guests are served with passion and a smile as he used to do back in the early days. Every time the two ships met in Phnom Penh (once a week), Mr. Smey and Ms. Ngim had some encounters and Smey did noticed very quickly that “his bar” was in good hands, managed with devotion, professionalism and a charming smile that he could no longer resist. One thing came to another and what started as a shy connection among co-workers led to a wonderful bond. A profound partnership grew into place with both, Mr. and Mrs. Smey, united eventually sharing the same values in job and private life. “Joining Heritage Line was more than just a job move – it unexpectedly became the journey that led me to my wife. Heritage Line was and is the melting pot of my personal and professional life to date. And Heritage Line is one reason for all the passion I have today with what I am doing.,” Smey concluded with his one-and-only grateful beam.
Taking over the “father” of the Heritage Line collection: the RV Jayavarman
After the substantial refurbishment of Heritage Line Jayavarman in the post covid years, Mr. Smey was offered the role of General Manager in 2024 on this iconic vessel. With this promotion came not only a significant increase in responsibilities, but also a great honour and dignity to be in charge of the first-ever Heritage Line vessel. The ship Jayavarman carries the whole weight of the corporate brand ‘Heritage Line’ and all its other six luxury ships. As the first luxury ship meandering the Mekong River, this ship is the glue and the grease at the same of the company and what may come. We believe the ship is in great hands with Mr. Smey for hopefully many years to come and together with the captain Mr. Chinh (another beacon in the Heritage Line family), they will be making great hosts for any guests aboard.
For Smey, managing the ship Jayavarman goes beyond ensuring smooth sailing and having delighted guests. He also wants to share his knowledge and experience with his onboard team, creating this superb atmosphere aboard our guests enjoy on every single sailing day. “What I like the most about managing the ship is the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to our crew, to make everyone around me feel like a part of the family. My priorities are clear: prioritizing our guests’ satisfaction, contributing to the company’s success, supporting the team and fostering confidence among the junior staff.”
A story within a story – the repeating guests anecdote
Life aboard the cruise is never dull, and Mr. Smey has plenty of stories to share. “I still remember this very sunny morning in August 2019, when I was greeting our guests at the welcome lounge in Siem Reap”, Mr. Smey starts this anecdote. Everyone was so excited as the high-water program downstream to Saigon, including the spectacular crossing of the Tonle Lake, has just been announced. “From my guest briefing document, I noticed that Mary & James, an elderly Australian couple, were about to join this cruise. “I remembered their names well, as I made friends with them 4 years ago.”
Back then the couple sailed from Saigon upstream to Siem Reap but now as returning guests, they wanted to do the same program in reverse again during the high-water period. Mr. Smey desperately tried to locate Mary & James at the welcome lounge. Check-in was about to close, ship departure was approaching. As he was about to call the operation department for help, his phone rang. “Smey, this is Mary, I remember you. Do you remember us?” Of course, Mr. Smey affirmed happily but asking where they were.
“We are waiting at the lounge in Saigon for the check-in Smey”, responded Mary. Smey was anxiously double checking the guest document pushing the thought away that there was maybe a mistake by the reservation department when processing the booking. No, the booking was correct – guests were booked on this trip Siem Reap – Saigon, downstream. In the same moment, he heard a scream through his mobile phone with Mary to shout: “Smey, oh my god. Smeyyyyy – we are at the wrong port! We supposed to fly to Siem Reap but booked flight to Saigon”.
As Mary and James starting to argue heavily with an urgent problem whose fault it was, Smey was already making plans. He grabbed the phone of his assistant and called his friend at Vietnam Airline. “Bong, I have an urgent problem. Can you please check if there are two seats available on the next flight today from Saigon to Siem Reap” ….. and the rest was history.
In the later afternoon, Mary and James joined the ship. Smey and the Heritage Line team had organized in speed of light a transfer to Saigon airport, a flight to Siem Reap and a boat transfer to ship catching up with the ship Jayavarman which was on the way southbound. As Mary and James walked up to the bar, Mr. Smey welcomed them with a smirky smile, two Tequila Sunrise and warm hugs. “Welcome onboard again guys – I guess you had a flying start this time”. Relief and Laughter carried on throughout the evening into the night.
If you travel on Heritage Line’s Jayavarman, be sure to ask him about some of his stories—you’re in for a treat!
Discover Cambodia with Heritage Line and Smey
Mr. Smey’s passion for Cambodia shines through in everything he does. Although Cambodia is often overshadowed by its neighbors, he is deeply proud of what makes his country so unique. He cherishes Cambodia’s mighty culture and history, the warm-hearted people, the melodious language, and the special food. One of his favorite highlights during each cruise is the visit of the small river hamlet of Kampong Leang which Heritage Line has just newly implemented in early 2024 in the Lower Mekong cruise itinerary. “This place feels like home, it is such an authentic glimpse into the rural way of life which one hardly gets at other places around Cambodia. Arriving to this village is like a return to my home village of Svay Tatherm and I am proud that I can show our guests how the real Cambodia unfolds beyond the majestic sites and cities of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.”
More stories about Heritage Line’s passionate people: Get to know Mr. Smey’s other half, Ms Smey (Ngim), who once joined us in 2016 for a working trial and since she met her husband on board never left Heritage Line. Today, Ms Ngim works together with Smey aboard Jayavarman, and looks after our guests at the front desk. https://heritage-line.com/magazine/jayavarmans-smiling-ms-ngim/
