along the mekong river

  Rated

  Duration

8 days

  Tour Code

VE.IN-02

  Price

Contact for price

Overview

The Mekong River offers an opportunity for you to learn about new cultures and experience a different way of life. From ancient temples to modern palaces and from traditional villages to bustling cities, the Mekong boasts an experience like no other. Explorers will delight in the mix of traditions, and lifestyles as they cruise down this mighty river, while nature lovers are sure to enjoy the sunsets and scenery offered along the way. At the end of the journey, you will have an in-depth understanding of life along the river and the people who depend on it.

  • Explore Can Tho that surely leaves a strong impression on any traveler by its idyllic landscapes, Buddhist pagodas, floating markets, tropical fresh fruits, delicious food, and Mekong friendly locals.
  • Discover Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital is known for both its beautiful architecture, both ancient and from French colonial times, as well as its recent violent history.
  • Visit Angkor Ban, located along the Mekong River, a khum meaning commune of Sampov loun District in north-western Cambodia. It is worth paying a visit to the village to enjoy the rustic life in remote areas in Cambodia in which variety of century-year-old wooden houses still exist.

Itinerary

Transfer to the port at Saigon River, embark on an extraordinary journey cruising along the Mekong to Cambodia. Welcomed by your Vietnamese and Cambodian ship’s crew and set sail at midday through the famed Mekong Delta to the ‘Mighty Mekong River’.

Lunch will be served soon after departure. Having settled into your luxurious suites, you can relax and enjoy the new scenes and watch the world pass by.

Late in the day, the boat anchors in the heart of the Mekong Delta, where cocktails are served as the sun sets and sampans strolling by. A traditional Vietnamese dinner is served embracing a subtle fusion of dishes for the most eclectic tastes.

For early risers, sunrise tea or coffee provides the perfect start to your day.

Today, you witness the hustle and bustle of delta river life as the local traders take their produce to market. After breakfast, we board the classically built sampans to explore the narrow canals and backwaters of this famed region.

Cruising amidst the mangroves and Nipa Palm plantations, we will disembark to visit the handcrafted coconut candy-makers. This is a famous cottage industry and a local delicacy, enjoyed throughout Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

While strolling through the narrow paths of local villages, we will make contacts with our friendly local residents and stop for a visit at exotic tropical fruit farm. Depend on the season, you will have to best chance to savor the freshest Dragon-fruit, succulent Watermelons, delicious Lychees or the notorious Durian! 

Return to RV boat and continue to an even more remote destination in the Mekong Delta. Lunch will be served while cruising along a narrow canal.

In the afternoon, the ship sails through an area of the Mekong Delta barely touched by tourism to Can Tho city, the capital riverside city of Mekong Delta of Vietnam. You will take a short and orientated city tour with visiting to the Zihuang Pagoda (Chua Ong) and enjoying the welcome unicorn dances. Explore yourself on own around the charming city before having dinner onboard. The ship docks in Can Tho overnight.

Tea and coffee served at sunrise. 

Visit Cai Rang floating market at Can Tho by a local river boat, this is a fascinating place where you can see a flotilla of boats at all size that gather every day to exchange their agriculture products. This is the most crowded and bustle floating market in Mekong Delta.

A brief excursion ashore follows a short cruise past the Cai Rang markets to nearby rice noodle factory, where we see the process of noodle making. It’s hot, steamy and totally authentic!

Return to RV boat for lunch. 

After lunch, continue excursion by boat to Hoa An village, where is untouched and well-known with flower growing and handmade craft. Our first stop at flower gardens where we will see many different kinds of flowers and learn how to grow and take care of them. Then, a short walking to a local house and chat with the host to see how they live and work in their daily life. 

After a short break, continue our excursion on motor cart to another village. We stop by at the conical hat-making and mat weaving families, have memorable time chatting with local family members and learning how to create products though hands-on experience. Enjoy your walk in the peaceful village with rice fields, fruit trees in between visiting few local families. 

The ship sails and anchors near Gieng Island.

This morning we board sampans that will take us into Gieng Island. After a short walk around the local sampan village, where hundreds of sampans are produced daily by local families, we take a canal drive to explore the untouched floating area with duck farms, monkey bridges, and tropical orchards along the riverside. We will try one of most popular local transportation named “xe loi” (motor trishaw) driving through this island to visit a Catholic Church, built around the same time as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon in the 1870s. 

The final excursion in Vietnamese waters takes you to the remote island village of Hong Ngu, located only fifteen kilometers from the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Hong Ngu produces an abundance of traditional Khmer scarves, which are exported to Cambodia. Hand-woven in many homes throughout the village, we see the intricate weaving process from start to finish. Many of the villagers are embroidery artists who display their art on the balconies of their timber homes, which are built on stilts to avoid flooding in the wet season.

Spend sometimes to visit a local temple dedicated to a unique religion, founded in this area, named Hoa Hao.

Return by riverboat to the RV boat, weigh anchor and cross the border into Cambodia and continue up the Mekong river. 

Morning arrival to Phnom Penh and docks at the center port. 

After lunch, local cyclo drivers meet you for an exciting city tour of Phnom Penh. You begin your ride along the riverfront to the Royal Palace, where a leisurely walk takes you through the grounds, with opportunities to visit the Throne Hall and Moonlight Pavilion. Upon crossing into the second section of the complex, you walk amongst enormous stupas and spirit houses, on the way to the famous Silver Pagoda, home of Cambodia’s Emerald Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, encrusted with more than 9,000 diamonds. Following a short break, continue on cyclo to the National Museum. Housing the largest pre-Angkorian and Angkorian holdings in Cambodia, the National Museum ends the morning tour with a comprehensive look at many of the artifacts excavated around the Angkor Archeological Area in Siem Reap, as well as other areas around the former Khmer Empire.

The ship docks overnight in Phnom Penh.

This morning, private motor-coach take you on a scenic 45-minute drive from the ship, arriving at Choeung Ek, the killing fields depicted in the movie, and the center of the darkest days of Cambodian history. You may walk through the fields, visit the small museum and Memorial Stupa, and learn more about the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime. On the return drive to Phnom Penh, stop at Tuol Sleng (infamously known as S-21), which was converted by the Khmer Rouge from a large school to a prison and torture headquarters.

Free time at leisure for your own exploration the charming city of Phnom Penh in the afternoon. 

Enjoying the entertainment onboard with a cultural performance including Apsara, Cambodia’s national dance, as well as several traditional folk dances.

The ship docks in Phnom Penh overnight.

Your ship leaves Phnom Penh and sails to Angkor Ban. We start the afternoon tour with a visit to the charming and authentic town of Angkor Ban. Here, we witness the daily life of the local people, starting with a visit to the pagoda with a special blessing ceremony for our guests by local monks, then we keep going on visiting to a local family’s home, to meet them and discuss their lifestyle. We continue through the village to the local school where we join the children in their classroom and experience what their typical school day is like. Ship sails to Kampong Cham and docks overnight.

After breakfast, disembark your RV, bid farewell to your accompanists on cruise and crew members. 

Transfer by motor-coach to Siem Reap. Arrive Meeting Point at noon. Free time at your leisure or join to your next exploring tour in Siem Reap. 

Tour Map

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