VIETNAM – CAMBODIA: LEGENDS OF THE MEKONG (12 days)
VIETNAM – CAMBODIA: LEGENDS OF THE MEKONG (12 days)
Immerse yourself in the captivating beauty of the Mekong’s serene waterways, where life flows in harmony with the river’s rhythm. Engage with the warm and welcoming locals, whose lives are deeply intertwined with this majestic river. This journey offers not just breathtaking scenery but also an intimate glimpse into the culture and traditions that make the Mekong Delta so extraordinary.
A travel experience like no other
-
Day 1HO CHI MINH CITY ARRIVAL (D)
-
Day 2SAIGON CITY TOUR & CU CHI TUNNEL (B,D)
-
Day 3SAI GON – CAI BE – CAN THO – LONG XUYEN (B,L,D)
-
Day 4LONG XUYEN – TIGER ISLAND – VAM NAO (B,L,D)
-
Day 5VAM NAO – TAN CHAU (B,L,D)
-
Day 6TAN CHAU – PHNOM PENH (B,L,D)
-
Day 7PHNOM PENH – KOH CHEN (B,L,D)
-
Day 8KOH CHEN – KOH DACH – ANGKOR BAN (B,L,D)
-
Day 9ANGKOR BAN – KAMPONG CHAM (B,L,D)
-
Day 10KAMPONG CHAM – SIEM REAP (B,L,D)
-
Day 11SIEM REAP - ANGKOR (B,L)
-
Day 12SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE (B)
-
Day 1
HO CHI MINH ARRIVAL
Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, experience a smooth, time-saving, and stress-free arrival with our Airport Fast Track Services. A staff with name boards welcoming you at the visa counter area and helping you complete all the custom procedures. Then he/she will help you collect your baggage and escort you to the exit where your tour guide is waiting for you.
Our tour guide will escort you to your hotel (approx. 1-hour drive).
Check in hotel (after 2 PM) and relax.
In the late afternoon, enjoy a refined and unhurried time designed for pure relaxation and indulgence in Ho Chi Minh city. Begin with a two-hour spa experience at an elegant spa, where expert therapists, calming aromas, and a serene atmosphere help you fully unwind and restore your energy after a long flight.
After spa time, our guide will take you to a local restaurant. Enjoy an elegant evening at Chill Sky Bar, one of Ho Chi Minh City’s most iconic rooftop venues, where refined dining meets spectacular skyline views. Perched high above the city, the stylish open-air setting offers a sophisticated atmosphere as Saigon lights up after sunset.
Savor a thoughtfully curated dinner featuring contemporary cuisine and expertly crafted cocktails, all served with impeccable attention. With panoramic views stretching across the city and a vibrant yet polished ambiance, dinner at Chill Sky Bar promises a memorable night of indulgence and urban glamour.
Meal: Dinner
Accommodation
Option 4*: LA SIESTA CENTRAL (Deluxe Window)
Option 5*: HOTEL DES ARTS (Deluxe)
Option 5* luxury: THE REVERIE (Deluxe)
-
Day 2
HO CHI MINH CITY – CU CHI TUNNEL – CITY TOUR
Begin the day with a private pick-up from your hotel and a comfortable transfer to Tan Cang Pier, where you’ll board a private luxury speedboat for a stylish journey to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Relax in the fresh river breeze while observing daily life unfolding along the riverbanks.
Upon arrival at Cu Chi, delve into one of Vietnam’s most remarkable historical sites. Start with an informative documentary that sets the context for this extraordinary underground network and its wartime legends. Continue with a guided exploration through the surrounding jungle to discover hidden entrances, ingenious traps, bunkers, and underground shelters. Learn about traditional rice-paper and rice-wine production before experiencing the tunnels firsthand by crawling through selected sections, gaining a powerful sense of life below ground.
For those interested, an optional visit to the shooting range offers the chance to fire historical weapons. Pause to rest with a cup of green tea and tapioca, once a staple food during the war, offering a meaningful connection to the past.
Conclude the visit with lunch at a local restaurant, before cruising back to Ho Chi Minh City by speedboat.
In the afternoon, explore Saigon — a city of many layers, where the energy of a modern life blends seamlessly with a rich and complex past. Walk through the historic city center and central business district, passing architectural highlights such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post-office, City Hall, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel, and the Saigon Opera House. Step off the main boulevard to discover a historic apartment building transformed by the city’s youth into a vibrant creative hub. Independent boutiques, cafés, and art spaces reflect the spirit of Saigon’s young generation. Pause to relax with a refreshment at one of the building’s trendy cafés.
Conclude the tour at China town, a vibrant historic quarter shaped by centuries of Chinese heritage, where ornate temples, bustling markets, and traditional shop houses line lively streets. Renowned for its rich culinary scene and cultural traditions, this area offers an immersive glimpse into the city’s multicultural past and dynamic present. Visit Thien Hau pagoda before getting back to your hotel.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch
Accommodation
Option 4*: LA SIESTA CENTRAL (Deluxe Window)
Option 5*: HOTEL DES ARTS (Deluxe)
Option 5* luxury: THE REVERIE (Deluxe)
-
Day 3
SAI GON – CAI BE – CAN THO – LONG XUYEN
Transfer to ÊMM Hotel Saigon, 157 Pasteur Street, District 3. Depart Ho Chi Minh City by coach to Can Tho, the heart of the Mekong Delta. Stop at Cai Be for lunch at the elegant Le Longanier Restaurant amidst lush fruit trees by the river
Board the Victoria Mekong Cruise at Victoria Can Tho Pier at 4:00 PM. Familiarize yourself with the ship as she sails towards Long Xuyen and enjoy the sunset over the Hau River. Enjoy a traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music performance, “Đờn Ca Tài Tử,” with a cocktail in hand. As night falls, attend a welcome dinner onboard, accompanied by entertainment activities.
Overnight near Long Xuyen.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 4
LONG XUYEN – TIGER ISLAND – VAM NAO
After breakfast, wandering by sampan around Long Xuyen floating market with meeting habitant on floating houses, learning about their life story on the water.
During lunch, the ship continues its journey and anchors near Tiger Island. A short sampan ride leads ashore for a gentle walk along the river’s rhythm, past intimate, family-tended rice plots and lush vegetable gardens. The visit concludes at Tiger Spirit Temple, where folklore reveals the story behind the island’s name. Return to the ship in the afternoon to enjoy a relaxed cocktail competition, followed by evening entertainment on board
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 5
VAM NAO – TAN CHAU
Wake up to another leisurely breakfast in Phu Tan, the provincial capital of An Giang in the Mekong Delta. Tender ashore to visit a craft village famed for handmaking Ca Rang clay stoves. Used for hundreds of years by the southern Vietnamese, these stoves have a unique design which allows them to block the wind, retain heat, and keep ash from dispersing.
Enjoy lunch onboard as the ship cruises toward Tan Chau. Travel by sampan through the floating village, remaining onboard while observing daily river life and freshwater fish farming from a respectful distance beneath the floating houses. The sampan then continues along the river with a visit to the Cao Dai temple, offering a brief insight into this unique Vietnamese spiritual tradition.
Return to the ship for a traditional Vietnamese lion dance, followed by dinner and evening entertainment. Overnight in Tan Chau.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 6
TAN CHAU – PHNOM PENH
Enjoy early morning scenery on the Sky Deck while the ship begins cruising towards the Vietnam – Cambodia border. After the leisurely breakfast in the Claypot restaurant, select from the many onboard activities including a ship’s tour, mini-golf tournament, or simply enjoy the scenery as we cross the border between Vietnam and Cambodia and sail on towards Phnom Penh. We arrive late afternoon in the charming capital of Phnom Penh, once known as the “Pearl of the Orient” for its French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic river walk.
After dinner, enjoy a traditional dance performance onboard. Overnight in Phnom Penh.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 7
PHNOM PENH – KOH CHEN
This morning, ride a three-wheeled cyclo to the majestic Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda complex. Admire the intricate palace buildings, the silver floor tiles that give the Silver Pagoda its name, and the gold and jeweled Buddha statues, considered national treasures. Walk to the nearby National Museum, a beautiful sandstone building housing the world’s largest collection of Khmer art.
After lunch, drive to Choeung Ek, one of the mass grave sites of the Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge executed over a million people between 1975 and 1979. Today, Choeung Ek is a memorial with a Buddha. Finish the afternoon at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, enjoying a signature cocktail at the famed Elephant Bar. Return to the ship for dinner.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 8
KOH CHEN – KOH DACH – ANGKOR BAN
After breakfast, go on a walking tour of the village of Koh Chen where the highlight is meeting a local copper and silversmith. Afterward, travel by coach to Oudong, the ancient capital of Cambodia with a stop at the fascinating Vipassana Dhura Meditation Center.
After having lunch on board, travel by three-wheeled tuk tuk to Silk Island where you will learn about the process of silk weaving, from worm to loom, with the chance to observe local families weaving the iconic Cambodian krama.
Before dinner, immerse yourself in Cambodia’s cultural heritage with a fascinating Krama demonstration, where you will learn about Cambodia’s iconic scarf- its history, significance, and be interesting at the versatility a scarf could be in daily life.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 9
ANGKOR BAN – KAMPONG CHAM
This morning, explore the village of Angkor Ban with its wooden stilt houses and local vibe. Back to the cruise as the Victoria Mekong cruise to Kampong Cham
Before setting off for the afternoon excursion, spend some minutes for hands-on cultural experience by learning the delicate art of folding lotus flowers, a symbol of purity and devotion in Southeast Asian tradition.
Take a walking tour along the river to visit Kampong Cham town. Enjoy dinner and the evening’s entertainment onboard
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Victoria Mekong Cruise (Deluxe River Deck)
-
Day 10
KAMPONG CHAM – SIEM REAP
Disembark from the ship at Kampong Chham and travel through the lush Cambodian countryside. Upon arrival to Siem Reap, gateway to the mystical Angkor Complex, sit down to a final lunch where the cruise program ends.
In the afternoon, visit to Banteay Srey, known as Citadel of Women or a Pink Temple, and Banteay Samre Temples.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch
Accommodation:
Superior class: Sokkhak Boutique Resort & Spa
Deluxe class: Jaya House River Park Hotel
-
Day 11
SIEM REAP - ANGKOR
Breakfast at hotel
Visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12 century): the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, and
Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery.
Lunch not included
Visit to the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Enjoy wonderful sunset from the top of Pre Rup temple
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation:
Superior class: Sokkhak Boutique Resort & Spa
Deluxe class: Jaya House River Park Hotel
-
Day 12
SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE
Breakfast at hotel.
Free time at leisure. Check out hotel at noon.
Transfer to Siem Reap airport for flight to next destination. End tour.
Meal: Breakfast