Published on November 29, 2017
Floating Village, Chau Doc, Viet Nam. Image © Jean-Pierre Dalbéra/Creative Commons.
What You’ll Get
Take this nine-day, eight-night tour and see the best of Viet Nam’s and Cambodia’s cities and towns from aboard a luxury river cruiser.
Highlights
Southeast Asia’s cities look very different when seen from the river. You’ll find out for yourself when you board the Saigon River Cruise in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam‘s southern metropolis: sail through Ben Nghe and Tau Hu canals before ending the day on dry land watching a traditional water puppet show. Take in the city sights, too: stroll through the busy streets of Cho Lon, Saigon’s historic Chinatown district, before stopping at Cha Tam church.
Beyond the city, you’ll stop at the charming small town of Cai Be in Vinh Long, beginning another river expedition: visit the town’s famed floating market, An Binh Islet, bonsai gardens, fruit orchards, and some local homes. Your next stop is Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta, where you’ll see Buddhist pagodas, delicious food, more floating markets, and more signs of the delta’s enduring appeal.
At Chau Doc town, near the border of Cambodia, you’ll cruise down the Mekong to visit Chau Giang Hamlet, where Cham ladies weave colorful brocade against the sacred Sam Mountain as a backdrop.
Across the border in Cambodia, you’ll visit two major riverside cities.
Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital is on the fast lane to being one of the region’s exciting cities to watch out for, but it still maintains its hold on the past. You’ll see the Silver Pagoda in the Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, the National Museum, and a relaxing sunset cruise on the Mekong River.
Siem Reap, the former capital of the Khmer Kingdom, is your introduction to the temples of Angkor – from the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng and its panoramic view of Angkor Wat at sunset; the jewel of Khmer art, Banteay Srei; to the famed Bayon Temple and its hundreds of smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara.
Bayon, Angkor temples, Cambodia. Image courtesy of Mike Aquino.
