Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon Port (L/D)
From 11:30 am (Embarking) to 8:00 pm
Later in the morning, our guide will come to pick you up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City to transfer to the Mekong Princess docking at Saigon Port - 05 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City for embarkation. Please give us your hotel name with address and be ready at your hotel around 10:00 A.M – 11:00 A.M to wait for our shuttle service.
Once aboard, a safety briefing as soon as you embarked will take place in the Ramvong Lounge. You will be welcomed by your Vietnamese and Cambodian ship’s crew, before embarking on the most extraordinary journey of discovery.
Lunch, with highly attentive oriental hospitality, will be served soon after departure, as we cruise along the Saigon River. Having settled into your luxurious suites, you can relax and enjoy the new scenes and watch the world pass by.
We sail at midday through Saigon river, Soai Rap river, Nuoc Man canal, Vam Co river and Cho Gao canal to the ‘Mighty Mekong River’.
Late in the day, we anchor in the heart of the Mekong Delta, time to enjoy crafted cocktails by our skilled bartenders and watch the sun sets, and sampans passing by. A traditional Vietnamese “A La Carte” dinner will be served in the Indochine onboard Restaurant, embracing a subtle fusion of dishes for the most delicate palates.
Day 2: Ben Tre, Can Tho (B/L/D)
From 6:00 am to 9:30 pm
This morning, sampans take you through a channel lined with mangroves. We will try one of most popular local transportation named “xe lam” (three-wheeler) to visit a local coconut candy maker. After watching the candy-making process, walking through the village to visit an orchard where fruits native to Vietnam can be seen in various stages of maturity on the vine. After a fresh fruit tasting, you continue to a pier where you board small, local boats for a trip through the narrow creeks lined with Nipah palm before returning to the ship.
This afternoon, the ship sails through an area of the Mekong Delta barely touched by tourism to Can Tho city, known as Tay Do - the capital of the Mekong Delta. Guests will take a short and orientated city tour with visiting to the Zihuang Pagoda (Chua Ong) and enjoying the welcome unicorn dances. Explore on your own around the charming city before having dinner onboard.
The ship docks in Can Tho overnight.
*Onboard activity: Lecture of Vietnam, Vietnam’s People, Culture & colonial History.
Day 3: Can Tho - Hoa An (B/L/D)
From 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
We start our morning before breakfast aboard the sampans for a cruise through the fascinating Cai Rang floating market near Can Tho. The sampans will weave in and out of the many boats that sail into the market each morning to sell produce and other items the residents of the Mekong Delta need in their daily lives. As they weave through the market, there will be many opportunities for amazing photographs, while enjoying fresh fruit and the Vietnamese “anti-aging drink,” fresh coconut water. Before returning to the ship for a sumptuous buffet breakfast, we stop at a local noodle factory, where we witness the amazing process of how they are made.
After lunch, continue the excursion by sampan to Hoa An village, which is untouched and well-known with lush green fields whereby local inhabitants grow a variety of seasonal crops, including vegetable, fruity trees. Starting our excursion on a “xe loi” (motor cart) via winding country roads. En route , enjoy a short walk in the peaceful village with rice fields, and fruit orchards. We then continue the sampan ride on a major branch of the Mekong river - before turning into a busy canal famous for being the rice milling center of the region, observing from afar on our sampan towards the village milling in operation will also enhance our understanding of how rice being transported and processed locally. Our last stop is at one of the conical hat-making families, with an opportunity chatting with local family members and learn how to create products through hands-on experience.
The Princess sails and anchors near Gieng Island.
Day 4: Gieng Island - Hong Ngu (B/L/D)
From 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
After breakfast, we board sampans that will take us to Gieng Island. After a short walk around the local sampan village, where local families produce sampans daily, we take a canal drive to explore the mango gardens along the riverbanks. We will try one of the most popular local transportation, “xe loi” (motor trishaw), driving through this island to visit a Phanxico Monastery.
This afternoon, we visited the local island village of Hong Ngu, not far from the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Hong Ngu produces a large number of traditional Khmer scarves exported to Cambodia. Woven in many homes around the village, we can see the weaving process under several homes. Some villagers are also embroidery artists, displaying their art in and around their homes. The inhabitants of this area had only encountered a few Western visitors before the arrival of the Mekong Princess; they are especially friendly and welcoming. We will also visit the local temple dedicated to a unique religion founded in this area of Vietnam, Hoa Hao.
This evening, the Mekong Princess will arrive at the border to complete exit procedures and continue up the Mekong River to Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia)
*Onboard activity: Cooking Class Demonstration by our Executive Chef.
Day 5: Phnom Penh (B/L/D)
From 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
This morning, the Mekong Princess will arrive at the border to complete exit procedures and continue up the Mekong River to Phnom Penh (capital of Kingdom Cambodia). You can enjoy the fascinating scenery on both sides of the Mekong River. After completing immigration procedures to Cambodia, 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 and perfectly manicured gardens, 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, your cyclos will take you to the National Museum. Housing the most extensive 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 in Phnom Penh overnight.
*Onboard activity: Fruit Carvings & Tropical Fruits Demonstration; Lecture of Cambodia’s Geography and Life along the Mekong River by your host.
Day 6: Phnom Penh City (B/L/D)
From 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
This morning, private motor-coach take you on a scenic 45-minute drive away 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, a stop is made 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.
This afternoon is free at leisure for your own exploration the charming city of Phnom Penh.
This evening before dinner, 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.
Day 7: Angkor Ban (B/L/D)
From 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM
The Mekong Princess 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.
Day 8: Kampong Cham (B)
Bid farewell at 8:00 am
Enjoy a sumptuous Breakfast Buffet in the Indochine Restaurant. After breakfast, we disembark the Mekong Princess in Kampong Cham and transferred by motor-coach to your hotel in Siem Reap at noon.
