CAN THO – PHNOM PENH – SIEM REAP ON RIVER CRUISE

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 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 embark 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.

This morning, sampans take you through a channel lined with mangroves. We will try one of the 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 Hoang Dieu Harbor next to Can Tho city, known as Tay Do – the capital of the Mekong Delta.

After an early dinner, you will be taken by bus to Can Tho City for a tour of the town & night market with local guide. You will then have time to explore on your own around the charming city before returning to the ship. The ship docks overnight.

*Onboard activity: Lecture of Vietnam, Vietnam’s People, Culture & colonial History.

Early this morning, continental breakfast will be served. Bus ride to the pier in Can Tho to board the sampan for a cruise through the fascinating Cai Rang floating market. The sampan 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. We will make a stop as well at a local dry noodle making house, where we witness the amazing process of how they are made.

On the way back to the ship, we will stop at Ninh Kieu Wharf to visit the Zihuang Pagoda (Chua Ong) and enjoying the unicorn traditional dance performed by local teenagers; after that, we will take a short ride the famous “Binh Thuy Ancient House” better known as the “Lover House” from French novelist Marguerite Duras, then return to the Mekong Princess for a well-deserved breakfast.

After lunch, continue the excursion by sampan to Hoa An village, where it 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 walk 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 trishaw to another village. We stop by at the conical hat-making families, have memorable time chatting with local family members and learning how to create products. Enjoy your walk in the peaceful village with rice fields, fruit trees in between visiting a few local families.

The Princess sails and anchors near Gieng Island.

After breakfast, we board sampans that will take us into Gieng Island. After a short walk around the local sampan village, where sampans are produced daily by local families, we take a canal drive to explore the mango gardens along the riverbanks. We will try one of the most popular local transportation named “xe loi” (motor trishaw) driving through this island to visit a Phanxico Monastery.

This afternoon, we visit the local island village of Hong Ngu, not far from the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Hong Ngu produces a large number of the traditional Khmer scarves exported to Cambodia. Woven in many homes around the village, here we have the opportunity to see the weaving process under several homes. Some villagers are also embroidery artists, displaying their art in and around the homes. The inhabitants of this area had only encountered a few western visitors prior to 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. The ship sails and anchors in Tan Chau overnight.

*Onboard activity: Cooking Class Demonstration by our Executive Chef.

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 take you 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 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.