Cruising the Mekong: Siam, Saigon & Angkor Wat

Arrive in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, and transfer to your hotel.

Visit the sprawling Grand Palace to view the royal Siamese court, home to Thailand’s most important shrine, the green-jade Emerald Buddha. Then, discover Wat Pho temple, with its massive Reclining Buddha statue, and listen to the musical sound of coins dropping into brass offering bowls. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and afterward cruise the Chao Phraya River on a traditional wooden rice barge. Take in the sights along the waterfront, including glittering Wat Arun. After time at leisure, gather for a welcome dinner.

Fly to Siem Reap, and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Then, enter the monumental gates of Angkor Thom and visit the Bayon Temple, with its 172 large-scale faces wearing enchanting smiles. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure, exploring Siem Reap or indulging in your hotel’s amenities.

Rise early to experience the incomparable serenity and inspiration of watching the sun rise over mystical Angkor Wat before exploring the vast temple complex with a local expert. Return to your hotel for breakfast and time to relax. This afternoon, explore Ta Prohm, where the roots of great trees seem to have spilled over the roof of this iconic stone temple. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

Drive through the lush and scenic Cambodian countryside to Kampong Cham, where you board A&K’s private charter of all-suite Mekong Princess, your boutique river cruiser for the next seven nights. Tonight, enjoy a Khmer-inspired dinner.

Explore the charming town of Angkor Ban, where you enjoy glimpses into the lives of local people, starting with a visit to a family home. Stroll through a small market frequented by locals and stop briefly at a monastery complex. Then, board Mekong Princess and cruise to Phnom Penh, where you ride like a local through Cambodia’s lush and alluring capital city on an engaging cyclo tour. Discover the ornate Royal Palace, and wander past huge stupas (Buddhist monuments) and spirit houses en route to the Silver Pagoda, home of Cambodia’s Emerald Buddha and the diamond-encrusted Maitreya Buddha. Visit the National Museum before returning to the ship.

Learn about Cambodia’s darker days as you visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, and then walk the notorious killing fields of Choeung Ek, one of history’s most infamous places. Your afternoon is free for you to relax on your own. On board this evening, enjoy a professional exhibition of traditional folk dances.

Cruise into Vietnam early this morning and continue downstream to little-known Hong Ngu, which nimble Mekong Princess can enter with ease. In this place where few Westerners have ever been, experience an especially friendly welcome, followed by a visit to a local family home, where you watch the weaving of kromas (traditional Khmer scarves). Later, explore a local temple dedicated to Hoa Hao, a unique Vietnamese religion. In the afternoon, board a sampan (wooden boat) to Gieng Island, where dozens of the vessels are built each day. Cruise a canal past orchards and rice fields. Continue to a historic Christian monastery built by the French in 1879.

Disembark at the village of Hoa An, well known for its floral and craft industries. See how locals grow and use flowers, and meet a local family. Later, reboard the ship and cruise downstream toward Can Tho, where you disembark to visit Zihuang Pagoda. Back on board, relax on a Scenic Sundowner this evening, observing local life at the close of day along the delta.

Rise early for a sampan cruise through a fascinating floating market near Can Tho, weaving between boats that sell goods and produce. Fresh coconut water, the Vietnamese “anti-aging drink,” refreshes you before a stop at a local factory to see the making of traditional noodles. Back on board Mekong Princess, cruise deeper into parts of the Mekong Delta rarely touched by travellers.

Board a sampan to wend your way through a channel lined with mangroves, whose tangled roots provide a sheltered habitat for the smallest denizens of the river’s ecosystem. Pause to see an artisan produce coconut candy, a favorite local snack. Next, board a small boat for a cruise through lush, narrow creeks lined with nipa palms and mangroves. Participate in a Chef’s Table cooking demo this afternoon led by your onboard chef.

Unlike other river ships that are forced to dock outside of Saigon, Mekong Princess takes you right into the heart of this lively, evocative metropolis, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. Disembark your river cruiser to enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities. Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels to see firsthand the underground network so strategic to the Vietnam War. Explore the City’s Bustling Culinary Scene, sampling traditional dishes prepared by local street-food vendors. Cycle the Countryside through villages, past vegetable gardens, the local market and agricultural landscapes, observing authentic local life along the way. Tonight, gather for a special farewell dinner.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport to depart.