Ho Chi Minh City & Cambodia Up Stream 8 days

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 Au Island opposite Ninh Kieu Wharf in Can Tho city, known as Tay Do - the capital of the Mekong Delta. Upon arrival, you will be taken by Sampan to Can Tho City for a vicinity tour of the town, our local guide takes you in a short and orientated city tour with visiting to the Zihuang Pagoda (Chua Ong) and enjoying the welcome unicorn dances performed by local teenagers. You will then have time to explore on your own around the charming city and the night market before returning to the ship for dinner onboard.

The ship anchors overnight.

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

Early this morning, continental breakfast will be served. The sampan will arrive to Mekong Princess 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, the Vietnamese “anti-aging drink, " and” fresh coconut water. We will also stop at a local dry noodle-making house to witness the unique process of making them. We will then return to the ship for a well-deserved breakfast.

After lunch, continue the excursion by sampan to Hoa An village, which is untouched and well-known for flower growing and handmade crafts. Our first stop at the 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 lives.

After a short break, we continue our excursion on a motor trishaw to another village. We stop by the conical hat-making families and have a memorable time chatting with local family members and learning how to create products. Enjoy your walk in the peaceful village with rice fields and fruit trees in between visiting a few local families.

The Princess sails and anchors near Gieng Island.

*Onboard activity: Lecture of Vietnam, the Past & Present by your local Vietnamese host.

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 transportations, “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.

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.

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.

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.

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.