Journey upstream

Be picked up at ÊMM Hotel Saigon, 157 Pasteur Street, District 3. Depart Ho Chi Minh City by coach to Can Tho, the beating heart of the Mekong Delta. Stop at the rustic, riverside town of Cai Be where lunch is served at the elegant Le Longanier Restaurant set amidst lush fruit trees by the river.

Board the Victoria Mekong Cruise at Victoria Can Tho Pier at 04:00 PM. Familiarize yourself with the ship while she sets sail towards Long Xuyen and watch the sunset over the Hau River. Enjoy a traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music performance know as “Đờn Ca Tài Tử” with cocktail in hand. As day turns into night, sit down to a welcome dinner to officially welcome you onboard your Victoria Mekong Cruise, accompanied by the entertainment activities onboard.

Overnight near Long Xuyen.

After breakfast, wandering by sampan around Long Xuyen floating market with meeting habitant on floating houses, learning about their life story on the water.

During lunch, the ship sails on before anchoring near Tiger Island. Head ashore by sampan to another village, learning about the ways local people making plant pots and planting ornamental plants called bonsai.

Return to the sampan and cruise to Tiger Island for a walking tour through rice fields or vegetable gardens. Visit “Mr. Tiger’s Temple” and hear the island’s story. Return onboard for a cocktail competition and evening entertainment as the ship cruises to Vam Nao for an overnight stay.

Wake up to another leisurely breakfast in Phu Tan, the provincial capital of An Giang in the Mekong Delta. Tender ashore to visit a craft village famed for handmaking Ca Rang clay stoves. Used for hundreds of years by the southern Vietnamese, these stoves have a unique design which allows them to block the wind, retain heat, and keep ash from dispersing.

Enjoy lunch onboard as we cruise towards the village of Tan Chau where we’ll travel by local rickshaw to visit the
local market and colorful temple which is the spiritual center for local residents. Return to the ship in time for a traditional Vietnamese lion dance, followed by dinner and the evening’s entertainment. Overnight in Tan Chau.

Enjoy early morning scenery on the Sky deck while the ship begins cruising towards the Vietnam – Cambodia border. After the leisurely breakfast in the Claypot restaurant, select from the many onboard activities including a ship’s tour, mini-golf tournament, or simply enjoy the scenery as we cross the border between Vietnam and Cambodia and sail on towards Phnom Penh.

We arrive late afternoon in the charming capital of Phnom Penh, once known as the “Pearl of the Orient” for its French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic river walk. Before dinner, enjoy an interesting pre-dinner lecture about Cambodia as well as learn some basic Khmer phrases. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

This morning, ride a three-wheeled cyclo to the majestic Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda complex. Admire the intricate palace buildings, the silver floor tiles that give the Silver Pagoda its name, and the gold and jeweled Buddha statues, considered national treasures. Walk to the nearby National Museum, a beautiful sandstone building housing the world’s largest collection of Khmer art.

After lunch, drive to Choeung Ek, one of the mass grave sites of the Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge executed over a million people between 1975 and 1979. Today, Choeung Ek is a memorial with a Buddha. Finish the afternoon at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, enjoying a signature cocktail at the famed Elephant Bar.

Return to the ship for dinner.

After breakfast, go on a walking tour of the village of Koh Chen where the highlight is meeting a local copper and silversmith. Afterward, travel by coach to Oudong, the ancient capital of Cambodia with a stop at the fascinating Vipassana Dhura Meditation Center.

After having lunch on board, travel by three-wheeled tuk tuk to Silk Island where you will learn about the process of silk weaving, from worm to loom, with the chance to observe local families weaving the iconic Cambodian krama.

This morning, explore the village of Angkor Ban with its wooden stilt houses and local vibe. Back to the cruise as the Victoria Mekong cruise to Kampong Cham.

In the late afternoon, take a walking tour along the river to visit Kampong Cham town. Enjoy dinner and the evening’s entertainment onboard.

Disembark from the ship at Kampong Chham and travel through the lush Cambodian countryside. Upon arrival to Siem Reap, gateway to the mystical Angkor Complex, sit down to a final lunch where the cruise program ends.