Journey downstream

This morning, travel by coach from Siem Reap to Kampong Chham, set off for lunch before embarkation. Meet your crew for the next 7 nights and enjoy your first sunset on the Mekong River.

Before dinner, enjoy an interesting pre-dinner lecture about Cambodia as well as learn some basic Khmer phrases.

Morning excursion to explore the village of Angkor Ban with its wooden stilt houses and local vibe.

After having lunch on the ship, 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 karma.

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.

Enjoy lunch on board with time to relax in your cabin afterward. In the late afternoon, hop on a pedal-powered cyclo to the elegant Raffles Hotel Le Royal for a signature cocktail at the famed Elephant Bar. Return to the ship for dinner and entertainment activities onboard. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

This morning, explore the majestic Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda complex. Admire the elaborately constructed palace buildings, some of the 5,000 silver floor tiles that give the Silver Pagoda its name, as well as spectacular gold and bejeweled Buddha statues that are considered national treasures. Walk to the nearby National Museum, a beautiful sandstone building that showcases the world’s largest collection of Khmer art. Set off for lunch afterward before driving to Choeung Ek, one of the mass grave sites of the Killing Fields where the Khmer Rouge executed over a million men, women, and children between 1975 and 1979. Today, Choeung Ek is a memorial with a Buddhist stupa filled with skulls and bones to honor the victims.

Back to the cruise takng in a lively performance of Khmer Apsara dancing with the opportunity to meet the performers afterward. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

As the ship cruises towards the Cambodia-Vietnam border, start the day with early exercise on the Sky Deck, followed by breakfast. Choose from onboard activities like a ship tour, mini-golf, or simply enjoy the scenery as we cross the border.

After lunch on board, the ship sails into Vietnamese waters and anchors near Tan Chau. Tenders sampans to cruise through the floating village to watch a special way the people in the Mekong Delta raising freshwater fish under their stilts. Get your first glimpse of the Vietnamese countryside. Return to the ship for a traditional Vietnamese lion dance, followed by dinner and evening entertainment. Overnight in Tân Châu

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.

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”. Back to sampan and cruise to Tiger Island. Take a walking tour through rice fields or vegetable gardens, stopping over to visit a site locally known as “Mr. Tiger’s Temple” to hear the island’s story that won the island its name. Return onboard in time for a cocktail competition and evening entertainment.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast as the ship cruises towards the provincial capital of Long Xuyen. Wandering by sampan around Long Xuyen floating market with meeting habitants on floating houses, learning about their life story on the water.

Enjoy lunch onboard as we cruise towards the village of Dinh Yen where we’ll observe colorful straw mats being woven on mechanized looms.

Return to the ship and cruise towards Can Tho, the beating heart of the Mekong Delta. Enjoy a traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music performance known as “Đờn ca tài tử”. Overnight in Can Tho.

Enjoy breakfast on the terrace of Claypot Restaurant with time to enjoy the view from the pool or from your private balcony before disembarkation.

Accompanied by your local guide, board a coach for Cai Be where lunch is served at the elegant Le Longanier Restaurant set amidst lush fruit trees by the river.

Continue to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving mid-afternoon at ÊMM Hotel Saigon, 157 Pasteur Street, District 3.