VIETNAM – CAMBODIA

11 days 10 nights

3-NIGHTS LOWER MEKONG (VIETNAM & CAMBODIA) I SAIGON – PHNOM PENH

PHNOM PENH & SIEM REAP TOUR 6 NIGHTS

DAY 1: SAIGON ARRIVAL

Upon arrival in Tan Son Nhat Airport, our guide and driver welcome you and transfer you to hotel for check-in. Check-in time in 14:00.

Overnight in Saigon

DAY 2: SAIGON – MY THO – CAI BE

Breakfast at hotel in Saigon. Our guide and driver will meet you at hotel lobby and transfer you to cruise meeting point (Renaissance Riverside Hotel). Meeting time from 11:00 (prior to embarkation | Saigon – Phnom Penh). The bus is leaving to the ship at 12:00.

We greet our guests in the morning at our welcome lounge in Saigon. Kick back with a second coffee as our staff collects your details for boarding. We bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of Saigon and travel 70 kilometres south over land towards My Tho to embark on our vessel. After checking into your luxurious floating “home” for the next several days, your first inclination may be to step on your balcony to watch the ship set sail on its fascinating Mekong River voyage.

A lunch buffet Is served In the re”taur’nt while the vessel steadily glides upstream. Now it is time to get acquainted with one of the largest streams in Asia, which runs an estimated length of 4,909 km (3,050 mi) and discharges 475 cu km (114 cu mi) of water annually. Millions of people – from China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam – pay tribute to this mighty river which provides sustenance and protection over its inhabitants.

Let your soul float and your eyes wander while the boat makes its way upstream. It is often stated that “nautical air” makes you hungry, so you are cordially invited to our afternoon tea in the open-air bar as twilight bathes the Mekong Delta in a golden haze. Get to know your fellow travellers while enjoying some tasty treats. The rest of this cruising day is fully yours to relax on your private balcony or be pampered by our therapists at the Apsara Spa.

While you savour your delightful dinner, the ship reaches Cai Be. This historic town was established in the 19^th century by Vietnam’s last ruling family, the Nguyen dynasty, on the Mekong River where three provinces meet: Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Ben Tre. Cai Be would later become the surrounding region’s predominant water-based trading hub, as we will see in tomorrow’s visit to the floating market. We anchor mid-stream near Cai Be and moor there overnight. If you are in the mood for some evening entertainment, there is a cinema in the lounge showcasing classic movies and interesting documentaries on a nightly basis.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight on cruise

DAY 3: CAIBE – SA DEC – TAN CHAU

Wake up early to witness the spectacular scenery at the break of dawn. To make the experience complete, join our daily morning Tai Chi class. Afterwards, a rich breakfast buffet awaits, or if you prefer, we can serve breakfast directly to your room.

We arrive at Cai Be, a charming market town which is famous for its Catholic French church and the manufacturing of traditional crafts and food products. The once enormous floating market of Cai Be gets smaller year by year since trading on the water is continually shifting towards modern markets. However, you can still see boat-to-boat trading of local goods, such as fruits and agricultural products and imagine what this must have looked like on a larger scale. We learn from our guide about the long-lasting trading culture and how each boat has a special marker to let buyers know what goods they are selling.

By local boat, we sail along the green canal network and watch the farmers working in the fields. A visit ashore of a workshop shows us the manufacturing of rice paste, rice paper, rice cookies and rice wine. Cai Be’s surrounding areas are covered by palm trees, which is why the region is also famous for the production of coconut candy. While the vessel continues sailing upstream, you can enjoy time to yourself or head to the bar to and enjoy a true Vietnamese coffee as you watch the life on the riverbanks float by.

In the afternoon, the vessel reaches the area of Sa Dec and arrives at one of the larger islands in the vast stream of the Mekong, Binh Thanh Island. Several communities have settled here and make their living by growing water hyacinths. We exclusively visit one of these untouched areas. By wandering through the village, we get a deep understanding of native life. One of the local artisans, for example, demonstrates the entire process of traditional mat making. You can try weaving yourself. We also meet a local elderly couple who share their story of living on this island. They are always happy to chit-chat with our guests.

Back on board, you may take a dip in the pool on the sun deck. In the evening, our expert guide offers a presentation on life on the Mekong Delta as the ship continues sailing to Tan Chau, a pleasant, slow-paced border town near the Cambodian border with a sizeable Chinese, Kinh and Khmer community. We moor near the city with views on the riverbanks.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight on cruise

DAY 4: TAN CHAU – BORDER CROSSING – PHNOM PENH

Welcome to the fish sanctuary of Vietnam.

Once on shore, we see Tan Chau’s vibrant town-life as we hop on “xelois”, which are local vehicles still used as a taxi in this area. Your personal xeloi driver slowly navigates through the streets to observe all the workshops, houses and shops while feeling the laid-back vibe of this place. We stop at the colourful, local market near one of the town’s temples. This is a great opportunity to interact with the vendors of this friendly town and try your hand at bargaining with them.

To see what Tan Chau is famous for, we board local boats and head to a floating fish farm. You are about to get an exclusive look into the world’s largest inland aquaculture industry. Each of the floating structures has netting hanging down into the water to enclose the fish, which are raised and fed on a daily basis. The region’s specialties are tilapia and the Basa catfish, or Pangasius, which is unique to the Mekong River basin and rapidly gaining popularity on the international seafood market.

Back on board our “home”, we sail towards the Vietnamese-Cambodian border. Get ready for a fascinating and leisurely cruise through the deep Cambodian countryside towards Phnom Penh.

The whole afternoon is at your own disposal. From here, even the last passenger turns on their cruise mode and hopefully experiences the relaxing influence this mighty river emanates. The afternoon is perfect for massages, relaxation on a terrace deck sunbed or private balcony kick-backs. Conjure up a spell to merge with the river and float into a state of mild bliss.

You also may like to visit the bridge as the captain always has a little story to share about “his” river. Or, if you are curious to learn more about Khmer gastronomy, join a culinary workshop to sharpen your knowledge about local cuisine.

After our relaxing cruise during the whole afternoon into the evening hours, the boat arrives at Phnom Penh (docking mid-stream or at the pier). Enjoy your time onboard with our onboard entertainment, social at our public venues or relay in the privacy or your cabin (due to immigration regulation passengers may not be allowed to go on land this evening).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight on cruise

DAY 5: PHNOM PENH

Welcome to Phnom Penh - the city once named Paris of the East. Despite its rapid development, it has retained a lot of its rustic charm and elegance. It is an amazing town with centuries of incredible history and culture which can still be felt at many street corners.

Enjoy your last breakfast aboard your floating home before disembarking the ship. We hope you enjoyed this fascinating river cruise, just as our crew does every single time. Moreover, take the enchanting memories and friendships along with you and share the stories of this amazing river - the Mighty Mekong.

 In Phnom Penh, Heritage Line does not have a meeting/ drop off point. Guests arrives directly at the ship for check-in or disembark directly from ship.

Upon your arrival in Phnom Penh around at 10:30, you will be welcomed by escort tour guide (with sign name) and driver then transfer directly to hotel for check in.

Evening at 4.30pm, transfer to Phnom Penh River and we get on board, enjoy welcome cocktail while the boat cruise slowly takes you along Mekong & Tonle Sap River, view the spectacular sunset before having buffet dinner (or set menu) on board. Disembark and transfer back to hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Overnight in Phnom Penh

 DAY 6: FULL DAY PHNOM PENH CITY TOUR

Breakfast is at hotel. We set off at 8.00am to challenge a cyclo (rickshaw) for interesting highlights of Phnom Penh with Independent monument, resume the ride to central market to see daily life of trading then we ride along the riverside to visit the Royal Palace – is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia, Silver Pagoda, Royal Stupas, French style building etc. Resume visit the National Museum; the world’s most important collection of Khmer sculpture and carvings.

Enjoy delicious Khmer set lunch at Bopha Titanic restaurant by the riverside

Afternoon, we continue to witness the tragic site of Cheung Ek, known as The Killing Fields where hundreds of Cambodian lives were proceeded between 1975 and 1979 under Khmer Rouge, connecting to the Tuol Sleng museum – a former high school that was turned into Tortured Prison S-21 and resume strolling around Russian market for shopping before we’re going for guided orientation around Wat Phnom with interesting legendary of founding Phnom Penh Capital.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight in Phnom Penh

DAY 7: PHNOM PENH - OVERLAND TO SIEM REAP BY PRIVATE VEHICLE

Breakfast is at hotel. Check out and we leave hotel at 8.00am with 6 hours toward the amazing land of Angkor Complex, Siem Reap. On the way, we stop for a short visit at the 12th century ancient bridge at Kampong Kdei, the journey passes countryside with view of rice fields and palm trees, and we will have chance to dare tasting the deep fried insects at Skun before we’re reaching a booked hotel in Siem Reap.

Note: After you checked in, our Phnom Penh team will say goodbye to you and the rest of Siem Reap tour will be taken care by our team in Siem Reap.

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 8: FULL DAY ANGKOR DISCOVERY

Breakfast is at hotel. Today, we will experience the significant Angkor Complex, our tour guide will be meeting you at hotel’s lobby at 8.00am then we’re heading out to visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire. The gate is atop 4 giant smiling faces then particularly visit Bayon temple consisting of more than 200 smiling faces in stone and admired by interesting surroundings such as the terrace of elephants, the terrace of the leper King, Baphuon and Phimeanakas. Continue to reveal the intertwined Ta Prohm jungle temple adorned by the stunning tree roots, and where Lara Croft – Tomb Raider was filmed.

Enjoy Khmer set lunch at a local restaurant near temples.

Afternoon, we visit the magnificent Angkor Wat – the largest religious monument, also well-known as the 7th Wonder of the World’s. This incredible complex was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century. We unlock the greatest history, observe the unique architecture, styles, decoration and so on. Resume visit beautiful sunset at Phnom Bakheng (limited allowance & touristy) or skip it if you feel tired.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 9: PHNOM KULEN WATERFALL & 1000 LINGAS

Breakfast is at hotel. We set off at 8.30am then we drive out of the hassle city, passing beautiful countryside before arriving at Phnom Kulen. Phnom Kulen is one of Cambodia’s national parks that provides wonderful adventure & leisure day trip and also a great place to cool off under its falls. We’ll have a guided walking tour to visit Preah Ang Thom – the reclining giant reclining Buddha statue. Witness historical site of 1000 linga carvings and see the sacred pool. Resume the walking tour to the beautiful clear waterfall where we can refresh, bathe and swim.

Late afternoon, return hotel. On the way back, we have a short visit at palm sugar village and other various local handicrafts. Or you can opt for a guided walking tour at Cambodian Landmine Museum (entrance fee $5/pax – Not Included) which is one of important places that tourists should not miss out while visiting Angkor region and it’s where you can learn about the dangers of landmines, where they came from, who laid them, how they work, and their presence in Cambodia.

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 10: TONLE SAP FLOATING VILLAGE

Breakfast is at hotel. We set off at 8.30am out of the hassle city to Chong Kneas village’s boat pier. The journey takes approximately 30mins with some highlights of Siem Reap City. Once we arrived the pier, we process to embark a private sheltered boat to explore Tonle Sap Lake. The Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is also an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997. The boat excursion takes us passing floating school, floating houses which animated by some fishing activities. Our tour guide will explain you about Tonle Sap ecosystem and witness how life works in the floating community, and we stop to see floating crocodile farm, souvenirs shop if it interests you before we return Siem Reap town for guided orientation at the finest Artisan Angkor wood/stone carving centre displaying various defined handicraft and silk products, and go shopping around old market.

Evening at 6.00pm, transfer to have buffet dinner followed by Apsara traditional dance performance at Tonle Sap restaurant. After dinner, transfer to pub street for your own exploration then you will catch Tuk Tuk go back to your hotel (own expense).

Meal: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight in Siem Reap

DAY 11: SIEM REAP DEPARTURE

Meal: Breakfast

International Flight is NOT included.

Breakfast is at hotel. Our driver (no guide) meet you at hotel’s lobby then transfers you to Siem Reap International Airport for your flight departure to the next destinations.

Note: From group of 8pax, airport drop off is included tour guide.

Meal: Breakfast

Say Goodbye to Friendly Cambodia.

WISH YOU HAVE A GREAT JOURNEY!