| | | | | Arrive | Depart |
| 2nd02 | MarMar | 202626 | 14 nights accommodation before your cruise | | |
| 16th16 | MarMar | 202626 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, embark on the Mekong Serenity | | |
| Romantically referred to by the French as the Pearl of the Orient, Ho Chi Minh City today is a super-charged city of sensory overload. Motorbikes zoom day and night along the wide boulevards, through the narrow back alleys and past vendors pushing handcarts hawking goods of all descriptions. Still called Saigon by most residents, this is Vietnam's largest city and the engine driving the country's current economic resurgence, but despite its frenetic pace, it's a friendlier place than Hanoi and locals will tell you the food—simple, tasty, and incorporating many fresh herbs—is infinitely better than in the capital.This is a city full of surprises. The madness of the city's traffic—witness the oddball things that are transported on the back of motorcycles—is countered by tranquil pagodas, peaceful parks, quirky coffee shops, and whole neighborhoods hidden down tiny alleyways, although some of these quiet spots can be difficult to track down. Life in Ho Chi Minh City is lived in public: on the back of motorcycles, on the sidewalks, and in the parks. Even when its residents are at home, they're still on display. With many living rooms opening onto the street, grandmothers napping, babies being rocked, and food being prepared, are all in full view of passersby.Icons of the past endure in the midst of the city’s headlong rush into capitalism. The Hotel Continental, immortalized in Graham Greene's The Quiet American, continues to stand on the corner of old Indochina's most famous thoroughfare, the rue Catinat, known to American G.I.s during the Vietnam War as Tu Do (Freedom) Street and renamed Dong Khoi (Uprising) Street by the Communists. The city still has its ornate opera house and its old French city hall, the Hôtel de Ville. The broad colonial boulevards leading to the Saigon River and the gracious stucco villas are other remnants of the French colonial presence. Grisly reminders of the more recent past can be seen at the city's war-related museums. Residents, however, prefer to look forward rather than back and are often perplexed by tourists' fascination with a war that ended 40 years ago.The Chinese influence on the country is still very much in evidence in the Cholon district, the city's Chinatown, but the modern office towers and international hotels that mark the skyline symbolize Vietnam's fixation on the future. Choose your sightseeing this morning, then be transferred to your river ship. Set sail from My Tho and soak in the scenery during your cruise towards Cai Be. Tonight, a Vietnamese welcome dinner awaits, showcasing the diverse flavours from the region. |
| 17th17 | MarMar | 202626 | Cái Bè, Vietnam | | |
Board your traditional sampan for your first excursion on the banks of the Mekong. Step ashore to visit Cai Be Catholic Church and the colourful port area filled with crumbling colonial buildings and flowering gardens. Built in the Roman architectural style, the bell tower, with its set of four bells cast in France in 1931, is the tallest of all the churches in the Mekong Delta. Afterwards, you’ll visit rice paper and coconut candy manufacturers and learn how these Vietnamese staples are made.
Head back to the ship to refresh before sitting down to savour a delicious lunch whilst continuing to cruise to the quaint town of Sa Dec. Upon arrival, explore Sa Dec by foot and meet some of the sellers at the colourful market. Continue to where French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Tour his former home and learn the story behind Duras’ best-selling novel, The Lover. After, visit a traditional Cao Dai temple. Watch visitors and pilgrims come and go and appreciate the beauty of the colourful building. Sail towards Tan Chai as dinner is served. |
| 18th18 | MarMar | 202626 | Tân Châu, Vietnam | | |
| Transfer to a small boat to cruise the tiny tributaries around the town of Tan Chau. Disembark for a rickshaw tour and visit a local silk and rattan weaving workshop. Then explore Evergreen Island to see authentic rural Mekong life. Later, appreciate some down time and watch the scenery pass as the Mekong Serenity spends the afternoon cruising towards the Cambodian border. |
| 19th19 | MarMar | 202626 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | | |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s busy capital, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. It was a hub for both the Khmer Empire and French colonialists. On its walkable riverfront, lined with parks, restaurants and bars, are the ornate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, displaying artifacts from around the country. At the city’s heart is the massive, art deco Central Market. Enjoy your Freedom of Choice activity then spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. You may wish to head ashore and explore more of Phnom Penh independently or simply relax on board. |
| 20th20 | MarMar | 202626 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | | |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s busy capital, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. It was a hub for both the Khmer Empire and French colonialists. On its walkable riverfront, lined with parks, restaurants and bars, are the ornate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, displaying artifacts from around the country. At the city’s heart is the massive, art deco Central Market. Journey to Oudong, Cambodia’s former royal capital, where you will have your Signature Experience. Following the visit, return via Koh Chen village and visit local copperware workshops. Back on board, cruise to Oknha Tey, known for its silk weaving traditions. Stroll among the stilt houses and gain an insight into the traditional silk weaving process. Watch as the village women create beautiful Khmer fabrics from their wooden looms. |
| 21st21 | MarMar | 202626 | Oknha Tey Village, Cambodia | | |
| Sail to Angkor Ban, where you'll disembark and enjoy a captivating walking discovery of this historic village. Remarkably, Angkor Ban stands as one of the rare Cambodian villages that remained unscathed during the tumultuous Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. Here, people still live in traditional wooden homes and keep ancient cultural traditions alive. This afternoon, your ship continues sailing upstream to Wat Hanchey. |
| 22nd22 | MarMar | 202626 | Kampong Cham, Cambodia | | |
| If you are feeling active this morning, walk to the hilltop pagoda of Wat Hanchey for expansive views over the Mekong. Here, you may find some novice monks along with many temples, pagodas, and stupas, some built this century while others date back to the eighth century. Take lunch on board before your Signature Experience. Celebrate with a farewell dinner on board this evening. |
| 23rd23 | MarMar | 202626 | Kampong Cham, Cambodia, disembark the Mekong Serenity | | |
| Bid farewell to the crew and disembark the Mekong Serenity early at Kampong Cham. Travel to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat, passing through picturesque countryside and remote villages where you can observe rural life. On arrival at your hotel, enjoy a light lunch and some relaxation time before your Signature Experiences. |
| 23rd23 | MarMar | 202626 | 3 nights accommodation following your cruise, staying in Siem Reap | | |
| 26th26 | MarMar | 202626 | Check out of accommodation | | |
