Mekong river cruises

Mekong river cruises – both upstream and downstream – are easy to pick up once you arrive in Saigon. You can choose to travel upstream all the way to Phnom Penh (six days) or Siem Reap (eight days), Cambodia or downsteam to Can Tho (two to four days).

Minivans typically shuttle passengers between their hotel in Saigon and My Tho pier for the journey to the Ben Tre islands, where honey farms can be explored by horse-drawn cart. Boats then head further along the Mekong to Cai Be, known for its floating market that sees around 500 boat vendors each day and its colonial buildings, and then anchor for the night.

From Cai Be it is just a short trip to Binh Hoa Phuoc Island, whose shore is filled with gardens and orchards, namely Mr Sau Giao’s Flower Garden in Hoa Ninh. The final destination on day two of many river cruises is Sa Dec, where French novelist Marguerite Duras once resided. Boats then travel downstream to Tien Giang River towards Vinh Long, stopping to visit pagodas and see local brick making en route. Cai Rang floating market, close to Can Tho, is also not to be missed.

It is worth shopping around a little to get the right river cruise for you as boats, quality of food and knowledge level of tour guides can vary.