Phu My Port-Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Cruise from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok — 16 Days

Saigon, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City rewards curious travellers with a vivid collision of old Saigon and modern Vietnam. French-colonial landmarks, busy markets and motorbike-filled streets make the centre a study in contrasts. The War Remnants Museum offers a sobering account of the conflict, while local cafés invite a slower pause. For a deeper look at Vietnam’s wartime history, the Cu Chi tunnels make a memorable excursion beyond the city.

• River Cruising (River Cruising)

Ben Tre City, Vietnam

Bến Tre lies among branches of the Mekong, where waterways wind through coconut groves and quiet villages. Take a small boat along narrow canals, then visit a workshop making coconut candy, the province’s signature sweet. The city sits about 85 kilometres southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Here, fruit orchards, coconut palms and river traffic offer a close-up of everyday life in the delta.

Sa Dec, Vietnam

Sa Dec rewards travelers who look beyond the Mekong Delta’s better-known stops. This working river town in Dong Thap Province is famed for its flower village. Nurseries line canals and supply markets across southern Vietnam. At the Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House, carved wood and French-era details evoke Marguerite Duras’s *The Lover*. Follow the riverfront to Sa Dec Market, where produce, flowers and fish reveal the delta’s daily trade.

Chau Doc, Vietnam

Châu Đốc sits on the Hậu River, where Vietnam’s Mekong Delta meets Cambodia. Fishing boats and floating fish farms animate the waterways. Markets reveal Vietnamese, Khmer and Cham influences. Nearby, Sam Mountain offers wide delta views, historic pagodas and the revered Lady Chúa Xứ Temple. For a change of pace, glide through Trà Sư Cajuput Forest’s shaded canals.

Cu Lao Gieng Island Vietnam, Vietnam

Cu Lao Gieng is a quiet island in the Tien River, amid orchards and narrow waterways. Come ashore to see its 19th-century Catholic landmarks, including Cu Lao Gieng Church, built between 1877 and 1889. Between visits, look for mango gardens, village lanes and daily life shaped by river trade. This is a rewarding stop for travelers drawn to history beyond Vietnam’s major cities.

Tan Chau, Vietnam

Tân Châu lies on the Tiền River in An Giang Province, near Vietnam’s border with Cambodia. This upper-delta town is known for Lãnh Mỹ A, its lustrous black silk. Weavers traditionally dye the cloth with fruit from the mặc nưa tree. Here, river traffic, markets and modest streets offer a direct view of life in the delta. Come ashore to see silk-making and the daily trade that still follows the water.

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh rewards a day spent looking beyond its riverfront. Cambodia’s capital pairs the Royal Palace’s gilded roofs and the Silver Pagoda’s silver-tiled floor with the broad Mekong. At Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields, the Khmer Rouge years become painfully tangible. Leave time for the Central Market, where art deco architecture shelters stalls selling silver, silk, and local produce.

Oudong, Cambodia

Oudong, also written Udong, lies in Kandal Province, not Kampong Thom. For more than two centuries, it served as Cambodia’s royal capital, until the court moved to Phnom Penh in 1866. Hilltop stupas and royal memorials mark the former capital, with wide views across rice fields and the Tonle Sap plain. Visit for a quieter, historically rich counterpoint to Phnom Penh’s busy streets.

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Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor, where Cambodia’s Khmer kings left one of Asia’s great archaeological landscapes. At Angkor Wat, galleries of carved stone surround a temple begun in the early 12th century. Beyond it, the vast Angkor Archaeological Park holds the jungle-embraced towers of Bayon and Ta Prohm. Allow time for Siem Reap itself: a lively Cambodian city with markets, cafés, and access to Tonlé Sap’s floating communities.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang sits between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, where temple roofs rise above leafy streets. Its UNESCO-listed historic centre brings together gilded Buddhist monasteries and French colonial buildings in a remarkably walkable setting. At dawn, residents gather for the quiet alms-giving ceremony; visitors should observe from a respectful distance. Climb Mount Phousi for river views, then explore the Royal Palace Museum and nearby cafés.

Laem Chabang, Thailand

Bangkok makes its first impression in motion: river boats, temple roofs and traffic threading between modern towers. At the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha and ceremonial halls reveal the city’s royal heritage. Nearby, Wat Pho holds the famous Reclining Buddha; a Chao Phraya boat ride offers a quieter view of old neighborhoods. Come hungry: markets and street kitchens serve fragrant curries, grilled seafood and mango with sticky rice. Allow time for heat and distance; Bangkok rewards an unhurried visit.