Mekong River - Downstream

After check-in, Heritage Line welcomes you to the lobby lounge for a safety briefing. Before leaving Phnom Penh, attend a special talk with Mr. Sum Rithy, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge era, who shares his testimony and answers questions.

Once the ship sets sail, the afternoon is yours. Relax with a massage, enjoy the terrace deck or your balcony, visit the bridge to hear stories from the captain, or join a Khmer cooking workshop with the chef. Later, sip drinks during afternoon tea as the ship approaches the Vietnam border and moors near Gieng Island.

After a morning Tai Chi session and breakfast, visit Gieng Island to experience daily life in the Mekong Delta.

Default Morning Excursion:
Gieng Island, also known locally as Mango Island, is perfect to stroll through under the shades of flourishing mango groves that shape the island’s landscape. A visit to a small incense workshop introduces you to the careful process of crafting these fragrance incense sticks by hand, another local highlight is a traditional boat-building workshop, where generations of families assemble wooden vessels that are essential to life along the river. Before departing, you surely are going to taste some of these delicious and freshly picked mangoes with a local tea in the courtyard of century-old local home. This is the moment when you understand the rhythms and resilience of life on the Mekong - so simple, so joyful.

Optional Morning Excursion (Extra Cost):
Cycling: The island’s flat terrain makes this ride so pleasurable and easy along lush green paths with many mango farms. Enjoy local Mekong Delta life at its best, left and right, with locals waving friendly. Ride along many fruit gardens and there is always something to stop and see on the way, like a traditional incense workshop or a local boat-building workshop.
Distance: 15 km / Duration: approx. 90 min / Terrain: flat on concrete path

Default Afternoon Excursion:
After being back onboard a siesta after lunch, your expert guides offer a presentation about life in the Mekong Delta as the ship continues to My An Hung near Sa Dec province. My An Hung Village is a beautiful example of an authentic, local village in the Mekong Delta where time stood still. You receive lovely insights into the private household of a local family and visit the seasonal vegetable fields to understand what the farmers are cultivating. A Vietnamese tea tasting at a local family's house is accompanied by a presentation of various fruits grown nearby, freshly cut from the tree. An artistic group performs displays of the traditional dragon dance, while you can snack on the "vitamins bombs".

Back onboard, the ship sails into the sunset towards your destination for the next day. A complimentary cocktail hour and alfresco snacks accompanied by music and dance vibes are offered to enjoy the blue hour before dinner is served.

Default Morning Excursion:
Wake early to embrace the stunning dawn scenery when the Delta's inhabitants have been active for hours. Energize yourself with the daily morning Tai Chi class before indulging in a lavish breakfast buffet. By local boat, you head out to one of the larger islands in the Mekong known as Binh Thanh. This island is home to several communities that sustain themselves by cultivating water hyacinths. Strolling through the village, you can gain profound insights into local life and witness the complete traditional mat-making process. Additionally, you have the opportunity to meet a local elderly couple who have spent their entire lives on this island. They enjoy engaging in conversations with foreign visitors.

Optional Morning Excursion (Extra Cost):
Cycling:  Today’s cycling discovery around the island begins with interesting stops at scenic backstreets, rice paddies, and some island’s distinctive houses offering great photo opportunities. The cycling tour leads to the village of Long Ta, which is famous for its scarf weaving. Return to the pier, taking a tender boat back to the mother ship.
Distance: 7 km / Duration: approx. 60 min / Terrain: flat on concrete path

Default Afternoon Excursion:
During a visit to a workshop in the town of Cai Be, you have the opportunity to observe the making of distinct products of the Mekong Delta, such as rice paper, rice cookies, rice wine and coconut candies. Get to know the very interesting manual processes involving manual labor and special production techniques. After the workshop, you head to Tan Phong Island, a smaller island in the middle of the huge Mekong, to visit a local family and their fruit garden. While Gieng Island was the paradise of mangos, this island showcases many other kinds of tropical fruits to taste. A funny buggy ride through the island gave you a glimpse of the local day-to-day life as it unfolds. You stop at another family’s house. They specialize in the weaving of water hyacinth plants into artistic crafts – all by hand.

Optional Afternoon Excursion (Extra Cost):
Cycling: Cycle over the scenic Tan Phong Island along well-maintained and flat concrete paths winding through orchards of rambutan, longan, and jackfruit. At a local business, the family shows you how to make handicrafts from water hyacinths. The tour continues along a canal to a local temple for a refreshing break under a banyan tree before continue the ride to a tropical fruit farmer's home for a tasting.
Distance: 12 km / Duration: approx. 90 min / Terrain: flat on concrete path

Once everyone is back on board, the ship makes its final journey to My Tho, offering some little farewell party vibes along the way.

Enjoy your last breakfast aboard your floating home. Disembark the ship after breakfast and take a bus transfer from My Tho to Saigon. It is only around 70 kilometers on the highway, and you arrive in Saigon by mid-morning.

The team hopes you enjoyed your Mekong River cruise. Take home lasting memories and stories to share from your journey.