Treasures of the Mekong

Welcome to vibrant Vietnam, a world of colour, culture and extraordinary food. Today is yours to settle in at your leisure, adjusting to the rhythms of this compelling city. Check in to the Caravelle Saigon, located downtown in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, and meet your Tour Director and fellow guests at your welcoming dinner.

The morning is spent at the Cu Chi Tunnels, where more than 250 kilometres of underground passages dug by hand during the war reveal staggering ingenuity. Return to the city for a Pho lunch, with the afternoon at leisure. Scenic Freechoice Dining this evening offers a choice of a Vespa night tour of the city’s finest street food haunts with complimentary drinks; a refined dinner at Mandarine Restaurant styled on the imperial courts of Hue; a table at Noir Dining in the Dark, supporting the visually impaired community; a vintage jeep street food experience; or Buffet 19 at the hotel.

After breakfast and checkout, visit the War Museum and Reunification Palace – the former Presidential House of South Vietnam, famous since 1975 for images of tanks crashing through its gates leading to the South’s surrender. After lunch, transfer by coach to My Tho where Scenic Spirit awaits, beginning with a cocktail reception hosted by your Cruise Director. Settle into your private suite, where your dedicated personal butler is available at any time. A calm four-hour sail brings you to Cai Be, where the ship anchors overnight.

Start with a full gourmet breakfast complete with champagne before exploring Cai Be. Scenic Freechoice: travel by sampan to Tan Phong, an island rich in alluvial soil ideal for tropical fruit orchards, for a water hyacinth weaving workshop and a buggy ride through fruit orchards, then discover local rice-paper and sweet-making cottage industries in Cai Be town. Alternatively, savour afternoon tea at Le Longanier, a French colonial house restaurant with live traditional Vietnamese music, or join a cocktail and mocktail making class on board. This afternoon, sail to Sa Dec.

Board your sampan to explore the lively wet market, meeting sellers and marvelling at their wares including live fish, frogs and snakes. Visit the grand home of Mr Huynh Thuy Le, the Chinese merchant who inspired Marguerite Duras’ novel L’Amant. Later, enjoy an evening dip in the pool as the sun sets over the Mekong, followed by a themed dinner on board with a lion dance performance on the Sundeck, before setting sail on the six-hour journey to Tan Chau.

Start with exercise in the onboard gym, early morning yoga or the sauna, then explore the areas surrounding Tan Chau. Scenic Freechoice: visit Tra Su Bird Sanctuary, an 850-hectare eco reserve home to more than 100 species of waterbirds, travelling by sampan through tranquil mangrove waterways. Alternatively, join local farmers for a morning of discovery on Evergreen Island, or ride a xe loi (a traditional rickshaw) to the brightly coloured Cao Dai temple, learning about this unique religion blending Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism. A third option visits Chau Doc by speedboat and the Indian-Islamic Tay An temple at the foot of Sam Mountain, followed by a sampan to Vinh Te canal.

After clearing border procedures, the morning is at leisure while sailing upstream to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. This afternoon, visit the Royal Palace and the famous Silver Pagoda. This evening, enjoy Phnom Penh by City Lights, witnessing the capital’s nightlife before an exclusive Scenic Sunset Drinks experience at a local rum distillery, including a private tour and tasting.

Scenic Freechoice: visit the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a sobering and moving insight into Cambodia’s history under the Khmer Rouge. Alternatively, join a hands-on cooking class, shopping for ingredients at a bustling market with a local chef before cooking Cambodian cuisine. A third option travels by remork (local tuk tuk) through Phnom Penh’s French architecture and backstreets, finishing with shopping at the Art Deco Central Market. This evening before dinner, enjoy a cultural performance by the Cambodian Student and Children’s Organisation.

Travel by bus to Oudong, the ancient capital of Cambodia, to experience the peaceful life of monks and nuns at the monastery. Return to Scenic Spirit for lunch before sailing to Oknha Tey, dedicated to silk weaving, for a tuk tuk visit to a silk farm. This evening, enjoy a Sundowner cocktail reception on the Sundeck against the backdrop of Phnom Penh as the ship departs for Angkor Ban.

Cool down with a fresh cocktail and a dip in the pool during your morning sail towards Angkor Ban. Call at this small settlement where time stands still, exploring historic wooden houses more than 100 years old that survived the Khmer Rouge. Back on board, learn the many ways to wear a krama, the traditional Cambodian scarf, as the ship sails towards Kampong Cham.

Meet the novice monks at Wat Hanchey, an ancient hilltop pagoda with some of the best elevated views of the cruise. Scenic Enrich: receive a traditional blessing from a monk and learn how to pray in a Buddhist pagoda, participating in an alms ceremony contributing to the daily meal of the resident monks. This afternoon in Kampong Cham, Scenic Freechoice: learn local folklore at Phnom Pros, a mountaintop pagoda and former Killing Field now home to a Buddha Garden, then visit Wat Nokor Bachey’s unique blend of ancient and new temple architecture. Alternatively, explore Kampong Cham’s French colonial history, a local rubber plantation and betel nut village, or visit remote Kho Penh Village on Pen Island.

Journey to Siem Reap via Kampong Tom and the Angkorian bridge at Kampong Kdei. Check in to your luxury hotel for the next three nights, styled with French-inspired architecture and local furnishings. This evening, enjoy VIP premium reserved seating at the colourful Cambodian Phare Circus, where theatre, music, dance and modern circus arts tell uniquely Cambodian stories.

Begin with a champagne buffet breakfast at the hotel. Scenic Freechoice: choose from the rose-pink sandstone of Banteay Srei temple and the Landmine Museum; artisan workshops at Senteurs d’Angkor; a village walk through Ta Brak; life on the Tonle Sap floating villages (July to February); a behind-the-scenes tour of the Angkor Wildlife Aquarium; or a tethered balloon flight over the temple complex with Angkor Wat visible below. The afternoon belongs to Angkor Wat itself, best seen as the light plays across its galleries and towers. This evening, explore the night markets of Siem Reap or Pub Street.

Scenic Enrich: an early departure rewards you with sunrise shifting across Angkor Wat’s moat, followed by a champagne breakfast prepared by a Scenic-supported NGO bakery school near the temples. The morning continues through jungle-enveloped Ta Prohm and the many-faced Bayon at Angkor Thom. The afternoon is free. Scenic Enrich: the final evening brings a private gala dinner within the grounds of the 10th-century Prasat Kravan temple, with Apsara dancers performing by candlelight among the ruins and complimentary drinks throughout.

Fourteen nights have covered the Mekong Delta’s floating markets, the temples and killing fields of Cambodia, and three extraordinary days among the temples of Angkor. Transfer to the airport for your onward journey home or extended travels.