Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Cruises and boat journeys
Temples first, then the river home
Three nights at Angkor with a private guide, then a riverboat down through Cambodia and across the border into the Mekong Delta, and a car the last miles to Saigon.
Overview
Two journeys in one
Angkor needs three days, and a river journey needs time to settle into. This trip gives both their proper length. You start with three nights in Siem Reap and a private guide at the temples, then join a small riverboat that takes you down the Tonle Sap and the Mekong through Cambodia, across the border on the river and into the Mekong Delta. The last stretch to Saigon is by car.
One thing must be clear before you book. The Tonle Sap lake and river are deep enough for the boat only part of the year. In the dry season, roughly from March to May and sometimes longer, the water is too low and the first part of the river journey is replaced by several hours on the road, joining the boat further south. We tell you which applies to your departure before you pay.
Siem Reap and the Cambodian side are handled with our partner there; the boat is run by an operator we know well; the final day in the delta is ours.
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start
- Siem Reap
- Finish
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Nights
- 3 in a hotel, 4 on the boat
- Border
- On the river, Kaam Samnor to Vinh Xuong
- Best months
- August to March
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Siem Reap
We meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. If you land early, your guide takes you to buy the Angkor pass in the late afternoon, which lets you enter for sunset without using a day.
Day 2
Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom
The Bayon in the late afternoon
A 05:00 start for sunrise at Angkor Wat, then the temple itself before the midday heat. After a rest at the hotel, the afternoon is Angkor Thom: the south gate, the faces of the Bayon, and the terraces of the old royal city.
Day 3
Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei
Ta Prohm at opening time, when the fig roots and fallen stones are empty, then out to Banteay Srei, the small pink sandstone temple with the finest carving at Angkor, about forty-five minutes north. An afternoon free.
Day 4
Onto the river
In the months of high water you are driven a short way to the lake and board there, crossing the Tonle Sap past the floating villages. In the low-water months — roughly March to May, sometimes beyond — you go by road for several hours instead and join the boat further south. Either way, you are on board by the evening, moored near Kampong Chhnang.
Day 5
Kampong Chhnang and Phnom Penh
Morning in Kampong Chhnang, a town of potters working as their parents did, then down the Tonle Sap river to Phnom Penh. In the afternoon, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, and a visit to Tuol Sleng, the school turned prison of the Khmer Rouge years, which is hard and important.
Day 6
Downstream and across the border
The change of riverbanks at the border
The boat enters the Mekong and turns south. Border formalities at Kaam Samnor and Vinh Xuong are handled with the crew, usually by collecting passports; you may step ashore briefly. By the afternoon you are in Vietnam, moored near Chau Doc, with time for the fish farms and a Cham village.
Day 7
Into the delta
A day through the delta’s channels, with a stop at Sa Dec’s flower nurseries or a market town, and a small-boat trip into the canals. The last evening on board.
Day 8
To Saigon
You leave the boat in the upper delta after breakfast. Our driver and guide meet you there and take you to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, about two hours, with an orchard or a coffee on the way if you like.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 2495 | from 3120 | from 4740 |
| 4 travelling | from 2045 | from 2555 | from 3885 |
| 6 travelling | from 1845 | from 2310 | from 3510 |
The riverboat cabin is the largest part of the price, followed by the three hotel nights in Siem Reap and the private guide at the temples. The Angkor pass is included. Departures follow the boat’s fixed calendar, and the high-season dates from November to February go first.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Three nights in Siem Reap at your chosen tier, with breakfast
- Four nights in a private cabin on the riverboat, with all meals
- Private guide and car at Angkor, and the three-day Angkor pass
- Shore visits on the programme, including Phnom Penh
- Road transfer to the boat in the low-water months
- Our car, driver and guide from the delta to Saigon
What it does not include
- International flights and the flight into Siem Reap
- Cambodian and Vietnamese visas
- Drinks, tips and travel insurance
Practical
Visas, water levels and the calendar
You need a Cambodian visa to enter at Siem Reap — for most passports an e-visa or a visa on arrival at the airport — and a Vietnamese visa or e-visa that is valid for entry at the river crossing and for the rest of your time in Vietnam. Check the entry point on your e-visa. Rules change, and we confirm the current requirements for your passport at booking; we do not print fees because they change too.
The water on the Tonle Sap is highest from about August to November, which gives the best river journey and the full lake crossing. In the dry months the lake shrinks dramatically, and from roughly March to May the road transfer replaces the first stretch of the river. Angkor itself is hottest from March to May.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
If a long day in the car would spoil the romance of a river journey for you, travel between August and early February, when the lake is deep enough, or choose our Saigon to Phnom Penh cruise, which is on the water from the start. The temples involve early starts, heat and steep stone steps; if you cannot manage those, tell us and we will plan an easier route through them. And if you want a guide and a hotel of your choice in Phnom Penh, book the city as a separate stay and fly to Angkor.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
When is the Tonle Sap too low for the boat?
Usually from about March to May, though the exact dates depend on the year’s rains. In those months you travel by road for the first stretch, and we tell you before you book.
Do I need two visas?
Yes: one for Cambodia on arrival at Siem Reap, and one for Vietnam valid for entry at the river crossing. We check both for your passport when you book.
Can we add nights in Saigon at the end?
Yes. Most people add two or three, and we can combine them with a Cu Chi morning or a delta day.
Related
Read next
Cambodia
Siem Reap
Angkor on a three-day pass, planned around the crowds.
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Cambodia
Phnom Penh
The capital: palace, museum, the genocide sites and the river.
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Mekong Delta
Chau Doc
Fish farms, Sam Mountain and the boat to Cambodia.
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Southern Vietnam
Mekong Delta
Canals, floating markets and orchards — done properly.
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Example journey
Saigon to Phnom Penh by river
Four nights on the Mekong, crossing into Cambodia.
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Tours
Tours
Day trips, regional routes and full-length itineraries.
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Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.
Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399