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S P R I N G 2 0 2 6
GETTING THERE: The 15-day Magnificent
Mekong voyage sails from Hanoi to Ho Chi
Minh City or in reverse.
Gulf
of
Tonkin
South
China
Sea
Gulf
of
Thailand
CAMBODIA
THAILAND
VIETNAM
Bangkok
Hanoi
Ha Long Bay
Phnom Penh
Tân Châu
Sa Ðéc
Ho Chi Minh City
(Saigon)
Cái Bè
MEKONG
MEKONG
TONLE SAP LAKE
Kampong Cham
M€ Tho
Siem Reap
Angkor Wat
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Cruise
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Motor Coach
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• Overnight
VIEW
VOYAGE
THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR
It would be inconceivable to explore this region without
visiting Siem Reap in northwest Cambodia, gateway to
the temples of Angkor. Built by the Khmer civilisation, the
temples represent one of humankind's most astonishing
and enduring architectural achievements.
FOLLOWING THE RIVER
During its passage south through Cambodia, the Mekong
becomes a vast and gentle life force as it passes through
Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh, the atmospheric
waterfront capital.
The rural scene continues at Tan Chau in Vietnam, where
old men chase ducks down to the water's edge, while at
low tide, children search for cockles and crabs in the silt to
sell in the local market. As well as thriving cities, it is the
rural communities and floating villages that add to the
enchanting pastiche, completed by the sight of white oxen
wading in the shallow water.
EXPLORING VIETNAM
The Vietnamese stretch of the Mekong—Cửu Long—refers
to the nine major branches of the river as it fans out to sea.
This region consists of endless loops of languid waterways
nudging paddy fields.
Vietnam is far more populous than Cambodia, with a
businesslike buzz about it. There are hundreds of floating
markets, none more famous than Cái Bè, where rafts and
boats are anchored along both sides of the river.
Countless boats are filled with fruits, vegetables, and other
products which are hung from bamboo poles in front of the
boat to attract customers.
Most visits to Vietnam also include the capital, Hanoi. It is
a pleasing city in which faded white and ochre-stuccoed
colonial facades peer out through filigree gates.
A STREAM OF CONTRASTS
Back in 1955, in his novel The Quiet American, Graham
Greene compared Vietnam's polished illusions to a
lacquered table: lovely, but so tough it takes no scratches.
Today, the writer would scarcely recognise Ho Chi Minh City
with its designer boutiques along Dong Khoi Street and the
glass towers of the financial district.
It is a stark contrast to the sleepy northern reaches of the
river, winding through mountains and paddy fields, but
that's the appeal of sailing in a region so culturally and
geographically diverse.
It is the rural communities
and floating villages that
add to the enchanting
pastiche, completed by the
sight of white oxen wading
in the shallow water.
