Overview
Read 2 reviews and enjoy exclusive savings on Avalon's 8 Day Mekong Discovery (Southbound). On this unique and inspiring 7-night Southeast Asia river cruise through Cambodia and Vietnam, you’ll be immersed in the cultures and ancient traditions as you sightsee and spend time with locals in interesting places along the mighty Mekong River.
In the enchanting Cambodian countryside, go on an ox-cart ride amongst rice paddy fields and witness the daily lives of farmers. In a Silversmith Village, see craftsmen making silver artwork using ancient techniques. French influences are still apparent read more in the lovely capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Here you’ll tour the National Museum and Royal Palace with its striking Silver Pagoda and enjoy a song and dance performance by children at a local orphanage. On a hilltop at the site of the 8th-century temple of Wat Hanchey, take in the stunning views before walking through the rural village of Angkor Ban to visit with welcoming schoolchildren.
Continue your river cruise into Vietnam where you’ll walk through a vibrant market as the locals are busy with their daily routine of buying and selling produce. See firsthand how handcrafted sampans are built at the home of a family in Cu Lao Gieng. Via sampan, cruise into Vinh Long and experience Vietnamese culture with a visit to a workshop to learn how rice wine and traditional candies are made. This once-in-a-lifetime Southeast Asia river cruise vacation is sure to create lasting memories!
In the enchanting Cambodian countryside, go on an ox-cart ride amongst rice paddy fields and witness the daily lives of farmers. In a Silversmith Village, see craftsmen making silver artwork using ancient techniques. French influences are still apparent read more in the lovely capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Here you’ll tour the National Museum and Royal Palace with its striking Silver Pagoda and enjoy a song and dance performance by children at a local orphanage. On a hilltop at the site of the 8th-century temple of Wat Hanchey, take in the stunning views before walking through the rural village of Angkor Ban to visit with welcoming schoolchildren.
Continue your river cruise into Vietnam where you’ll walk through a vibrant market as the locals are busy with their daily routine of buying and selling produce. See firsthand how handcrafted sampans are built at the home of a family in Cu Lao Gieng. Via sampan, cruise into Vinh Long and experience Vietnamese culture with a visit to a workshop to learn how rice wine and traditional candies are made. This once-in-a-lifetime Southeast Asia river cruise vacation is sure to create lasting memories!
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Our Price From
US$3,177 per person
Price shown based on twin share
Save up to $2,172 per person
Cruise Length
8 Days
Cruise Starts
Phnom Penh
Cruise Ends
Ho Chi Minh City
Cruise Departures
Mar 2026 to Dec 2027
Cruise Line
Avalon
Cruise Ship
Avalon Saigon 
2 Trip Reviews
Avg. Rating: 5/5
Passengers
36
Crew
24
Launched
2018
Cruise Code
WSH
Itinerary
Welcome to Cambodia.
Your intimate Suite Ship® Awaits! Get acquainted with the ship and relax before your welcome reception and dinner this evening.AFTERNOON/EVENING CRUISE TO WAT HANCHEY (L/D)
Water Blessings and Back-to-School Adventures
- Discovery: Visit Wat Hanchey, a hilltop temple dating back to the 8th century. Climb or be driven to the top where you will enjoy stunning views of the surrounding area and partake in a traditional water blessing given by local monks.
- Discovery: After lunch, enjoy a Walking Tour through the rural village of Angkor Ban. Here, you will visit a traditional Khmer house and interact with children at a local school.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KAMPONG TRALACH (B/L/D)
Calm in the Cambodian Countryside.
- Discovery: Your Guided Sightseeing starts in Kampong Tralach with an Ox - Cart Ride through the beautiful Cambodian countryside. Along the way, stop to meet a local farmer and learn about his daily life. At the silversmith village in Konpong Louang, see talented craftsmen use age-old techniques to turn pure silver into works of art.
- Classic: After lunch, a Visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and one of the Killing Fields provides a glimpse into the atrocities inflicted on the Cambodian people by the Khmer Rouge regime, OR:
- Discovery: Visit the lively Central Market with its unique Art Deco design by tuk-tuk.
The Royal Treatment.
- Classic: Join a Guided Tour of the city by private cyclo with visits to the Royal Palace with the spectacular Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum featuring an outstanding display of Khmer artifacts.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VIETNAM/CAMBODIA BORDER (B/L/D)
Good Morning Vietnam!
- Discovery: Take a Village Walk through the Chau Doc market and absorb the atmosphere as locals are busy buying and selling fish, meat, and produce. After lunch, embark on a Guided Excursion down the backwaters of the Mekong. Along the way, see traditional floating homes, speedboat merchants, religious sites, a market selling dried goods, and more.
EVENING CRUISE TO LONG KHANH A (B/L/D)
Cotton Weaving, Conical Hats, and Handcrafted Sampans.
- Discovery: This morning, a sampan brings you to the village of Long Khanh A, for a Cotton-Weaving Demonstration of this well-preserved tradition.
- Discovery: This afternoon, enjoy scenes of daily life on Cu Lao Gieng Island via sampan and local motor cart. Your Guided Excursion starts with a stop at one of Vietnam's oldest Catholic churches. Then, visit the home of a local family that makes Vietnamese conical hats, or “Non la,” from materials available to them such as palm leaves and bamboo. These iconic hats are primarily used as protection from the sun and rain, but you may also see them used as a basket to carry home goods from the market. Lastly, visit a local workshop where a skilled family hand - crafts sampan boats.
EVENING CRUISE TO VINH LONG (B/L/D)
Sweets and Rice Treats
- Discovery: Board a sampan this morning to Visit a Local Workshop in Vinh Long where you will see how rice paper, rice wine, and traditional candies are made.
AFTERNOON CRUISE TO HO CHI MINH CITY (B/L/D)
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Life On Board
One of our favourite sayings that describes Avalon Waterways is ‘the possibilities are as wide open as the views’. From Europe to the Galapagos and Asia, you can cruise in relaxed luxury with Avalon Waterways, with choices as unique as you. Avalon offers you a range of choices from excursions, dining options, activities more that help you tailor your experience.
Just imagine gliding away down the world’s most spectacular rivers, all while enjoying a unique vantage point from your own private oasis. Our floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in our suites blur the line between where the world ends, and your suite begins; allowing you to experience the world less seen from the comfort of your bed. This is river cruising from a unique point of view.
Just imagine gliding away down the world’s most spectacular rivers, all while enjoying a unique vantage point from your own private oasis. Our floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in our suites blur the line between where the world ends, and your suite begins; allowing you to experience the world less seen from the comfort of your bed. This is river cruising from a unique point of view.
Avalon Saigon
Float along Asia's most famous waterway in relaxed luxury aboard Avalon's Mekong Suite Ship - Avalon Saigon. Read more
Exclusive Meets Inclusive
Avalon features all the right inclusions which compliment your luxurious rivercruise experience. Read more
Our Vision. Your View.
Avalon have mastered the art of blending luxury with comfort, and now - blurring the line between outside and in. Read more
Feel At Home
Avalon's attentive staff aboard each vessel will make you feel right at home. You'll be taken care of every step of the way. Read more
Avalon Choice
Personalise your cruise to make it your own with Avalon Choice. Select whichever included excursions interest you the most. Read more
From View to Table
Savour regional cuisine and familiar favourites using the freshest local ingredients throughout your river cruise. Read more
Trip Reviews (2)
Culturally inspiring tour made possible by proficient Global Journeys staff 1
Peter, NSW, Australia, Sep 2019
The tour itself lived up to the advertising. Culturally inspiring with fabulous Avalon support staff. Special thanks though to the adept travel agent Tracey of Global Journeys as I tasked her with the impossible: Book a cruise 1 week from departure. This was no problem for her, with all tasks managed proficiently and expertly given the challenging timeline. Thanks!
Mekong Magic 14
Joneses, New Zealand, Jul 2017
The Avalon Mekong Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City ranks at the top of 45 years of travel and adventures. I can't praise it enough. I've traveled to over 90 countries - mostly independently - but have used tours more in the last 15 years, and have been on 7 including a Nile tour that like this, was cities with a cruise in between. This was better. Booking read more through Leanne at Global Journeys over the internet as as easy as being in a travel agent's office. Great communication. What the Mekong trip offered was a tick on our bucket list for the temples of Angkor Wat and a bit of relaxation afterwards. We had no expectations beyond that.
What we got - along with the pleasant company of 30 mostly retired people and 6 much younger ones - was an amazing mix of excursions (morning and afternoon offerings daily), modes of transport, and evening entertainment; all in 5 star luxury. The tour director was Phiem. I can't praise him enough. He really understood the clientele / demographic and our needs. He headed a star lineup of people that made everything a pleasure. They had plan A ready for the day, but with the slightest hitch it became apparent Phiem had plan B and plan C too. For example on a morning excursion to a riverside village, the transport was ox cart. Me and several others have knee or hip problems so when it was apparent we couldn't get on, he conjured up a tuk tuk, and he had a back up plan if that hadn't helped. To my delight and surprise I loved the tuk tuks and sanpans (life jackets provided. Really, they have thought of everything!) Cambodia and Vietnam each had a local guide accompany us. Both were hugely knowledgeable and one was a real raconteur too which helped make us his Avalon family, not just a collection of tourists.
29 Staff on the absolutely 5-star Siem Reap ship anticipated your needs. Several of these were specialist chefs and the buffet cold and hot food at breakfast and lunch was excellent plus the evening meal was a la carte. I need to stop but I could go on. In summary if you want to see Angkor Wat this tour goes to the right temples over 2 days. After that you get to choose your pick of excursions (they are all-included) to riverside villages, local craft makers, temples, museums and markets; some dark stuff linked to Pol Pot in Cambodia and the war in Vietnam, or stay on the ship for spa treatment or a nap. I loved it. Can you tell?
What we got - along with the pleasant company of 30 mostly retired people and 6 much younger ones - was an amazing mix of excursions (morning and afternoon offerings daily), modes of transport, and evening entertainment; all in 5 star luxury. The tour director was Phiem. I can't praise him enough. He really understood the clientele / demographic and our needs. He headed a star lineup of people that made everything a pleasure. They had plan A ready for the day, but with the slightest hitch it became apparent Phiem had plan B and plan C too. For example on a morning excursion to a riverside village, the transport was ox cart. Me and several others have knee or hip problems so when it was apparent we couldn't get on, he conjured up a tuk tuk, and he had a back up plan if that hadn't helped. To my delight and surprise I loved the tuk tuks and sanpans (life jackets provided. Really, they have thought of everything!) Cambodia and Vietnam each had a local guide accompany us. Both were hugely knowledgeable and one was a real raconteur too which helped make us his Avalon family, not just a collection of tourists.
29 Staff on the absolutely 5-star Siem Reap ship anticipated your needs. Several of these were specialist chefs and the buffet cold and hot food at breakfast and lunch was excellent plus the evening meal was a la carte. I need to stop but I could go on. In summary if you want to see Angkor Wat this tour goes to the right temples over 2 days. After that you get to choose your pick of excursions (they are all-included) to riverside villages, local craft makers, temples, museums and markets; some dark stuff linked to Pol Pot in Cambodia and the war in Vietnam, or stay on the ship for spa treatment or a nap. I loved it. Can you tell?
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Avalon River Cruises (2025-26)
Avalon Waterways has redefined cruising by going against the current and away from the ordinary. One step aboard our modern, luxurious Suite Ships with the grandest views in cruising and it’s easy to see how the tides are changing. Welcome to a new wave in cruising. Welcome aboard Avalon Waterways.
Dates & Pricing
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Thursday
26 Mar 2026
26 Mar 26
Phnom Penh
Thursday
02 Apr 2026
02 Apr 26
Ho Chi Minh City
Details
Avalon Saigon
Exclusive Savings
Suite
US$5,183
Save $966
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Note
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Avalon. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Avalon. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
