Life on the Mekong: Vietnam and Cambodia by River

Few rivers carry quite the weight of the Mekong. Rising far to the north, it flows south through the heart of mainland Southeast Asia before fanning into the great delta of southern Vietnam — sustaining rice fields, floating markets, ancient cities and entire ways of life that have changed little across centuries. To travel it slowly, at the pace the river itself sets, is to see a region that can feel genuinely apart from the modern world.

This 15-night journey combines time on land in two of Southeast Asia's most captivating cities — Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap — with seven nights aboard the intimate RV La Marguerite as she moves through Vietnam and Cambodia. It is a journey that rewards curiosity, patience and a willingness to encounter places and people on their own terms.

The result is something rare in contemporary travel: a passage that feels unhurried, deeply layered and consistently surprising.

What makes this voyage distinctive

While many travellers rush through Southeast Asia by road or air, the Mekong demands a different rhythm. Aboard the RV La Marguerite, the pace is dictated by the river rather than a timetable. Villages appear and recede along the bank. Fishermen cast nets in the early morning mist. The landscapes shift from the lush, canal-threaded delta of southern Vietnam to the wider, quieter upper stretches of the Cambodian Mekong — a region the itinerary describes as largely untouched. That contrast, experienced gradually and from the water, gives this voyage a coherence that land-based travel rarely achieves.

Ho Chi Minh City: colonial heritage and living history

The journey opens with three nights in Ho Chi Minh City, and the city rewards every hour spent in it. A guided tour takes in the grand sweep of its colonial legacy: the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office — a remarkable piece of engineering by Gustave Eiffel — and the Reunification Palace, whose image became one of the defining photographs of the twentieth century. The History Museum adds scholarly depth, with collections spanning from prehistoric times through to the Nguyen Dynasty. Yet Ho Chi Minh City is never merely a museum of its own past; it pulses with commerce, street life and ambition, and a free day built into the programme allows travellers to explore further at their own pace.

The Mekong Delta: waterways, crafts and community life

Once aboard La Marguerite, the journey into the delta begins. This is one of the most densely populated and agriculturally productive regions on earth, and exploring it by small boat — as the itinerary does on several occasions — brings an intimacy that larger vessels simply cannot offer. In the Mang Thit district, brick kilns line a narrow canal; in Ben Tre, a floating coconut market gives way to a visit to a riverside pagoda. On the island of Tan Phong, weavers work with water hyacinths, while a family in Cai Be demonstrates the quiet craft of making rice paper and coconut candy. These encounters are modest in scale but genuinely affecting — a picture of rural life built up detail by detail.

Sa Dec adds a literary dimension: this lively town was where French author Marguerite Duras spent part of her childhood, and a visit to the house that inspired her novel The Lover, now a small museum, gives the afternoon a reflective quality.

Phnom Penh: beauty and reckoning

Cambodia's capital carries its history with a particular weight. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda speak of a civilisation of extraordinary refinement — the Silver Pagoda alone houses treasures that represent the soul of the nation. The National Museum's collection of Khmer art is among the finest in the world. But Phnom Penh also asks its visitors to bear witness to darker chapters: the Tuol Sleng Museum, the former S-21 detention centre, is a sobering and quietly devastating place. A visit here is not easy, but it is important, and the itinerary approaches it with appropriate gravity. An evening Khmer dance performance on board afterwards offers a reminder of the culture's extraordinary resilience and beauty.

Villages, silk and the upper river

As La Marguerite moves north through Cambodia, the river grows quieter and the countryside more remote. Silk Island — a short sail from Phnom Penh — is home to a small weavers' village, explored on foot and by tuk-tuk, with a visit to a local school that offers a genuine connection with community life. Further upriver, Angkor Ban stands as a rare survivor of the Khmer Rouge era, its traditional houses on stilts — some over a century old — intact and still inhabited. It is the kind of place that stays with you.

Why the ship suits this voyage

Built in 2009, the RV La Marguerite accommodates no more than 90 passengers, which keeps the experience personal and unhurried. Her teak interiors and traditional styling bring character without sacrificing comfort, and the expansive Sun Deck is an ideal vantage point as the delta scenery drifts past. With 38 crew members looking after fewer than 90 guests, the atmosphere is attentive without being formal. She is, in short, a ship built precisely for this kind of journey.

Who would enjoy this voyage?

This is a voyage for travellers who want to understand a place rather than simply visit it. Those with an interest in history — colonial, ancient and modern — will find the itinerary unusually rich. Culture lovers, whether drawn by Khmer art, classical Vietnamese opera or traditional silk-weaving, will be equally rewarded. It suits those who are comfortable with some emotional depth in their travel, including the visit to Tuol Sleng, and who value genuine encounters with local communities over resort-style comfort.

From the street life of Ho Chi Minh City to the silent backwaters of the upper Mekong, this is a journey that covers an enormous amount of ground — and does so with grace. Explore the full voyage details to see if it might be right for you.