Vietnam & Cambodia Without Living Out of a Suitcase

Why a Mekong River Cruise Might Just Be the Best Way to See Them

There are some destinations where getting from A to B is simply part of the logistics.

And then there’s the Mekong.

Here, the journey between places is arguably one of the best parts of the holiday.

If Vietnam and Cambodia have been sitting somewhere on your travel wish list — perhaps alongside Angkor Wat, Vietnamese food, bustling markets, temples and that vague promise to yourself that “one day, I’m going to do Southeast Asia properly” — I think there’s a very good argument for seeing these two countries from the river.

Because a Mekong river cruise isn't really about cruising in the traditional sense.

The river is your road. Your hotel simply comes along with you.

And that changes everything

First things first: this isn't Europe with palm trees

If you've done a Rhine or Danube river cruise before, forget any idea that the Mekong will simply be the Asian version of the same thing.

It's not.

The scenery is different. The towns are different. The rhythm is different. And frankly, that's precisely the point.

This is a river where you can sit with your morning coffee and watch fishing boats glide past, see houses built along the banks, spot farmers working beside the water and watch children waving from shore.

You're not just travelling to the next attraction.

You're travelling through people's everyday lives.

The Mekong is woven into the communities that surround it, particularly through the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and into Cambodia. AmaWaterways describes its Mekong journeys as travelling through a landscape of floating markets, golden temples and villages along the riverbanks — and that's a pretty good indication of how different this experience feels from simply flying between major cities. (AmaWaterways)

And that's where river cruising becomes very clever

Imagine trying to recreate the same journey independently.

Hotel. Pack. Transfer. Unpack.

Sightsee.

Pack again.

Drive.

Another hotel.

Unpack.

Repeat until you've forgotten which black suitcase is yours.

😂

On a river cruise, you unpack once.

Your room, restaurant, bar and bed travel with you while the scenery outside keeps changing.

You can spend the morning exploring a village, return to the ship for lunch, watch the Mekong drift past from the deck in the afternoon and arrive somewhere completely different later that day.

That ability to cover a considerable amount of ground without feeling as though you're constantly in transit is one of the biggest reasons I think river cruising works so beautifully in Vietnam and Cambodia.

You get the big sights — but the little moments might be even better

Obviously, if you've flown all the way from Australia to this part of the world, there are certain places you're going to want to see.

Angkor Wat? Absolutely.

Phnom Penh? Of course.

Ho Chi Minh City? Definitely.

But here's what I love about a good Mekong itinerary: those aren't necessarily the moments you'll talk about most when you get home.

It might be watching silk being woven in a Cambodian community.

It might be wandering through a local market.

It could be travelling by smaller boat along a narrow waterway, visiting a temple, meeting artisans or simply sitting on deck watching an extraordinary part of the world go about an ordinary Tuesday.

Using AmaWaterways' current seven-night Charms of the Mekong itinerary as an example, the journey travels from the Ho Chi Minh City side of Vietnam towards Cambodia, with stops and experiences around Cai Be, Tan Chau, Phnom Penh, Oudong, Koh Oknha Tey and Angkor Ban before finishing around Kampong Cham. The reverse Riches of the Mekong itinerary operates in the opposite direction. (AmaWaterways)

That mixture is exactly what I want from this sort of trip.

Big-ticket sights + places I'd probably never have found myself.

Then there's Phnom Penh

This is where a Mekong journey becomes more than simply beautiful.

Cambodia has an extraordinary history, but parts of that history are incredibly difficult.

Phnom Penh gives travellers an opportunity to understand more of the country — its royal heritage, culture, resilience and its much darker recent past.

And I think that's important.

Travel doesn't always need to be cocktails beside the pool and pretty sunsets.

Sometimes the places that stay with us are the ones that help us understand something we didn't understand before.

That's one of the things I particularly like about this style of travel. You're not simply collecting photos of landmarks.

You're gradually building a picture of why these countries are the way they are today.

And then… Angkor Wat

There are places you've seen so many times in photographs that you wonder whether the real thing can possibly live up to them.

Angkor Wat is one of those places.

Spoiler: it can.

The enormous UNESCO-listed temple complex near Siem Reap is one of Southeast Asia's great travel experiences, and combining it with a Mekong cruise makes enormous sense.

Rather than flying into Cambodia, seeing Angkor Wat and flying out again, you've spent days travelling through the country first.

You've seen villages.

You've met people.

You've travelled its waterways.

You've experienced Phnom Penh.

And then you arrive at one of its greatest treasures.

It gives Angkor Wat context.

AmaWaterways, for example, offers Mekong programs that combine the seven-night cruise with stays in places including Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap, with longer combinations also incorporating Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. (AmaWaterways)

And if you've travelled all that way, I'd absolutely be looking at one of these longer combinations rather than treating the cruise as an isolated seven-night holiday.

Let's talk about the food

Because we have to.

Vietnam alone is reason enough to arrive hungry.

Pho. Bánh mì. Fresh herbs. Noodles. Seafood. Beautiful tropical fruit. Vietnamese coffee that could probably restart your heart.

Then Cambodia brings another collection of flavours and regional dishes into the mix.

One of the joys of travelling this way is being able to experience the food both onboard and ashore.

You might eat beautifully prepared regional cuisine onboard one day and find yourself exploring local flavours on shore the next.

And because the cuisine changes as you travel, food becomes another way of understanding where you are.

AmaWaterways notes that Vietnamese flavours evolve along the Mekong, from the herb-driven food of the Delta to other regional culinary traditions, with opportunities to experience local dishes both onboard and ashore. (AmaWaterways)

My advice?

Try things.

You did not fly halfway around the world to order a club sandwich every day.

Is it luxurious?

It certainly can be — but I wouldn't choose a Mekong cruise because I wanted to spend seven days admiring the ship.

I'd choose it because I wanted the ship to make exploring the destination comfortable and easy.

There's an important difference.

For example, AmaWaterways' AmaDara carries just 120 guests in 60 staterooms, with spacious twin-balcony accommodation and interiors influenced by local artistry and French colonial design. (AmaWaterways)

So after a hot, fascinating, busy day ashore, you come back to air conditioning, a shower, a proper meal, a glass of wine and a comfortable bed.

That sounds pretty good to me.

You're having an adventure.

You're just not roughing it.

Who do I think a Mekong cruise is perfect for?

This is probably not the holiday for someone whose idea of cruising is sleeping until 11am, ordering a cocktail and spending the entire week beside the pool.

Nothing wrong with that holiday, by the way. I'll happily book you one. 😂

But the Mekong is for travellers who are curious.

People who like history.

Food.

Culture.

Photography.

Meeting people.

Learning things.

Seeing how other people live.

It's particularly good for travellers who have reached the stage where they don't just want to visit another country.

They want to experience it.

And you don't have to be wildly adventurous.

That's another misconception.

You can have wonderfully immersive experiences during the day and still return to a beautiful ship at night.

For a lot of my clients, that's the sweet spot.

Adventure outside. Comfort inside.

Is it too organised?

This is a fair question, particularly if you're someone who normally likes travelling independently.

Yes, there is structure.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing here.

A good river-cruise itinerary handles a lot of the complicated bits — transport, guides, timing, border logistics and access to experiences — while you're free to concentrate on actually enjoying where you are.

And because river ships are considerably smaller than ocean cruise ships, shore experiences generally feel very different from having thousands of passengers descend on one destination at the same time.

The Mekong isn't really a “tick the sights off the list” destination anyway.

It rewards slowing down.

Watching.

Listening.

Eating.

Talking.

And occasionally having absolutely no idea what you're looking at until your guide explains it to you.

Those are often the best bits.

So… would I do the cruise on its own?

Personally?

No. I'd make a proper trip of it.

If you're travelling from Australia, this is one of those occasions where I'd look at the whole journey rather than just buying a cruise.

I'd want time in Ho Chi Minh City.

I'd absolutely want Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

Depending on how much time I had, I'd be very tempted to add Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.

And perhaps a beautiful hotel at either end where you can simply stop for a minute and enjoy yourself.

This is where using the cruise as the spine of the itinerary works so well.

Rather than asking:

“Which river cruise should I book?”

I'd start with:

“What do I want my Vietnam and Cambodia holiday to look like?”

Then we build the cruise into it.

Why AmaWaterways is one I'd look at

There are several operators on the Mekong, and the right one really does depend on the traveller.

But AmaWaterways' Mekong program is certainly one I'd have on my shortlist.

Their current core program offers seven-night journeys through Vietnam and Cambodia, with the option to extend the experience significantly on land. Their Mekong ships carry around 120 guests, which keeps the experience relatively intimate, and the itinerary puts a strong emphasis on cultural encounters rather than simply sightseeing from the river. (AmaWaterways)

And for me, that's what this destination needs.

Because I don't think you travel to the Mekong just to say you've been there.

You go because you want to understand it a little.

My final thought?

If you've always wanted to see Vietnam and Cambodia but the idea of organising all the moving parts has put you off, don't overlook the river.

A Mekong cruise gives you something that's surprisingly difficult to create on a conventional holiday.

You get the famous places you've dreamed about seeing.

You get the tiny places you didn't know existed.

You see cities, villages, temples, markets and countryside.

You eat extraordinarily well.

You meet people.

And in between all of that, instead of sitting in another airport or spending five hours staring at the back of a bus seat…

you sit on deck and watch Vietnam and Cambodia float past.

That, to me, is the magic of it.

And the best part?

You unpack your suitcase once.

Which, after about Day Three of a multi-stop land tour, starts to feel like a luxury in itself. 😂

Thinking about Vietnam & Cambodia?

If a Mekong river cruise has you curious, talk to me before you start piecing everything together yourself.

I can help you compare the different cruise options, work out which itinerary and cruise line suits you, and then build the rest of Vietnam, Cambodia — and potentially more of Southeast Asia — around it.

Because the cruise doesn't have to be the whole holiday.

It can be the extraordinary bit running right through the middle of it.

Michelle Feilberg

Luxury Cruise & Travel Co.

Your local Camden–Macarthur travel expert

Virtuoso Member | CLIA Cruise Master