Viking River Cruises

Daily Itinerary

1. Day 1

   Ho Chi Minh City

   Vietnam

   

   Still whispered as Saigon by its ten million residents, Ho Chi Minh City pulses with an energy that outlasted every empire and every war. The French colonial grandeur of Notre-Dame Cathedral and Gustave Eiffel's Central Post Office stands in vivid counterpoint to the city's kinetic street life — an endless river of motorbikes, fragrant with pho broth and charcoal-grilled meats. Do not miss the Reunification Palace, a time capsule of Cold War modernism, or a dawn bowl of bánh mì from a sidewalk vendor. The dry season, November through April, offers the most comfortable conditions for exploration.

2. Day 2

   Ho Chi Minh City

   Vietnam

   

   Still whispered as Saigon by its ten million residents, Ho Chi Minh City pulses with an energy that outlasted every empire and every war. The French colonial grandeur of Notre-Dame Cathedral and Gustave Eiffel's Central Post Office stands in vivid counterpoint to the city's kinetic street life — an endless river of motorbikes, fragrant with pho broth and charcoal-grilled meats. Do not miss the Reunification Palace, a time capsule of Cold War modernism, or a dawn bowl of bánh mì from a sidewalk vendor. The dry season, November through April, offers the most comfortable conditions for exploration.

3. Day 3

   Ho Chi Minh City

   Vietnam

   

   Still whispered as Saigon by its ten million residents, Ho Chi Minh City pulses with an energy that outlasted every empire and every war. The French colonial grandeur of Notre-Dame Cathedral and Gustave Eiffel's Central Post Office stands in vivid counterpoint to the city's kinetic street life — an endless river of motorbikes, fragrant with pho broth and charcoal-grilled meats. Do not miss the Reunification Palace, a time capsule of Cold War modernism, or a dawn bowl of bánh mì from a sidewalk vendor. The dry season, November through April, offers the most comfortable conditions for exploration.

4. Day 4

   Cai Be

   Vietnam

   

   Cái Bè is a vibrant port town in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, known for its unique floating market and rich culinary heritage. Must-do experiences include sampling local delicacies like bánh xèo and exploring the bustling Cái Bè Floating Market. The best time to visit is during the dry season from December to April, when the weather is most pleasant for exploring this enchanting region.

5. Day 4

   Sa Dec

   Vietnam

   

   Sa Đéc, a sleepy town of French colonial villas and temple-filled alleyways on a branch of the Mekong Delta, is renowned as the birthplace of Marguerite Duras and the flowering capital of Vietnam. The town's nurseries supply orchids, bonsai, and chrysanthemums to florists across the country, perfuming the riverside air. The restored Huỳnh Thủy Lê House — where Duras's colonial-era love story unfolded — offers a haunting window into the delta's past. Vendors ply the waterways in flat-bottomed boats piled with tropical fruit. November through April brings the dry season's golden light and gentle breezes.

6. Day 5

   Tan Chau

   Vietnam

   

   Tan Chau is a quietly enchanting border town on the upper Mekong Delta, where Vietnamese, Khmer, Cham, and Chinese cultural threads weave together in floating markets, silk-weaving workshops, and ornate riverside temples. River cruise guests typically arrive by sampan at dawn, when the town's covered market erupts with color and the legendary Tan Chau silk — hand-woven on traditional wooden looms — is spread out for trade. The cool dry season from November to February offers the most pleasant conditions for exploring this living crossroads of Southeast Asian civilization.

7. Day 6

   Phnom Penh

   Cambodia

   

   Phnom Penh rises from the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap, and Bassac rivers with a resilience that makes it one of Southeast Asia's most affecting capitals — a city that endured the Khmer Rouge's "Year Zero" and has re-emerged as a place of broad riverfront boulevards, excellent Khmer cuisine, and a cultural energy that feels earned rather than manufactured. The Royal Palace and its Silver Pagoda, housing a life-size gold Buddha studded with 9,584 diamonds, is the city's architectural centrepiece; the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school converted to a prison by the Khmer Rouge, is sobering but essential history. November through February offers the most comfortable climate for extended exploration.

8. Day 7

   Phnom Penh

   Cambodia

   

   Phnom Penh rises from the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap, and Bassac rivers with a resilience that makes it one of Southeast Asia's most affecting capitals — a city that endured the Khmer Rouge's "Year Zero" and has re-emerged as a place of broad riverfront boulevards, excellent Khmer cuisine, and a cultural energy that feels earned rather than manufactured. The Royal Palace and its Silver Pagoda, housing a life-size gold Buddha studded with 9,584 diamonds, is the city's architectural centrepiece; the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school converted to a prison by the Khmer Rouge, is sobering but essential history. November through February offers the most comfortable climate for extended exploration.

9. Day 8

   Mekong River

   

10. Day 9

    Kampong Cham

    Cambodia

    

    Kampong Cham unfolds along the Mekong's western bank in a languid rhythm far removed from Cambodia's tourist circuit — a provincial capital where saffron-robed monks cross bamboo bridges at dawn and French colonial villas drowse behind frangipani trees. The highlight is Wat Nokor, a twelfth-century Angkorian temple whose moss-covered sandstone galleries envelop a functioning Buddhist sanctuary in a haunting conversation between centuries. The nearby rubber plantations, a legacy of French Indochina, offer a window into the region's complex history. Kampong Cham is best visited November through February, when the dry season transforms the Mekong into a serene silver expanse.

11. Day 10

    Siem Reap

    Cambodia

    

    Siem Reap, the gateway city to the ancient Khmer empire's greatest achievement, is the essential staging post for exploring Angkor — the twelfth-century temple complex whose scale and ambition remain without parallel in human history. Angkor Wat at sunrise, its towers mirrored in the lily-covered moat, is one of the world's most transcendent spectacles; Angkor Thom's enigmatic Bayon, with its serene stone faces emerging from the jungle canopy, is another. The city's Old Market quarter offers silk workshops, street food vendors, and celebrated restaurants serving amok — fish steamed in coconut and lemongrass. November through April brings the driest, most comfortable conditions.

12. Day 11

    Siem Reap

    Cambodia

    

    Siem Reap, the gateway city to the ancient Khmer empire's greatest achievement, is the essential staging post for exploring Angkor — the twelfth-century temple complex whose scale and ambition remain without parallel in human history. Angkor Wat at sunrise, its towers mirrored in the lily-covered moat, is one of the world's most transcendent spectacles; Angkor Thom's enigmatic Bayon, with its serene stone faces emerging from the jungle canopy, is another. The city's Old Market quarter offers silk workshops, street food vendors, and celebrated restaurants serving amok — fish steamed in coconut and lemongrass. November through April brings the driest, most comfortable conditions.

13. Day 12

    Siem Reap

    Cambodia

    

    Siem Reap, the gateway city to the ancient Khmer empire's greatest achievement, is the essential staging post for exploring Angkor — the twelfth-century temple complex whose scale and ambition remain without parallel in human history. Angkor Wat at sunrise, its towers mirrored in the lily-covered moat, is one of the world's most transcendent spectacles; Angkor Thom's enigmatic Bayon, with its serene stone faces emerging from the jungle canopy, is another. The city's Old Market quarter offers silk workshops, street food vendors, and celebrated restaurants serving amok — fish steamed in coconut and lemongrass. November through April brings the driest, most comfortable conditions.

14. Day 13

    Hanoi

    Vietnam

    

    Founded on a dragon's auspice in 1010 AD, Hanoi is Southeast Asia's most historically layered capital — a city where French colonial boulevards wrap around ancient temple islands and where the morning ritual of phở bò at a pavement stall carries the weight of a thousand years of tradition. Venture to Halong Bay's limestone karst seascape or explore the lantern-lit lanes of Hội An via nearby Chan May. October through April brings dry, pleasant weather ideal for exploring Vietnam's storied north.

15. Day 14

    Hanoi

    Vietnam

    

    Founded on a dragon's auspice in 1010 AD, Hanoi is Southeast Asia's most historically layered capital — a city where French colonial boulevards wrap around ancient temple islands and where the morning ritual of phở bò at a pavement stall carries the weight of a thousand years of tradition. Venture to Halong Bay's limestone karst seascape or explore the lantern-lit lanes of Hội An via nearby Chan May. October through April brings dry, pleasant weather ideal for exploring Vietnam's storied north.

16. Day 15

    Hanoi

    Vietnam

    

    Founded on a dragon's auspice in 1010 AD, Hanoi is Southeast Asia's most historically layered capital — a city where French colonial boulevards wrap around ancient temple islands and where the morning ritual of phở bò at a pavement stall carries the weight of a thousand years of tradition. Venture to Halong Bay's limestone karst seascape or explore the lantern-lit lanes of Hội An via nearby Chan May. October through April brings dry, pleasant weather ideal for exploring Vietnam's storied north.

Cabin Categories

French Balcony Stateroom

Balcony

305 sq ftMax 2B

Stateroom size: 305 sq ft River-view stateroom with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door to create a French balcony Hotel-style bed (with optional twin-bed configuration); luxury linens & pillows Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary) Flat-screen TV with premium entertainment package including CNN and other English-language programming 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports Telephone, safe, refrigerator, hair dryer & individual climate control Private bathroom with spacious glass-enclosed shower & anti-fog mirror Premium toiletries; plush robes & slippers available upon request Bottled water replenished daily Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping Space under bed for storing suitcases Roomy wardrobe with wooden hangers

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French Balcony Stateroom

Balcony

305 sq ftMax 2C

Stateroom size: 305 sq ft River-view stateroom with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door to create a French balcony Hotel-style bed (with optional twin-bed configuration); luxury linens & pillows Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary) Flat-screen TV with premium entertainment package including CNN and other English-language programming 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports Telephone, safe, refrigerator, hair dryer & individual climate control Private bathroom with spacious glass-enclosed shower & anti-fog mirror Premium toiletries; plush robes & slippers available upon request Bottled water replenished daily Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping Space under bed for storing suitcases Roomy wardrobe with wooden hangers

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Veranda Stateroom

Outside

305 sq ftMax 2A

Stateroom size: 305 sq ft River-view stateroom with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door to create a French balcony Private veranda Hotel-style bed (with optional twin-bed configuration); luxury linens & pillows Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary) Flat-screen TV with premium entertainment package including CNN and other English-language programming 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports Telephone, safe, refrigerator, hair dryer & individual climate control Private bathroom with spacious glass-enclosed shower & anti-fog mirror Premium toiletries; plush robes & slippers available upon request Bottled water replenished daily Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping Space under bed for storing suitcases Roomy wardrobe with wooden hangers

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Explorer Suite

Suite

735 sq ftMax 2ES

Suite size: 735 sq ft River-view suite with spacious, separate sitting room & floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door opening to a large veranda off the living room Hotel-style bed (with optional twin-bed configuration); luxury linens & pillows Free Wi-Fi (connection speed may vary) Two flat-screen TVs with premium entertainment package including CNN and other English-language programming 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports Telephone, safe, refrigerator, hair dryer & individual climate control Large private bathroom with spacious glass-enclosed shower, bathtub & anti-fog mirror Premium toiletries; plush robes & slippers available upon request Bottled water replenished daily Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping Space under bed for storing suitcases Roomy wardrobe with wooden hangers

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