Choosing a Mekong river cruise
Cruises · Vietnam to Cambodia
Saigon to Siem Reap, 7 nights
The full lower-Mekong cruise: a week from the delta through Phnom Penh and up the Tonle Sap river towards Angkor. More than a dozen ships publish some version of it. Between roughly December and July the operators we read say ships cannot reach Siem Reap by water, and the last stretch is by road or by air. Read that part first.
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights (9–15 days in some packages)
- Ship size
- 14 to about 60 cabins
- Boards
- Usually My Tho; Ho Chi Minh City on some ships; Can Tho for Victoria Mekong
- Ends
- Siem Reap side, or Kampong Cham and road
- By water to the lake
- High water only, about August–November
- Price
- On request
The low-water caveat, first
Siem Reap sits near the Tonle Sap lake, and the Tonle Sap river that feeds it is too shallow for cruise ships for much of the year. Operators define the seasons differently. Aqua Expeditions gives high water as mid-August to November and low water as December to mid-August. Pandaw gives high water as August to November on one part of its guide and August to October in its FAQ, with low water from December to July. In the low months the river part of a 'Saigon to Siem Reap' cruise stops short and you finish by road; Aqua instead flies its guests from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap at no extra cost.
Several larger ships do not try to reach the lake at all. Viking's river voyage runs between My Tho and Kampong Cham, Scenic's sample 2026 itinerary leaves the river at Kampong Cham and continues to Siem Reap overland, and Victoria Mekong disembarks at Kampong Cham with a road transfer. For these ships the season changes little; the road is always part of the plan.
If arriving at Siem Reap by water matters, travel between August and November and choose a ship that publishes a lake crossing in that period. If it does not matter, the low-water months give you the same river days and a road or air transfer at the end. The water page has the details by operator.
Sources: Aqua Expeditions — Mekong river cruise; Pandaw — The Classic Mekong guide, 4 May 2026; Viking press release, 14 Nov 2023; Cruiseline.co.uk — Scenic Spirit sample departure (agent); Wendy Wu Tours AU — Victoria Mekong · checked .
The ships that publish this route
| Ship | Published route | Size | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayavarman, The Jahan (Heritage Line) | 7 nights Saigon – Siem Reap, either direction | Counts not stated | Balcony in every category | Heritage Line |
| RV Bassac, Indochina, Mekong and Tonle Pandaw | Classic Mekong, 7 nights Saigon – Siem Reap; also 10 nights | 'Only 30 to 40' guests (guide); 48 berths on Tonle and Mekong Pandaw (PDF) | Road in low water | Pandaw guide, 4 May 2026; Pandaw PDF |
| RV Toum Tiou II (CroisiEurope) | 9 days port to port, or 11 days with Angkor | 14 cabins, 28 guests, no lift | From USD 1,754 / 2,304–2,379 pp, autumn 2026 | CroisiEurope |
| AmaDara, AmaMaya (AmaWaterways) | 7 nights: Charms of the Mekong, Riches of the Mekong | AmaMaya 60 staterooms; AmaDara 60 or 62 (page conflicts) | No lift; AmaMaya debut 2026 or January 2027, sources differ | AmaWaterways AU; Travel Market Report |
| Viking Saigon, Viking Tonle | 8-day river voyage My Tho – Kampong Cham within a 15-day holiday | 40 staterooms, 80 guests each | Hotels in Hanoi, Siem Reap and Saigon | Viking |
| Scenic Spirit | Sample: Ho Chi Minh City – Cai Be – Tan Chau – Phnom Penh – Kampong Cham, then overland | 68 guests, all-balcony suites | Inside a 26-night package | Cruiseline.co.uk (agent) |
| Victoria Mekong | 7-night leg Can Tho – Kampong Cham, road to Siem Reap | 35 cabins, 70 guests | Sold in packages incl. flights | Wendy Wu Tours AU |
| RV Lotus (Travelmarvel) | 7 nights Ho Chi Minh City – Siem Reap | 54 cabins, 108 guests | Inside 13–21-night packages | Cruise Critic |
| Mekong Serenity (APT) | 13-day Vietnam and Cambodia Highlights | Up to 88 guests | Cabin count not stated | APT |
| Avalon Waterways Mekong ships | Ho Chi Minh City – Siem Reap depending on water levels | Up to 36 guests, all suites | Confirm which ship sails your date | Avalon; TravelPulse 2015 |
| Mekong Jewel (Uniworld) | Within a 15-day Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi programme | 34 suites, 68 guests | Debuted January 2020 | Uniworld |
| Aqua Mekong (Aqua Expeditions) | Between Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap | 20 suites, 40 guests | Free flight Phnom Penh – Siem Reap in low water | Aqua Expeditions |
Le Cochinchine also lists a 7-day Saigon to Angkor programme on its site; the page we read does not say how much of it is on the water, so we treat it as one to ask about rather than compare.
Sources: Heritage Line — Jayavarman; Heritage Line — The Jahan; Pandaw — The Classic Mekong guide, 4 May 2026; CroisiEurope — RV Toum Tiou II; AmaWaterways (AU) — AmaMaya; AmaWaterways (AU) — AmaDara; Travel Market Report — AmaMaya; Viking press release, 14 Nov 2023; Luxury Travel Advisor, 16 Sep 2025 — Viking Tonle; Cruiseline.co.uk — Scenic Spirit sample departure (agent); Wendy Wu Tours AU — Victoria Mekong; Cruise Critic — Travelmarvel RV Lotus; APT — Mekong Serenity; Avalon Waterways — Mekong ship page; TravelPulse, 3 Mar 2015 — Avalon Siem Reap; Uniworld — Mekong Jewel; Aqua Expeditions — Mekong river cruise; Le Cochinchine (operator site) · checked .
Day by day
A composite of the published patterns, upstream. Port order follows CroisiEurope's list for Toum Tiou II and Pandaw's notes; each ship has its own stops, and the quote names them.
Day 1
Saigon to My Tho, aboard
A morning coach from central Saigon to My Tho, about 71 km and one and a half to two hours. Board, lunch as the ship leaves, and an afternoon in the side channels of the delta.
Day 2
Cai Be and Sa Dec
The orchard and canal country of the middle delta. Toum Tiou II lists Cai Be and Sa Dec as ports; others stop at villages and workshops along the same stretch.
Day 3
The upper delta: Chau Doc or Tan Chau
Ships stop at Chau Doc for Sam Mountain and the fish farms, or at Tan Chau, which appears on the AmaWaterways and Scenic itineraries. In October and November high water can block the bridges into Chau Doc.
Day 4
Across the border
Immigration at Vinh Xuong and Kaam Samnor on the river; Cambodian embassies list visas on arrival there. The afternoon is under way into Cambodia.
Day 5
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh from the river at dusk
A day in the capital from a berth on the riverfront. The shore programme differs by ship; the quote sets out what is guided and what is free time.
Day 6
Oudong and Kampong Tralach
Upriver from Phnom Penh. The AmaWaterways itinerary names Oudong; CroisiEurope lists Kampong Tralach as a port on the Tonle Sap river.
Day 7
Kampong Chhnang, or Kampong Cham
Ships heading for the lake continue to Kampong Chhnang; Pandaw reaches it 'by ship or by coach depending on water levels'. The larger ships that never enter the lake are instead at Kampong Cham on the Mekong.
Day 8
To Siem Reap: by water or by road
In high water, ships that cross the lake land you on the Siem Reap side after breakfast. In low water you leave the ship further south and finish by road; on Aqua Mekong, by a flight from Phnom Penh. Ask the operator for the transfer time on your date.
Sources: CroisiEurope — RV Toum Tiou II; Pandaw — Saigon to Phnom Penh product PDF (new for 2026); TravelVietnam.com — Pandaw low-water programme (reseller); Travel Market Report — AmaMaya; Cruiseline.co.uk — Scenic Spirit sample departure (agent); Royal Embassy of Cambodia, Washington DC — FAQ; Aqua Expeditions — Mekong river cruise; OSRM / OpenStreetMap road distances, queried 11 Oct 2026 · checked .
Price
| Party | Cabin | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2 travellers | Entry cabin or stateroom | On request |
| 2 travellers | Suite | On request |
| 1 traveller | Cabin for one; supplement shown separately | On request |
| 2 travellers | Cruise plus nights in Saigon and Siem Reap | On request |
| Any | Downstream, Siem Reap to Saigon | On request |
Published fares for this route range from USD 1,754 per person for a 9-day port-to-port sailing on Toum Tiou II to packages in the thousands of Australian dollars that include flights. The pricing page shows how to compare them, and how to book covers the steps.
What the price includes
- Seven nights in the cabin category named on the quote
- Meals on board as published
- Shore excursions with local guides, where the operator includes them
- The operator's coach from its Saigon meeting point to the ship, where included
- In low water, the operator's road transfer to Siem Reap, or Aqua's flight
- A written comparison of ships that sail your dates, with the water outlook for that month
What it does not include
- Visas for Cambodia, and for Vietnam where your passport needs one
- International flights; domestic flights unless in a package
- The Angkor Pass (USD 37 for one day, USD 62 for three), unless the package includes Angkor
- Drinks beyond what each fare names; port dues and fuel surcharges where levied
- Tips, where not included
- Hotel nights before and after the cruise
Gallery
Who this cruise is NOT for
- Anyone set on arriving at Siem Reap by boat between December and July; the operators we read publish no lake crossing then
- Travellers who dislike long road days; in low water, or on ships that end at Kampong Cham, the finish is by road
- People who need a lift; Toum Tiou II, AmaDara and AmaMaya all state there is none on board
- Those who want time at Angkor included without checking; port-to-port sailings stop short of the temples
- Anyone with fewer than ten days for Vietnam and Cambodia together; the cruise alone uses eight
Boats and ships on this site are named as public facts, each with the page we read and the date we read it. Mekong Cruiser is not a cruise line, does not operate any vessel and does not speak for any operator. Naming a ship does not mean we hold a contract or an allocation on it; availability and fares are whatever the operator confirms on the day you ask.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Which months can a ship reach Siem Reap by water?
Roughly August to November, but operators define it differently: Aqua says mid-August to November, Pandaw gives August to November in one place and August to October in another. Outside those months the finish is by road, or by air on Aqua.
Is the 7-night cruise still worth it in low water?
For many travellers, yes: the delta, the border, Phnom Penh and the Tonle Sap river villages are all still on the river. What changes is the last day. If that day is the reason you want the cruise, travel in high water or choose Saigon to Phnom Penh instead.
Does the fare include Angkor?
It depends on the package. CroisiEurope sells Toum Tiou II both port to port and as an 11-day trip with Angkor; Viking's 15-day holiday includes hotel nights in Siem Reap. The Angkor Pass is USD 62 for three days on the official site.
Which direction is better?
Most ships run both. Downstream from Siem Reap suits travellers who see Angkor first and fly home from Saigon. In low water the road transfer simply moves to the first day.
Related
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The steps from first form to confirmed cabin, with visas and payment safety.
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How to choose
High and low water
What high and low water change on Mekong cruises, by operator and by month.
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Siem Reap and the Tonle Sap
Where 7-night cruises end: the Tonle Sap crossing, the road alternative, and Angkor.
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Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh as a cruise port: docking, nights, getting on to Siem Reap, and costs.
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Example journey
Saigon to Phnom Penh
Three or four nights from the delta to the Phnom Penh riverfront: ships compared.
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Tell us which cruise you are weighing up
A month, how many are travelling and whether you lean towards a delta boat or a ship into Cambodia are enough to start. We reply by email with the boats that sail your dates and the fares their operators show that day.