Mekong River Cruise Guide (2026): Water, Visas and Fares

The verdict

Book the Mekong when Angkor is the goal

Angkor temples
Two countries
Tiny ships
Delta villages

Choose it if

Travellers for whom Angkor Wat is the point, with a river week attached
Anyone who'd rather reach villages by sampan than stroll cathedral squares
Couples who want a very small ship: Avalon Saigon takes 36 guests

Look elsewhere if

First-time river cruisers wanting an easy trial run: the Danube asks far less
Heat-averse travellers: it runs high 80s to mid-90s °F in every month
Anyone hoping to sail up to Angkor; Siem Reap is a coach or a flight

The ship is only a week of a Mekong trip — Angkor and Saigon, both on land, make up the rest.

Seabound Journeys on the Mekong

Overview

A week afloat inside a fortnight

Most people buy the Mekong as a 13- to 15-day package. The ship is only part of it. It takes about a week — 7 nights on most lines, 9 on Emerald.

The rest is hotel time. Siem Reap is for Angkor, Ho Chi Minh City for the markets and the war history, and on Viking and Uniworld there's Hanoi as well.

It isn't a European river week moved to Asia. The calls are villages, temples and markets reached by sampan or tuk-tuk, and the paperwork runs to two countries' visas.

Below, the river runs upstream from the delta to the border, Phnom Penh and the turnaround at Kampong Cham, and only then do the packages, the water, safety, entry and fares come in.

The river

Five stretches, two countries

01
The delta: My Tho, Cai Be and Sa Dec
Most lines keep Ho Chi Minh City as a hotel stay. The ship waits in the delta. AmaWaterways, Viking and Scenic use My Tho, and Uniworld boards Mekong Jewel at Tien Loi in Ben Tre, near My Tho, after a morning at the Cu Chi Tunnels. Sa Dec is a call for Viking, AmaWaterways, Uniworld and Emerald. Cai Be is on Viking and AmaWaterways. Avalon and Emerald are the outliers: their ships sail right into the city, Avalon's southbound route by way of Vinh Long.
02
The border: Tan Chau and Chau Doc
The ships cross the frontier on the river itself. No airport is involved. AmaWaterways gives the crossing a whole day and spends two at Tan Chau, Emerald pairs Tan Chau with the border on day 6, and Avalon crosses and calls at Chau Doc the same day. It's a quiet stretch on the water. On paper it's the one that matters most.
03
Phnom Penh and the lower Tonlé Sap river
Every line gives the capital one or two days, for the Royal Palace and the Khmer Rouge sites. AmaWaterways adds Oudong, the former royal capital, and Avalon adds Kampong Tralach. Avalon also boards here after a flight from Siem Reap, and Emerald's 10-day cruise ends at Peam Chi Korng with a transfer into the city.
04
Kampong Cham, Angkor Ban and Wat Hanchey
For Viking, AmaWaterways, Uniworld and Scenic, Kampong Cham is as far up the Mekong as the ship goes. This is the turning point. Viking spends two days here, with the Twin Holy Mountains and Wat Nokor, a 12th-century temple built by Jayavarman VII. Angkor Ban, a village of old wooden houses, is on AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Avalon and Emerald itineraries; the hilltop Wat Hanchey on Uniworld's and Avalon's.
05
Siem Reap and Angkor — by road or air, not by ship
None of the big lines' ships reach Siem Reap. Angkor is a land stay. It's two or three hotel nights for Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, joined to the ship by a coach to Kampong Cham — roughly four hours — or by Avalon's flight to Phnom Penh. Uniworld gives it three nights at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra, then flies guests on to Hanoi.

All 12 Mekong places on our atlas, embarkation cities named. Open the Mekong on the river map.

Itineraries

Four ways the lines package it

Line to line, the river week looks alike; what differs is the land wrapped around it. Tauck sells a 16-day hotel-based tour of the region with a single morning on the river — a land trip, not a cruise, so it sits outside this list.

Hanoi, Angkor, the river and Saigon: 15 days

The fullest version, and the longest. Viking's Magnificent Mekong runs Hanoi (Days 1–3), Siem Reap (4–5), Kampong Cham (6–7) and Phnom Penh (8–9), then Tan Chau, Sa Dec and Cai Be before three days in Ho Chi Minh City. It's sold in both directions. Uniworld's Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong starts with two nights at the Park Hyatt Saigon, sails 7 nights on Mekong Jewel from Tien Loi to Kampong Cham, then adds Siem Reap, an included flight and two nights at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

Viking Uniworld

The cruise on its own: 7 nights, Kampong Cham to My Tho

The simplest product on the river. AmaWaterways' Riches of the Mekong coaches guests from Siem Reap to the ship, then calls at Angkor Ban, Phnom Penh and Oudong, spends two days at Tan Chau and finishes with Sa Dec and My Tho. It runs on AmaDara and AmaMaya, every week or two from 26 Oct 2026 to 19 Apr 2027. You add the land yourself. Charms of the Mekong is the line's second 7-night cruise, and land packages — Bangkok, Central Vietnam, the Hanoi–Siem Reap flight — are sold on top.

AmaWaterways

Siem Reap, then Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City: 13 days

Avalon's Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River begins with Siem Reap hotel nights, flies to Phnom Penh to board Avalon Saigon, and sails all the way into Ho Chi Minh City by way of Chau Doc, Cu Lao Gieng and Vinh Long. It runs in both directions. Avalon also sells 16- and 19-day versions with Bangkok or Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, and an 8-day cruise-only Mekong Discovery.

Avalon

Ho Chi Minh City into Cambodia: 10–13 days

The longest time on board. Emerald's 10-day Meandering Majestic Mekong Cruise is 9 nights on Emerald Harmony from Ho Chi Minh City, by way of the Cho Gao Canal and Ben Tre. Its two 13-day packages, Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong and Enchanting Mekong and Siem Reap, run Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. Scenic sells Highlights of Vietnam, Cambodia & Luxury Mekong on Scenic Spirit, Hanoi to Saigon, with the ship between My Tho and Kampong Cham.

Emerald Scenic

Which line?

6 lines sail this river. Find your two.

Four quick questions, answered as fully as you like. The shortlist only includes lines with published sailings here, and it updates as you tap.

01What matters most on this trip?

02Who is coming?

03How do you like to spend a port day?

04Have you been on a river cruise before?

Scores come from the same checked facts as our line reviews. It shortlists; an advisor confirms the fit for your dates.

Season

When to go, and what the water does

Where else sails in January →

Prime monthsSailingFew or no sailings

Year-round on most lines · best November–March. Tap a month for what a sailing then is like.

Departures run in most months. AmaWaterways' main 2026–27 season goes every week or two from late October to April, and Avalon, AmaWaterways and Emerald all show sailings in August or September as well.

Viking names spring, fall and winter as the best time — milder and drier than summer. Rain is much heavier from May to October. Pack for heat either way. It's hot all year, in the high 80s to mid-90s Fahrenheit, and the dry season is only slightly cooler.

The water sets the route. Low water, roughly December to mid-August, keeps river ships off the Tonlé Sap lake. High water, September to November, can block the Tonlé Sap river instead — so the big lines plan around the lake in every month, not only the dry ones.

For Christmas, AmaWaterways' 21 December 2026 departure is its Taste of Christmas sailing, with a Christmas Day celebration on board.

How each line works around the lake

VikingTurns at Kampong Cham and moves guests by land between the ship and Siem Reap.Source
AmaWaterwaysCoaches guests from Siem Reap to the ship at Kampong Cham, and swaps the Angkor Ban village call for Wat Hanchey in August and September.Source
UniworldDisembarks at Kampong Cham and coaches guests to Siem Reap; its itineraries are 'subject to modification due to water levels'.Source
Avalon WaterwaysFlies guests from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh to board, and warns that changing flight schedules 'may require a scenic overland transfer'.Source

Small ships, and the window that opens

Every ship on this river is small. Some are very small. Avalon Saigon's suites have a window that opens about 9 feet; Uniworld's Mekong Jewel takes 68 guests in all-suite rooms, Viking Tonle and Viking Saigon 80 each, and AmaDara 120. Viking's two have a pool on the upper deck. So does Mekong Jewel. Port or starboard makes no difference the lines will claim — book for the cabin, not the bank.

Safety and entry

Is it safe? What the State Department says

Vietnam is rated 'Level 1: Exercise normal precautions', dated 24 June 2026. Cambodia is 'Level 2 - Exercise increased caution', dated 15 September 2026.

Cambodia's one Level 4 area is within 50 km of the Thai border, and the river route isn't in it. In Phnom Penh the advisory flags street crime — phone and bag snatching where foreigners gather — and asks travellers to avoid riverfront crowds during the Water Festival.

Our advice for a river cruiser: in Phnom Penh, carry the phone and bag the way you would in any busy capital, and check your dates against the Water Festival.

The State Department advisory

Visas: two countries and a river border

US passport holders need a visa for both countries. Vietnam's e-visa costs US$25 single-entry or US$50 multiple-entry, issued within 3 working days, and your passport needs six months beyond the stay and a blank page. Cambodia offers visas online and on arrival at the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports.

The river changes the rules. A trip that pairs Hanoi with the delta enters Vietnam twice. Viking's does, so it says to buy the multiple-entry visa, not two singles. On its Ho Chi Minh City–Hanoi direction, which enters Cambodia by river, Viking says a Cambodian e-visa isn't accepted — its staff arrange a visa on arrival, and you bring US$35 in cash a person. Check your own line's rule. Then apply.

State Department: Vietnam Vietnam e-visa portal State Department: Cambodia The line’s visa note

What it costs

What the lines charge

Lead fares as each line published them on 22 October 2026. Read them with care. They don't compare like for like: AmaWaterways and Emerald price the cruise, while Viking, Uniworld and Avalon price 13- to 15-day packages with hotel nights, and Avalon's includes the flights within the trip. Scenic shows no fare. Tauck's land tour, from $11,990, sits outside the table. Price your own dates before treating any figure as a lock.

Sort

AmaWaterwaysRiches of the Mekong, 7 nights Kampong Cham–My Tho (AmaDara/AmaMaya)
$3,279≈ $468 a night
$3,279 pp, as published 22 Oct 2026
Emerald Cruises10-Day Meandering Majestic Mekong Cruise, Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh (Emerald Harmony)
$3,550≈ $394 a night
Full Fare $3,550 pp double occupancy, 11 Aug 2027 departure, as published 22 Oct 2026
VikingMagnificent Mekong, 15 days Ho Chi Minh City–Hanoi (2027)
$6,799≈ $486 a night
from $6,799, Fall Sale for bookings 1–31 Oct 2026, departure not stated, as published 22 Oct 2026
Avalon WaterwaysFascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River (Southbound), 13 days Siem Reap–Ho Chi Minh City, air within the trip and taxes included
$7,324≈ $610 a night
$7,324 pp double occupancy for the 9 Aug 2027 departure, as published 22 Oct 2026
UniworldTimeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong, 15 days Ho Chi Minh City–Hanoi (2026, Mekong Jewel)
$8,949≈ $639 a night
$8,949 pp double occupancy, based on the 10 December itinerary, as published 22 Oct 2026

Lead fares per person as each line published them; the line under each bar keeps the line’s own wording. “A night” is our arithmetic: the lead fare divided by the trip’s nights (days minus one, hotel nights included where the package has them), before taxes and port charges. Your dates will price differently. That’s the job we do for free.

Seven rivers, side by side

Is this the right river? Compare before you choose.

The seven rivers we cover in full, five in Europe and two in Africa and Asia. Each name opens its guide; the fare row is the lowest lead fare in each guide’s fare table, as the lines published them in October 2026.

	Danube	Rhine	Seine	Rhône & Saône	Douro	Nile	You are hereMekong
Best for	First-timers and capital-city travellers	Scenery, castles and wine towns	Paris lovers and D-Day history	Wine lovers and Roman history	Port wine and small-ship intimacy	Temple lovers and ancient history	Angkor, delta villages and tiny ships
The feel	Big cities, music, one vineyard valley in daylight	One dramatic gorge morning, then vineyards and cathedrals	Gentle river, Impressionist villages, Gothic Rouen	Vineyard valleys, big locks, papal and Roman towns	Terraced vineyards, deep dam locks, quiet quintas	Early temple mornings, Cairo hotels, few nights aboard	Sampan landings, markets, temples, a border crossed by river
Season	Mar–Dec	Mar–Dec	Mar–Dec	Mar–Dec	Mar–Nov	Jan–Dec	Jan–Dec
Start cities we cover	Budapest, Vienna, Passau, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Bucharest	Amsterdam, Basel, Frankfurt am Main, Trier & Remich	Paris	Lyon, Avignon	Porto	Cairo, Luxor	Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap
Lowest published lead fare	$1,999	$2,599	$2,899	$2,899	$4,426	$5,099	$3,279
The catch	Late-summer low water and overnight lock bumps	August shallows at Kaub; Moselle single-chamber locks	Giverny's season and high water at Paris	The March lock closure below Lyon	Summer heat and a shorter season	Summer heat above 40 °C; flights inside Egypt	Two visas, year-round heat, the lake's low water

Start cities

The two cities either side of the ship

Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap bracket nearly every Mekong trip, and most ships tie up in neither. Our Ho Chi Minh City guide covers the drive to My Tho and the days before; our Siem Reap guide covers Angkor and the coach or flight to the ship. Each has a hotel hub alongside.

Embarkation cityHo Chi Minh CityYour Mekong ship is almost certainly not in Ho Chi Minh City. Most lines tie up at My Tho, about two hours away by road, and treat the city as the hotel nights either side of the cruise.The embarkation guide Embarkation citySiem ReapNo river ship boards in Siem Reap. It's a land stay — hotel nights for Angkor — and your line joins it to the ship by a long coach ride or a short flight.The embarkation guide

The night-before hotels, city by city: Ho Chi Minh City · Siem Reap

Ports of call

Two river days, up close

Phnom Penh gets a day or two on every line, divided between the palace and the Khmer Rouge sites. Sa Dec and Cai Be share a delta day of markets, sampans and the house behind Marguerite Duras's The Lover.

Port of callPhnom PenhThis is the capital your ship actually reaches. Lines give it one or two days, split between the palace and museum on one side and the Khmer Rouge sites on the other — and the history is the harder half.The port day Port of callSa Dec & Cai BeSa Dec is a delta market town with one famous house in it — the home of the man Marguerite Duras wrote about in The Lover. Most ships pair it with Cai Be the same day, and you get around by sampan.The port day

Before you book

Five questions worth asking about the Mekong

The answers separate two sailings that look the same in a brochure. Tick the ones you care about and we’ll answer them for your dates.

Do we reach Angkor by coach from Kampong Cham, or by air?In low water ships can't cross the lake, so the link is a long coach ride or Avalon's flight to Phnom Penh.
Should I buy a single or a multiple-entry Vietnam visa?Trips that pair Hanoi with the delta enter Vietnam twice, and Viking tells its guests to buy the multiple-entry e-visa.
Is a Cambodian e-visa accepted at our river border?On Viking's route it isn't; staff arrange a visa on arrival, and you bring $35 cash a person.
From which hotel does the coach to the ship leave?Most ships wait in the delta, about two hours by road, and boarding day starts at the line's chosen hotel.
Does an August or September date drop Angkor Ban?AmaWaterways swaps the village for Wat Hanchey in those months, when it may be out of reach.

Why trust this page

The Seabound standard

27

Sources, read at the source

Every fare, berth and timetable here was checked on October 22, 2026, at the line, port or hotel wherever they publish it. Where they don’t, we name the source we used, or say nothing is published.

0

Paid placements

No line or hotel pays to appear here or to rank higher. Affiliate links are labelled, and they never decide what we recommend.

1:1

Advisors, not a booking engine

A Seabound Journeys advisor reads your brief, compares the lines for your dates and answers you personally. CLIA-affiliated, Florida Seller of Travel ST15578.

Have us plan it

Find the Mekong sailing built for you

Tell us the month, who is sailing and what you want from the week. We price the lines against each other, hotel nights and transfers included.

Usually the same fare as booking direct, and our advice costs you nothing.
We compare the lines on the Mekong for your dates, not one brochure.
Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.

Your river brief

Tell us the trip. We’ll find the sailing.

Prefer to browse fares yourself? Compare river cruise fares Via CruiseDirect · Affiliate link

Quick answers

Mekong river cruise questions

Can a Mekong ship take me to Angkor Wat?

Not on the big lines. Siem Reap is a land stay on every one of them, joined to the ship by coach or by plane. Plan on Angkor as hotel nights on land, before or after the cruise.

Which direction should I sail?

It decides whether Angkor opens or closes the trip. Little else changes. Viking sells Magnificent Mekong both ways, and Avalon sells northbound and southbound versions. AmaWaterways runs downstream, from Siem Reap toward Ho Chi Minh City. If you'd rather end on the temples than on the city, pick the direction that finishes in Siem Reap.

How long is a Mekong river cruise?

The time on board is usually 7 nights, or 9 on Emerald's 10-day cruise. Most people book it inside a 13- to 15-day package with hotel nights in Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City and sometimes Hanoi.

Which line sails into Ho Chi Minh City?

Avalon, whose southbound route ends in the city after Vinh Long. Emerald's 10-day cruise also lists the city as day 1 before the Cho Gao Canal. The other lines put you on a road transfer between the city and My Tho or Tien Loi.

Do I need cash?

For one thing, yes. Viking asks guests entering Cambodia by river to bring US$35 in cash a person for the visa on arrival. Keep it apart from your spending money so it's there at the border.

Is the Mekong a good first river cruise?

It's a bigger trip than a European week. Two visas, internal flights or long coach days, and heat in every month. The ship side is easy: small ships and a guided programme ashore. Go if Angkor and the delta are the point, not as a trial run for river cruising.

How we checked this page 27 sources

Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 22, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Keep comparing

The lines and the map

River cruising, decodedEvery line and every river, compared in one place The Mekong on the river map12 places with seasons, lines and hotel picks

Vietnam and Cambodia, decoded The Mekong