Grand Mekong Expedition — 14 Days / 13 Nights

DAY 1 – HO CHI MINH CITY TO MY THO | EMBARKATION

Private transfer from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho for embarkation on your premium Bassac river cruise vessel. Welcome lunch on board as the ship departs into the delta. Afternoon sampan excursion through the narrow canals of Ben Tre province — coconut workshops, riverside orchards, and the unhurried pace of communities where the river is road, livelihood, and home simultaneously. Sunset on the upper deck. Welcome dinner on board: delta specialties prepared by the ship’s chef.

DAY 2 – CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET | CAN THO | CHAU DOC

Pre-dawn sampan to Cai Rang Floating Market at its most atmospheric. Return for breakfast on board before the morning canal excursion through Can Tho’s backwaters — private bicycle through Binh Thuy’s tree-lined streets to the Ancient House. Local lunch at a canal-side eatery. Afternoon navigation upstream to Chau Doc. A late afternoon guided visit to the floating fish farms and Chau Giang Cham village by small boat. Overnight at anchor outside Chau Doc.

DAY 3 – NUI SAM SUNRISE | DISEMBARKATION | FLIGHT TO PHU QUOC

Sunrise walk up Nui Sam mountain above Chau Doc — panoramic views over the delta and across the Cambodian border. Return to the ship for a farewell breakfast before disembarkation. Transfer to Can Tho International Airport for the short domestic flight to Phu Quoc Island (approximately 1 hour). Arrive in the early afternoon and transfer to your beachfront resort on Long Beach. Dinner at a beachside seafood restaurant: fresh Phu Quoc lobster, grilled swimming crab, and the island’s famous fish sauce.

DAY 4 – PHU QUOC | AN THOI ARCHIPELAGO SNORKEL | PEPPER FARM

Morning boat excursion to the An Thoi Archipelago at the southern tip of Phu Quoc — fifteen small islands in clear, reef-fringed water. Snorkel above coral gardens, swim in a natural pool between rock formations, and lunch on board the excursion boat. Return to Phu Quoc in the mid-afternoon. Late afternoon visit to a Phu Quoc pepper farm — the island produces some of the most prized ho tieu in the world. A tasting of green, red, and black pepper at different stages of ripeness, and a pepper-focused cooking demonstration. The Phu Quoc Night Market in the evening: an open-air seafood market on the beach where the day’s catch is grilled on the spot.

DAY 5 – PHU QUOC | DEPARTURE

A final morning on one of Vietnam’s finest beaches before transfer to Phu Quoc International Airport for your onward flight — direct connections to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and multiple international destinations.

DAY 6 – PHNOM PENH | FULL CITY DAY

Arrive in Phnom Penh at the confluence of three rivers. Private morning tour of the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda before general opening. National Museum curator-led tour of the Khmer sculpture collection. Lunch at a celebrated Phnom Penh restaurant. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in the afternoon. Private sunset dinner on the ship’s upper deck anchored in the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac, and Tonle Sap rivers.

DAYS 7–8 – TONLE SAP | SIEM REAP | ANGKOR

Sail north up the Tonle Sap River: Kampong Chhnang pottery and floating village, Kampong Tralach ox-cart ride and pagoda visit. Transfer to Siem Reap by road on Day 8. Check in to your heritage boutique hotel. Sunset at Phnom Bakheng. Private dinner at a colonial villa with Cambodian royal court cuisine. Day 9: exclusive pre-opening Angkor Wat access, full private temple day with archaeologist guide — Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei. Farewell gala dinner with Apsara dance performance.

DAY 10 – SIEM REAP TO LUANG PRABANG | FLIGHT CONNECTION

Fly from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang — two hours connecting the two great UNESCO heritage destinations of mainland Southeast Asia. Arrive in Luang Prabang in the afternoon. Check in to your boutique heritage hotel in the Old Town. The evening begins the Lao chapter: dinner at a riverside restaurant, a walk through the night market, and the particular quietness that Luang Prabang has maintained against all odds.

DAY 11 – LUANG PRABANG | TAK BAT | KUANG SI WATERFALL | MEKONG EMBARKATION

Rise at 5:30 AM for the tak bat alms-giving ceremony. Breakfast at a riverside cafe before a morning excursion to Kuang Si Waterfall — a series of tiered turquoise pools in the jungle 30 kilometres south of the town. Afternoon at leisure in Luang Prabang: Wat Xieng Thong, Phou Si Hill, or the galleries of traditional Lao textile and paper art. Embark the Luang Say boutique slow boat at the Luang Prabang pier in the late afternoon for the upstream journey to the Thai border.

DAYS 12–13 – UPPER MEKONG | PAK OU CAVES | PAK BENG | LANTEN VILLAGE | HUAY XAI | CHIANG MAI

Day 12: Pak Ou Caves stop on the upstream journey, gorge navigation through the most dramatic section of the Upper Mekong, arrive Pak Beng. Day 13: Lanten minority village guided walk with interpreter, continue upstream to Huay Xai, Laos-Thailand border crossing, transfer to Chiang Mai. Evening: celebrate the near-completion of the Grand Mekong Expedition in Thailand’s most welcoming northern city.

DAY 14 – CHIANG MAI | DEPARTURE

A final Chiang Mai morning — the Old City temples, the market, a last khao soi — before transfer to Chiang Mai International Airport for your international departure. Optional farewell extension: 2 nights at a private hillside retreat north of Chiang Mai — organic farm, mountain walks, and the kind of silence that only arrives after fourteen days of moving.

Tour Inclusions

• 13 nights accommodation — 7 nights luxury river cruise (full board, butler service), 2 nights 5-star boutique hotel Siem Reap, 1 night boutique heritage hotel Luang Prabang, 1 night Luang Say Lodge Pak Beng, 2 nights boutique hotel Chiang Mai
• Three river vessels: Emerald Harmony luxury delta/Cambodia cruiser + Luang Say boutique Lao slow boat
• All shore excursions, sampan rides, cycling, ox-cart, cooking classes as per itinerary
• Exclusive pre-opening Angkor Wat access with private archaeologist guide
• Kuang Si Waterfall excursion with private guide
• Lanten minority village guided walk
• Tak bat alms-giving ceremony guidance
• Domestic flight: Siem Reap – Luang Prabang (economy class)
• All cross-border transit handling: Vietnam-Cambodia & Laos-Thailand
• Dedicated English-speaking luxury guide throughout all 14 days
• All transfers by private luxury vehicle
• Welcome gala dinner (Day 1) and farewell dinner (Day 13)
• 24/7 on-trip support from Sun DMC operations team across all four countries

Practical Information

Best Time to Travel: November – March (optimal across all four countries: dry season, ideal river levels, cool Lao highlands)
Minimum Pax: 2 pax (private voyage); 20 pax for full vessel charter on Vietnam/Cambodia legs
Vessels: Emerald Harmony 5-star luxury (Vietnam-Cambodia) + Luang Say boutique slow boat (Laos)
Accommodation Tier: Luxury throughout
Why Sun DMC: The Grand Mekong Expedition is operated by a single DMC with full ground control across all four countries — no subcontracting, no local agent handoffs, one account manager from Day 1 to Day 14. Contact your Sun DMC account manager for NET rates, private charter pricing, and a full cost breakdown.