15 Day Uniworld River Cruise from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi 2024

Day 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the Park Hyatt Saigon. Tonight, consider popping out to explore the lively Ben Thanh Night Market or one of the city’s quintessential evening cafés—either choice would mark a splendid start to your adventure.

Day 2 Ho Chi Minh City

Experience how ancient history melds with the boisterous present in Vietnam’s largest city, where skyscrapers tower over ancient temples and motorbikes putter along picturesque alleys.

Day 3 Ho Chi Minh City, Transfer to My Tho (Embark), Tien Loi (Ben Tre)

Today’s featured excursion provides a fascinating glimpse of the Viet Cong’s vast network of incredibly narrow tunnels dating back to the Vietnam War. Following lunch, you’ll be taken to the Mekong Jewel.

Day 4 Tien Loi (Ben Tre), Vinh Long, Sa Dec

Today, you’ll witness the hustle and bustle of delta river life as the local traders take their produce to market. After breakfast, you’ll board a traditional sampan and explore the narrow canals and backwaters of this famed region. The untouched island of Tien Loi awaits on a unique excursion created exclusively for Uniworld guests, where you can see how local farmers make rooster cages, decorate bonsais in their yards and more. Upon arrival to Vinh Long, your sampans will bring you to a traditional rice factory. Back onboard, savor an authentic Vietnamese meal this evening.

Day 5 Sa Dec, Gieng Island, Hong Ngu, Cruising the Mekong River

Following breakfast, continue your journey via sampan, where you’ll observe the daily routines of the villagers in Sa Dec. Visit a colorful temple, the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le and then venture to Gieng Island, where you’ll experience how a local family makes incense sticks and the conical hat.

Day 6 Hong Ngu, Cruising the Mekong River, Phnom Penh

Visit the local island village of Hong Ngu, a major producer of the traditional Khmer scarves located not far from the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Since they’re woven in many homes around the village, you’ll have the opportunity to see the process first-hand. You’ll also stop at a local temple dedicated to a unique religion founded in this area of Vietnam, Hoa Hoa. Your last and most interesting visit of the day? A visit to the local home of a retired VC General.

Day 7 Phnom Penh

Today, you’ll discover the thriving capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. It stands at the juncture of three captivating rivers and represents a dizzying blend of architectural styles—French colonial, Khmer, modern and everything in between. Here, you’ll find an alluring riverside esplanade amid numerous bewitching Buddhist temples, palaces and artifacts.

Day 8 Phnom Penh, Cruising the Mekong River, Angkor Ban

Today’s featured excursion may be the most profound and memorable experience of your entire journey. You’ll learn about the infamous Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge and visit a former school-turned-prison that is now a genocide museum.

Day 9 Angkor Ban, Wat Hanchey, Kampong Cham

If yesterday was an exploration of Cambodia’s dark past, today is a celebration of the country’s bright future. You’ll meet young children at a local school and friendly villagers in their homes, and have a rare opportunity to receive an unforgettable water blessing from local Buddhist monks.

Day 10 Kampong Cham (Disembark), Transfer to Siem Reap

You’ll disembark in the morning and transfer via executive motorcoach to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor, the legendary archaeological site. You will enjoy three nights at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort, minutes away from the famed temple complex of Angkor Wat.

Day 11 Siem Reap

Today is a bucket list kind of day as you explore the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, a gigantic religious complex that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 12 Siem Reap

Today you will enter the spectacular remnants of Angkor Thom, the royal city. Built during the heyday of the Khmer dynasty in the 12th century, this extraordinary complex of Hindu and Buddhist monuments was once lost to the world for many years, hidden under dense jungle vines.

Day 13 Siem Reap, Fly to Hanoi

Enjoy free time in Siem Reap before your flight to Hanoi. Then, check in to your luxury accommodations, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel.

Day 14 Hanoi

Hanoi’s elegant boulevards are lined with trees and handsome buildings, as you'll see on today's fascinating tour of the city. At the same time, this lively cultural center—Vietnam’s capital city—is replete with bustling streets, food vendors, museums and historic sites, making for an intriguing study in contrasts that rivals any other metropolitan destination.

Day 15 Hanoi

Check out of your luxury hotel and head to the airport for your flight home.