Emerald Cruises has opened the books on its 2024-2025 Mekong River cruise season through Cambodia and Vietnam aboard the line’s most intimate Star-Ship, Emerald Harmony.
The line says exploring this region via river ship allows travellers to experience small villages and historic capitals and gain an appreciation for the scenic beauty as well as the local culture and peoples.
Emerald has expanded the sailing season for 2024-2025, offering more options to guests. New this season, the 10-day Meandering Majestic Mekong itinerary between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh sails exclusively in August, September, and October, during the region’s less crowded “green season.”
This longer sailing takes a more relaxed pace and adds extra time in Cambodia, continuing northeast past the capital city. An additional port of call in Angkor Ban reveals a remote village where guests can explore the hundred-year-old wooden houses that survived the Khmer Rouge and receive a blessing from the local Monastery.
This itinerary also includes more daytime sailing, allowing guests to take in the sights on daily excursions as well as from onboard the deluxe Emerald Harmony.
Travellers looking to sail the Mekong between mid-October and mid-May can opt for the classic eight-day Majestic Mekong, also sailing between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh.
Travelling from Canada to Southeast Asia is a long haul, and Emerald says most guests choose to make the most of their trip by booking one of its curated cruise-and-land tours. These journeys combine the eight- or 10-day river cruise, depending on season, with an in-depth land tour itinerary.
A Grand Balcony Suite on the Emerald Harmony. (Photo Credit: Emerald Cruises)
Choices include:
· The 13- or 15-day Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong adds three days in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where guests can visit the ancient temples of Angkor Tom and watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat; take a Vespa tour of the city or a boat tour of nearby Tonle Sap lake; take in an Aspara dance show and traditional Cambodian dinner; and embark on an evening street food tour.
· Two longer itineraries feature more time touring before and after the cruise: the 17- or 19-day Treasures & Temples of Vietnam & Cambodia adds tours in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi and a two-night cruise onboard a traditional-style junk boat on stunning Halong Bay as well as the Siem Reap program.
· The epic 21- or 23-day Grand Tour of Vietnam & Cambodia itinerary adds tours in the Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, and Hoi An, known for its well-preserved Ancient Town and eclectic architecture, as well as the tour program in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Siem Reap. To offer more choice of ports, each itinerary offers an upstream and downstream option.
With only 84 guests in 42 staterooms and suites, Emerald Harmony offers an intimate and upscale sailing experience on the Mekong. The ship features spacious cabins, a pool located on the ship’s aft, an Asian-themed Horizon Bar & Lounge, and a 2:1 guest to crew ratio.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of the newest Star-Ship is in its clever design—unlike most similar-sized Mekong river ships, the Emerald Harmony will allow access to the center of Ho Chi Minh City, meaning guests will disembark in the center of the action rather than needing to be coached in from outside the city.
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