Far from Europe, river cruising is booming closer to home

Things are hotting up on the Mekong River. Avalon Waterways says river-cruise bookings in 2026 are up 76 per cent compared to 2025, and it isn’t alone in reporting soaring demand.

Vietnam is a tourism hotspot for Australians and has increasingly better flight connections, and the weakness of the Australian dollar against the euro has shifted interest towards Asian rather than European river cruising.

You have good reasons to cruise Vietnam and Cambodia: busy market towns, Buddhist temples, boomtown cities, lush landscapes and the big-name pull of Angkor Wat temple complex.

Most major river-cruise operators sail the Mekong, including Avalon, AmaWaterways, APT, Aqua Expeditions, CroisiEurope, Emerald, Riviera Travel, Scenic, Travelmarvel, Uniworld and Viking.

Cruises typically run between My Tho outside Ho Chi Minh City (only some shallow-bottomed vessels can sail into the city) and Kampong Cham in Cambodia. A few also sail Lake Tonle Sap. Land extensions take guests to visit Angkor Wat, with hotel stays in Siem Reap.

A full cruise-land itinerary generally runs for about two weeks. APT’s guest favourite is its 13-day “Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights” tour, for example, while Viking sails 15-day “Magnificent Mekong” itineraries.

Recently, however, there has been a shift towards wider regional holidays that incorporate a Mekong cruise. A bestseller for Emerald Cruises is a 24-day “Grand Tour of Indochina” that also takes in Vietnamese land destinations such as Hanoi, Hoi An and Da Nang.

Australian company Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours has partnered with AmaWaterways to launch a history-themed cruise on the Mekong in 2027 with a land extension that explores some of the Vietnam War’s key sites, and culminates in a commemoration at Long Tan battlefield.

The swell in interest means ever better ship choice for cruisers. Viking Cruises launched 80-guest Viking Tonle in late 2025, identical to its earlier Viking Saigon. Pandaw added a refurbished ship, transferred from Myanmar. AmaWaterways launches its second Mekong ship, the 124-guest AmaMaya, this August.

Itineraries are expanding too. New for Emerald Cruises this year is an 11- or 13-day “Enchanting Mekong and Siem Reap” cruise on 84-guest Emerald Harmony, which is able to sail into Ho Chi Minh City.

Riviera Travel has a new 15-night “Vietnam, Cambodia and Hidden Treasures of the Mekong” itinerary on the chartered 70-guest Victoria Mekong, and in 2027 will launch its own ship, the 50-guest Riviera Alba.

Mekong Princess Cruises, represented in Australia by Cruise Traveller, offers 12- or 13-night cruises. Last year it saw a boom in seven-night whole-vessel charters by both businesses and individuals for the 28-guest Mekong Princess.

If you’re looking for something different, then you can sail the Mekong in Laos with boutique operators Pandaw or Mekong Kingdoms, which added a second ship, the 26-passenger Boheme, last year.

It sails five-night journeys between Luang Prabang and Vientiane, visiting places such as Pak Ou caves with their Buddhist carvings, Kuang Si waterfall, paper- and pottery-making villages, and an elephant conservation centre.