Mekong Delta Cruise: Our Unforgettable Private Journey Through Vietnam

Our Mekong Delta cruise was an experience we had wanted to do for years, and in 2025 we finally made it happen!

We spent two nights traveling through Vietnam’s Mekong Delta aboard a private Song Xanh Sampan, stopping along the way to visit local workshops, markets, temples, villages and places we probably would never have discovered on our own.

Eventually, our journey brought us all the way to Chau Doc, where we left the sampan and continued by speedboat across the border into Cambodia.

What we loved most was the pace of the trip. Instead of rushing from one attraction to another, we were simply moving along the river, watching everyday life happening around us.

And after wanting to experience the Mekong since 2022, it felt pretty special to finally be there.

When Was the Seed Planted

Back in 2022, we were meant to spend a month in Vietnam. Unfortunately, Luca broke his leg in Mongolia, the country we were visiting before arriving in Vietnam, so we had to change our plans.

Instead of spending a month traveling around the country, we stayed 10 days in Hanoi. Don’t get me wrong, we had a wonderful time there, but some of the things we dreamed of doing had to be postponed, one being cruising on the Mekong.

Fast forward to 2025: we were in our month-long stay in Hoi An (I will dedicate a whole post to that, too!), and I was booking our flight out to Cambodia. There is a direct flight from Da Nang to Siem Reap; however, my payment would not go through whenever I got to the payment page.

After so many years of traveling, we’ve learned to take that as a sign that our plans need to shift.

So we ended up booking a flight to Ho Chi Minh City instead. Then I found some Mekong cruises that were not too expensive and could cross into Cambodia, but the dates didn’t work out. Finally, I was offered this private Song Xanh Sampan cruise with the option to then cross over with a speedboat (since the sampans themselves stay in Vietnam).

There was only one date available, and it worked perfectly.

That was our sign!

Setting Sail: Stepping Into Another World

Our journey began at the Phu An Jetty in Cai Be.

We were welcomed by our guide, who showed us the variety of plants and fruits that grow in this area. Thanks to the Mekong Delta, I had no idea how lush it could be!

We then went for a bike ride along the small roads of the area, visited a temple, and finally made our way to Le Longanier, a beautiful colonial villa hidden in the greenery, for a delicious lunch.

Finally, it was time to board the Song Xanh Sampan, a beautiful traditional wooden boat with wooden furniture, open decks, and cozy cabins. It was so welcoming!

We could finally relax. The hustle of modern life faded. Here, time moved with the water.

Our small but incredibly attentive crew welcomed us with cool towels and warm smiles. From the start, it was clear: this wasn’t just transportation. It really did feel like our little floating home for the next couple of days. Every detail felt thoughtfully planned.

Drifting Into the Delta: Life Along the Waterways

As the sampan gently pulled away from Cai Be, the world opened up into a network of quiet canals and bustling river scenes.

We passed small fishing boats, children waving from the banks, and farmers guiding their animals along the water’s edge. Occasionally, we would slow down to observe life: a woman washing clothes in the river, a man mending his fishing nets, an old couple tending their floating garden.

Our guide pointed things out, offering us glimpses into daily life that we would have completely missed otherwise. Life on the river was so different from anything we had experienced up to now in Vietnam.

One of our favorite stops that first day was at a local coconut candy workshop. Watching the sticky sweets crafted by hand and tasting them fresh was a pure delight.

We also learned how rice paper (the essential wrap for Vietnamese spring rolls) is made, a process that is deeply rooted in tradition. They also showed us how to make “pop rice,” literally popping the rice in a pan and creating a delicious treat after removing the husks. It’s like eating rice krispies!

Finally, they showed us the process of making rice wine that is extremely alcoholic and how they flavor it with snakes, birds, and more inside the bottles. Quite an experience to see (and taste)!

This stop might have been the most touristy thing we did on this trip, but was probably the most touristy stop of the trip, but we still really enjoyed seeing how everything was made and of course tasting it! Fascinating.

We continued along the river and finally stopped at a brick factory. Initially, I couldn’t understand the point of this stop until it was explained, and then it completely blew my mind!

The clay they use is from the Mekong River.

Initially, it was for making bricks, but because there were too many brick factories, they shifted to pottery, which they now export internationally. They showed us the technique used to make a pot look 100 years old, even if it was just made in 2025! We also saw the giant ovens with hundreds of pieces inside fired using rice husks, a cheaper and more environmentally friendly method.

The whole process was absolutely incredible to witness.

An Afternoon in Sa Dec: Stepping Into a Story

After the factory stop, we sailed toward the charming town of Sa Dec, a place many travelers still overlook but absolutely shouldn’t.

First, we strolled through Sa Dec’s lively market and vibrant local streets, soaking in the authentic rhythm of life.

It felt like stepping into the pages of a novel, specifically Marguerite Duras’ “The Lover,” famously set here. We had dinner at the Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House, once home to the man who inspired Duras’ novel. Wandering through its beautiful architecture and learning about its history was fascinating.

After dinner, we returned to our sampan for the night. This incredible open boat by day transformed into a cozy, peaceful nighttime space. The doors were closed, sleeping nets were set up over the beds, fans were turned on, and netted windows allowed fresh air inside.

For those wondering, there’s no AC on these boats, but with the fans and ventilation, the night was perfectly comfortable.

Waking Up With the River: Day Two Begins

The next morning, we woke to the movements of the river as it came to life. The boat stays still at night, but it starts moving again early in the morning. The crew prepared a delicious breakfast on board as the sampan continued its journey.

The Delta slowly came alive around us. We navigated past rice factories, where workers loaded packages of rice and rice husks onto boats. We saw boats carrying husks, sand, and even live fish from fish farms. We spotted fishermen standing deep in the water collecting river clams, and others casting their nets gracefully.

Life on the river is truly fascinating!

Our stop for the day was at a Cao Dai temple, belonging to a unique religion born in Vietnam called Caodaism. Our stop for the day was at a Cao Dai temple. Caodaism originated in Vietnam in the 1920s and incorporates ideas and influences from several religious and philosophical traditions, including Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The temple was incredibly colorful, and learning about a religion that had actually originated in Vietnam was fascinating for us.

Cai Rang Floating Market and Tiger Island

As we continued, we arrived at the Cai Rang Floating Market, near Can Tho. We arrived later in the morning, so we missed the busiest time, but we still learned how the market works:  wholesale buyers purchase goods and resell them at the local markets. Vendors displayed their goods atop bamboo poles and haggled across the water. It was fascinating to witness.

Finally, we visited Tiger Island, the birthplace of Tôn Đức Thắng, who became Vietnam’s second president after Ho Chi Minh and later served as president of the reunified country. We visited his childhood home and learned about his life, including his involvement in Vietnam’s revolutionary movement and the years he spent imprisoned by the French. It was another unexpected history lesson along our journey through the Delta.

Visiting his home gave us powerful insight into Vietnamese history and the spirit of resilience.

Something fun we got to experience while on the island was their unique form of transportation: scooters with a rickshaw-style cart attached to the side! It was our first time seeing anything like it, and we loved the quirky, local vibe. Later, we found out that in Chau Doc, they use a similar setup, but instead of a scooter, the rickshaw is attached to a bicycle. Both versions were new to us and were a memorable part of exploring local life.

We ended our day with dinner on board, cruising toward our final night stop.

Since it was our last evening on the sampan, we made the most of every second, sitting outside, dancing, watching people swimming at dusk, waving at passing boats, and admiring a gorgeous pink sunset.

It was the perfect, bittersweet ending to an unforgettable river journey.

Toward Chau Doc: A New Adventure Awaits

In the morning, we made our way toward Chau Doc.

After disembarking, we spent our third night on land, checking into a hotel and relaxing before the next part of our trip. Chau Doc, near the Cambodian border, has its unique charm, colorful floating villages, Cham communities, and beautiful mosques along the riverbanks.

The Cham are an ethnic minority group originally from the ancient Champa Kingdom, which once ruled much of central and southern Vietnam. Today, many Cham people in the Mekong Delta are Muslim, living in vibrant floating villages with stilt houses and mosques, preserving a culture and heritage distinct from the surrounding Vietnamese communities.

We spent the afternoon unwinding, enjoying a massage and shampoo (a Vietnamese must-do!), reflecting on the incredible days behind us, and getting excited about what was next.

Crossing Into Cambodia: Speedboat Transfer

We boarded the speedboat to Phnom Penh early the next morning with passports in hand.

We first stopped at the Vietnamese border to be stamped out, then stopped again at the Cambodian border to be stamped in. The speedboat staff handled the border process efficiently, collecting passports and payments, helping with the paperwork, and guiding us through. For us, the entire journey took about five hours, including roughly two hours for the border formalities. It was a bit time-consuming, but there was no paperwork to fill out. We just waited our turn to take our photo and get stamped in. 

Our guide explained how unique this crossing is, by river, you really feel the shift between the two countries. In Cambodia, the water looked a little bluer, the riverbanks less industrial, and we spotted countless pagodas and even a reclining Buddha.

It was a thrilling, beautiful way to travel, with no airports, no highways, just rivers, sky, and unlimited adventure.

Why This Journey Was So Special

Looking back, I think what made this journey so special was that the boat wasn’t simply transportation between Vietnam and Cambodia.

The journey itself was the experience.

We watched life happening along the river, visited places we probably never would have found on our own, learned how rice paper, pottery and coconut candy were made, explored markets and temples, ate dinner inside a historic house, danced on the deck at sunset and woke up each morning to the boat moving along the Mekong.

And we did it all together, at a much slower pace than we usually travel.

It also felt like we had finally completed something we’d started three years earlier.

In 2022, Luca breaking his leg in Mongolia completely changed our Vietnam plans, and our dream of exploring the Mekong had to wait.

Three years later, we finally made it here. Maybe that made the experience even more special.

And instead of ending our journey at an airport, we continued along the same river, crossed a border by boat and arrived in Cambodia ready for the next adventure.

I think that’s the part I’ll remember most.

Sometimes changing the original plan leads you to an even better one.

Happy travels!

Are you planning on going to Hanoi? Check out this: 15 fun things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam, with your family

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• Discovering Cambodia: From Phnom Penh to the Magic of Siem Reap with Kids
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I hope our experience helps you plan an unforgettable Asia adventure of your own!