Discover the magic of Southeast Asia river cruising | Getaway
[Music] travel is all about new experiences and for me this is about as new as it gets first time on a river cruise and first time in Cambodia and Vietnam now we’re traveling on one of the world’s great river systems the mighty Mikong past quaint villages temples and hitting the bustling cities of Penampen and Ho Chi Min if you’re looking for the best way to discover the heart of Southeast Asia I think this might be [Music] it panom Pen is the capital of the country of Cambodia from this captivating city Emerald Harmony will wind its way along the Mikong to Vietnam’s largest metropolis Ho Chi Min City [Music] cambodia is a country known for its rivers and wide plains as well as its many temples and palaces as a kingdom Cambodia has a royal family and it’s no surprise that the king’s residence in Penon Pen is one of the most incredible palace complexes in the country here on our left hand side you can see a large building which is called the throne hall which is reserved for the ceremony in the palace including the king [Music] coronations the buildings in the complex were constructed in the 1860s when it was decided to move the capital south from the town of Udong but its history goes far beyond that it has been influenced a lot by the ankorin architecture in the 12th century AD you can see the steep roof of the building is a symbol of the holy place where it is very close to God in the heaven well that one’s pretty high the king’s right up there like many Asian cities scooters and tuk tuks are the main mode of transport and for us visitors it’s the best way to experience life just like a local so what’s your favorite part about being in a tuk tuk i can see more around here because it’s more open at the back for me I really feel like I’m a part of the city when I’m in a tuk tour you know you can really smell and feel it and today it’s the mode of transport for our city craft beer tour australians kind of like beer a little bit we also drink a lot of beer an average person in Cambodia drink 72.2 liter per year 72.2 2 liter a year a year emerald Cruises has included excursions every day and this place is underground this is underground okay as well as optional ones like this 11° is a modern micro brewery in downtown Panam Pen and it serves up some very decent ales [Music] this is good oh that’s good yeah that’s good for a hot day but one tasting is not enough so a few minutes tuk tuk drive north of the city delivers us to Hob’s craft beer garden tell me a little bit about the history of the birth since 2016 we opened the first craft beer garden and brewery producing beer following the more than 500 year old German brewing style so you guys are like pioneers of the Cambodian craft yes we were first that’s very impressive proudly as pure and natural as beer can be Hops produces four regular house beers as well as a specialty of the month ceda what is cheers in Cambodia you say choloy chol choly choloy choloy and then what about German frost frost well in Australia we just say cheers so cheers cheers cheers cheers oh that is really good the IPA yeah I love the IPA [Music] pen on pen really comes alive at night it’s so vibrant it feels like absolute chaos but somehow it works [Music] how do people not crash well the people know how to go with the flow doing this every day like a habit so they know how to keep spacing it becomes like a six cent oh jeez independent monument is behind us we just the local people call this one the Cambodian Shangiliz oh this is the Cambodian Shangster i like that a lot it’s a really exciting vibrant city absolutely [Music] down [Music] our Emerald Cruises Meong experience has kicked off in the colorful Cambodian capital of Ponom Pen [Music] while these days it’s a vibrant country where visitors are openly welcomed less than 50 years ago Cambodia was a very different place it’s impossible to visit Cambodia without acknowledging some of the horrific history that happened here but these monuments serve not just as a memorial for the people who have passed but as a symbol for the Cambodian people and their ability to triumph in adversity in the 1970s when Cambodia was under the rule of the Cime Rouge it’s estimated over two million lives were taken by the regime there are many sites in the country known as killing fields which hold mass graves and memorials for the victims shoang E is one of the largest and lies just a short drive from the city see the monuments like this one what kind of significance do they have to the Cambodian people with this monuments the people can come to pray or come to worship and they could also can leave some offering to uh their relatives and their family appreciating the past tragedies the country has endured also gives a greater appreciation for the character and kindness of the Cambodian people after just an hour or two back on board Emerald Harmony the city is a distant memory as we cruise through the Cambodian countryside oh I’m taking my time on my ride fortunately there’s stops all along the river so we can meet with the locals and experience their way of life firsthand the ox are a big part of Cambodian culture there’s a lot of history around the ox yes of course we use ox more than 1,000 years already a thousand years since 10th century AD here in Campong Trilac the tradition of the ox card is still alive and well ox card has been used for the transportations of the rice products and for the transportation of the people from place to place some people in Cambodia also call it the local limo the local limo i love that so this is about as authentic a Cambodian experience as you can get yes local limo local just a few minutes south is the historic town of Udong once the capital now a serene sanctuary of Buddhist culture ceda this is a functioning monastery right now how many monks are on the property we do have 150 monks here and 400 nuns 400 nuns 400 nuns it’s also the location of one of several Emerald Plus cultural experiences on the [Music] cruise a traditional Buddhist blessing just for us today we’re going to have a M blessing there are three meanings in blessings the first one is about prosperity the second one is about happiness and the third one is to grow in spirit okay so there’s sparity happiness happiness and spiritual growth [Music] back on board Emerald Harmony and after an incredible three course meal we’re treated to a traditional Cambodian performance on the sund deck a very fitting farewell to a very special place [Music] [Applause] join Emerald Cruisers to discover the magic of Southeast Asia river cruising all meals plus selected drinks shore excursions and more are included secure your unforgettable 2026 departure today with super early bird savings of up to $1,500 per person getaway viewers can save an additional $250 per person off the Emerald Cruisers Luxury River Cruise Collection for more information or to request your voucher visit emeraldcruisers.com.au/getaway offer call 1300390386 or speak to your travel advisor fall asleep in Cambodia and wake up in Vietnam after cruising through Cambodia we’ve crossed the border into Vietnam as we explore the magic of the Meong with Emerald Cruisers with our ship Emerald Harmony at anchor near Tancha we’ve headed an hour south by road to Trasu Bird Sanctuary duke this is a pretty serious change of pace out here we landed in the city it was so busy and now we’re at this beautiful tranquil reserve you would say yeah one of my favorite place cuz people come here for the nature the green and the birds trasu Bird Sanctuary is a nature reserve and ecoourism site covering 845 hectares now what are the birds we can see here is there any like main species that that are seen in the sanctuary uh there’s nine herands there’s some secret family little comar uh me eater uh some stock depend on the season it’s the location of this wetland reserve that makes it so rich in biodiversity so in uh the park of Vietnam you approach now is Meong Delta and one of the most famous agriculture park you see hot and humid so it’s make things grow easily here being in the rowboat so much tranquility of hearing the water in the water the nature and the birds this is um one of the most relaxing things I’ve done since we’ve been [Music] here back in the town of Tancha our Emerald Cruisers included excursion involves an interesting local means of transport red is a good luck color all right well red is a good luck color should I get in there are you sure I’m not going to break it okay okay let’s go oh snug i think what we should do actually is how about I go up the front and and you go up the back you sit here oh yeah yeah yeah better oh are you sure you’re doing it i think so okay all right this is Okay here we go just came to say hello can we go here hello [Music] the sea was once the main mode of transport in towns around the Mong Delta but it’s now mainly for visitors who generally behave and take their spot in the back now I got to say after switching places with Herb and actually pedaling this thing it’s really hard the card’s pretty heavy and I’m about 105 kg give or take right now so my man up here is working really really hard hello tancha is home to a religion known as cowism which is a mix of Buddhism Tauism Christianity and Confucianism its colorful temple has become a landmark of the town this one a unique religion in Vietnam is called kaai where all different people or religion come together and they accept the differences between one another was very ornate the temple and I see there’s some um sound bells up here you want to have a look i’d love to yeah mhm you ready yes [Music] that’s really beautiful look I’ve never heard of cow die before it’s such an interesting religion but I like it it’s a combination of so many um great things after a day of adventuring on land Emerald Harmony’s pool deck is the ultimate spot to unwind man nothing combats this hot weather quite like a cold beer [Music] meandering along the MCOM sure is a brilliant way to spend your days and these suites on Emerald Harmony make it even better not only are the rooms super comfy you have these giant windows so you don’t miss a minute of the action today our Emerald Cruisers Meong Experience has us anchored just off Ziang Island better known by its more common name I love seeing all the tropical fruit as we’re driving around and that’s part of where this island got its nickname uh actually it’s called Mango Island mango Island well you can see why one of the things I love about traveling by river in Vietnam is you get to stop and experience all these fantastic little villages and they’re all so unique totally you can stop by to see a very authentic lifestyle people many of the families on the island still work in traditional industries like incense making [Applause] people very spiritual in Vietnam when we burn an incense stick we do send our wish to the god now typically each household in Vietnam has about how many altars at least three altar and how many incense sticks are you burning in the alt for my personally at home I burn three in the morning three in the evening six incense sticks every day and how many people in Vietnam now we have about 100 million people that is a lot of incense [Music] but the highlight of our Mango Island experience is a chance to taste its namesake at a local home it’s nice to meet you nice to meet you too thank you for having us do you ever get sick of eating mango oh no i I like I like mango oh yeah i like mango all right well should we try one of our favorite food anyway i love it oh look at this oh beautiful oh that is so good [Music] after our little mango appetizer we’re back on board Emerald Harmony for lunch one of my favorite parts of Southeast Asia is the food and on board you get completely spoiled now if I could just avoid that dessert bar the dining on board is as diverse as it is delicious from local delicacies to western staples [Music] a couple of hours cruising takes us from Mango Island to Mayan Hung a village that has become famous for one very flimsy attraction so Duke quick question what is that we call this one monkey bridge looks very stable the monkeys weigh 110 kg um okay i guess we’re going to find out uh looks very safe oh my goodness now you’re saying the original bridges didn’t even really have these handrails no not handrail so that’s why when we walk on the slippery bamboo like that we dance like a monkey balance balance oh my don’t bow don’t bow i’m trying not to bounce balancing i’ll do a little monkey dance we made it we did it jeez like this it’s okay oh okay i see how it is fine you see okay being part of the Mikong Delta the village is also big on agriculture and farming what’s special about these coconuts so local call this one pandan coconut so the taste and flavor of it like a pandan leaf and do you reckon he’ll let me uh chop one of these i’ll show you top how to chop a good one one and two not very good one and three and then you get it out like this not bad okay all right now your turn okay one two three go for four maybe five or six i’m a little rusty [Music] oh this is embarrassing yeah look at those clean cuts ah I can feel your heart within this one thank you anyway [Music] the Vietnamese are some of the friendliest people on the planet always ready with a smile or in this case a traditional song to farewell users from the island [Music] [Applause] and now before we say goodbye we play one song sing together for Yeah what song are we going to sing uh just I think you know this song okay okay if you’re happy and you know it clap your hand if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands if you’re happy and you know it if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands thank you so much yeah come on come on in my day I was the last in my day I was Asia’s big cities are crazy and colorful and full of action but for me getting to travel along the Meong River it’s about these small islands and villages you experience along the way being welcomed in by the community getting to see their traditional way of life it’s a real privilege and something that is very special [Music] join Emerald Cruisers to discover the magic of Southeast Asia river cruising all meals plus selected drinks shore excursions and more are included secure your unforgettable 2026 departure today with super early bird savings of up to $1,500 per person getaway viewers can save an additional $250 per person off the Emerald Cruisers Luxury River Cruise Collection for more information or to request your voucher visit emeraldcruisers.com.au/getaway offer call 1300390386 or speak to your travel advisor [Music]
David Genat travelled with Emerald Cruises on one of the world’s great river systems, the mighty Mekong from Cambodia to Vietnam, and visited quaint villages, historic temples, and bustling cities.
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