Small ship itineraries in Vietnam among best Southeast Asia cruises

The four itineraries were listed in an article published on March 11, by Heidi Sarna – the co-founder of QuirkyCruise.com, which is designed to share reviews and news about small-ship cruises around the world.

According to Heidi Sarna, during the 10-day itinerary to explore the Red River and Ha Long Bay, a small ship covers several hundred miles between Ha Long Bay and Hoa Binh province in Northern Vietnam, spending a few days in the picturesque and otherworldly limestone karst–studded Ha Long Bay, which is the dramatic backdrop to films like Indochine (1992) and The Quiet American (2002).

Except for a day in frenetic and fascinating Hanoi, which is notable for its colonial architecture, war heritage, and foodie culture, the rest of this route is spent on the Red River and its tributaries, which reach into the rural landscapes and small towns of Vietnam's heartland.

The author also revealed several rewarding ways to spend time off the ship, including village walks, kayaking in Ha Long Bay, watching a traditional water puppet show, taking tours of heritage sites, and getting a close-up look at traditional methods for making ceramics, furniture, rice wine, knives, and noodles.

Meanwhile, on the classic week-long Mekong itinerary cruises between river points near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Siem Reap, Cambodia, the riverscape varies from remote and pastoral on the Cambodian side – where passengers can spot people bathing and slapping laundry against stones at the river's edge – to the more industrial and bustling Vietnam part of the river.

On excursions, passengers can walk through villages and past picture-perfect rice fields and venture into pungent wet markets and floating fish farms.

Source: VNA