Mekong River

Vietnamese Food: Don’t miss any opportunity to sample the local Vietnamese fare: Pho noodle soup, spring rolls, and steamed rice cakes are a good start, all made with lots of cilantro, mint, and basil.

Floating Markets and Fish Farms: Have your cameras ready as you explore the region's legendary floating markets, maneuvering among shops built right onto small wooden sampans, and watch as fish flop and splash in the nets of floating fish farms.

Temples: They vary from the impressive and intricately carved stone structures of Siem Reap's Angkor Wat, which date back as far as the ninth century, to the humbler shrines and monuments found in most Southeast Asian villages.

Rice Paddies: As you cruise along the Vietnamese side of the Mekong, you’ll be treated to mesmerizing views of the country’s emerald-green terraced rice fields.

Phnom Penh: There's a lot to see and do in Cambodia’s capital, from the lavish Silver Pagoda (named for the 5 tons of polished silver that cover its floor) to the sobering Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum that documents the horrors of the Pol Pot regime and the "Killing Fields" of the late 1970s. 

Cai Be: By local sampan, glide through canals and narrow tributaries of the main Mekong channel and see a French Gothic cathedral, former royal residences, and factories where Vietnamese rice paper and pottery are made.

The Heat Can Be Extreme: It’s hot year-round in Cambodia and southern Vietnam, but it’s downright boiling between February and May.

The Poverty Can Overwhelm: This is especially evident on the Cambodian side, where four decades after the country's tragic genocide, many families still struggle to survive.