Mekong River Cruise Prices

Hi there, I’m planning a trip to Southeast Asia and would love to do a cruise on the Mekong. The thing is, I’m finding surprisingly little info on the topic—way less than I expected. Especially when it comes to prices, the few times I’ve managed to get a quote without doing a full booking simulation (and even then, I didn’t succeed), the costs seem way too high for me (500 €/night is way out of my budget).

Ideally, I’d love to travel the river cruise by cruise, country by country. 😇

But I’ve heard that even with an unlimited budget, it wouldn’t be possible—if only because of the dams in certain areas. And well, my budget is far from unlimited... 🤪

Cambodia? Yes, please. Laos? Yes, please. 🙂 500 €/day? No way. 🏴‍☠️

Has anyone here cruised the Mekong on a modest budget but with decent comfort (so you’re not counting the minutes until you dock...)? If so, which part of the river? 😐

Good evening,

Mekong cruises, although they make incursions as far as Siem Reap, are mostly offered by Vietnamese companies departing from Vietnam. They’re always very expensive (the price you found must be a promo) and include meals, overnight stays on board with luxury services, and guided visits during stops. As a cheaper alternative, you have a few options between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang with an overnight stay in Pakbeng (don’t confuse this with the option below). Otherwise, there are regular boats from Huay Xai to Pakbeng, Pakbeng to Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and Siem Reap to Battambang, but in these cases, they’re just transportation, not cruises. No passenger boats travel on the Mekong between Vientiane and Phnom Penh. It’s not possible to travel by boat to cross the Laos/Cambodia border—there are rapids.

For the regular boat from Luang Prabang to Pakbeng:

As Songsam mentioned, the offerings are essentially Vietnamese and mostly limited to the Mekong Delta, the Phnom Penh - Kampong Cham stretch in Cambodia, and navigation on Tonlé Sap Lake via Phnom Penh. For luxury cruises lasting 7-10 days. In Cambodia, aside from the Siem Reap - Battambang connection, I believe there’s no longer any passenger transport by river: the SR - PP route was abandoned years ago, just like the trips from Kampong Cham to Kratie or Stung Treng. I don’t even think you can still travel upstream from PP to Kampong Cham. It’s worth noting that with the development of road infrastructure over the past 20 years, river transport for passengers would probably only appeal to Western tourists, who aren’t numerous enough to make such routes profitable.

Thanks for your replies, which are preparing me for having to give up on this dream. Might as well know right away that it’s either impossible or super expensive. 😐 Thanks again.