From its icy start in the Tibetan Plateau, the Mekong River winds through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia before breaking into tributaries in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. The glistening rice paddies, tangled fruit orchards and floating fish farms of the delta all depend on this river’s bounty.

The area is both riparian and deeply rural, but it's also one of Vietnam's most densely populated regions, with nearly every hectare intensively farmed. Visitors can dwell on southern charm in little-visited riverside cities, sample fruits traded in the colourful floating markets, or feast on home-cooked delicacies before overnighting as a homestay guest. Mangrove forests, sacred Khmer pagodas and off-the-beaten-track attractions round out the picture.

Those seeking tropical hideaways can come ashore on Phu Quoc, a divine forested island fringed with white-sand beaches and crisscrossed with empty dirt roads that simply beg for motorbike exploration.

Exploring Vietnam and Cambodia along the Mekong River offers access to traditional villages as well as bustling cities, for a panoramic and immersive experience of these two very different countries. You’ll spend seven nights aboard the 48-guest Jahan, an extraordinary new riverboat that offers a level of luxury previously unavailable on the Mekong