A new ship is slated to start sailing on the Mekong – Viking announced it will debut the Viking Saigon, which will sail between Kampong Cham in Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

The 80-guest Viking Saigon will be built in the line’s stylish Scandinavian style. All of the 40 staterooms will have hotel-style beds and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors with a Veranda or French Balcony. On deck three, the Viking Saigon will have a spa and fitness centre, infinity pool and open-air Sky Bar on the Upper Deck.

“For many of our guests, Vietnam and Cambodia remain top destinations because of their significance in world history,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

“We have led the river cruise industry with our fleet development and experiences that bring travellers closer to the cultures of the world for more than two decades. This will be the most modern vessel on the Mekong and will feel like ‘home’ to our loyal Viking guests who are familiar with the comfortable design of our ships,” he concluded.

The 15-day itinerary includes 16 guided tours as well as hotel stays in Hanoi, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh. Included in the 15-day journey is the eight-day cruise where guests can enjoy shopping in Old Hanoi’s markets; exploring the Khmer temple complex of Angkor Wat; visiting Ta Prohm, where jungle vines embrace ancient ruins; and seeing the sights of Phnom Penh by cyclo rickshaw.

On the river cruise portion of the itinerary, guests can discover silk towns, fishing villages, monasteries and floating markets.

The line earlier this year, opened bookings for its new Mississippi river cruises aboard the Viking Mississippi, set to be launched in 2022. Quickly selling out their 2022 program, Viking announced it would start taking bookings for 2023.

Despite the pandemic, the line has continued to announce and reveal new itineraries and ships for guests to plan future holidays.