Following the success of river cruises on the Peruvian Amazon, Aqua Expeditions is launching its third luxury vessel in 2014 to sail the Mekong River through Cambodia and Vietnam. The Aqua Mekong will be the first boat of its class on the river. Keeping in style with the M/V Aria and M/V Aqua, the M/V Aqua Mekong will be small enough to be intimate, and large enough to be spacious and luxurious.

The M/V Aqua Mekong will have 20 suites, decorated in a lush contemporary Asian style, using local materials and fabrics, each with floor-to-ceiling picture windows enabling travelers to relax in bed and watch the scenery float past. There will also be a generous-sized spa and fitness center, dining room, library, screening room, and an observation deck with a pool and a lounge bar.

Construction will take place in Vietnam where the boat has been designed by Noor, local architects based in Saigon. Drawing inspiration from local cultures and traditions, designers David Hodkinson and Luc Lejeune have created a floating boutique hotel that will be unique to the destination.

Itineraries will run from Siem Reap down river to My Tho, near Saigon, stopping in Phnom Penh along the way, and vice versa. Modeling the water safari experience that the Peruvian Aqua boats have used, the experience will include daily river and shore excursions off the boat in skiffs. The M/V Aqua Mekong is scheduled to begin operation in early 2014.