Anthem of the Seas - Vietnam & Thailand from Singapore

Where this cruise calls, day by day

7 ports and 4 sea days over 10 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Singapore

   SingaporeDepart

   Singapore is the turnaround hub for most Southeast Asia itineraries, so for a lot of passengers it is embarkation day rather than a port call. Ships use either Marina Bay Cruise Centre, purpose-built for the largest hulls, or the older HarbourFront terminal next to VivoCity. What you get on arrival is an efficient, very hot city where the metro is fast and cheap and almost nothing worth seeing is more than half an hour away.

   • Gardens by the Bay - the Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome
   • Hawker lunch at Maxwell Food Centre or Lau Pa Sat
   • Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, then the shophouses of Little India
   • Singapore Botanic Gardens and its National Orchid Garden

   Getting ashore

   Docked. Marina Bay Cruise Centre is a 10-minute walk from Marina South Pier MRT and a short taxi from downtown; HarbourFront sits directly above its own MRT station.

   Best months

   Feb-Apr (driest); hot and humid year-round

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Ho Chi Minh City

   VietnamPort

   The berth is Phu My, an industrial terminal on the Thi Vai river roughly 80km from Ho Chi Minh City. There is nothing at the port itself, and the transfer eats a large part of the day, so this is a call you plan around rather than wander out of. The reward at the other end is Saigon at full volume - motorbikes six abreast, colonial facades, and a war history that the city presents without much softening.

   • The War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace
   • Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Central Post Office
   • Ben Thanh Market for food stalls and haggling
   • The Cu Chi Tunnels, north-west of the city and usually sold as a full-day alternative

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Phu My; Ho Chi Minh City is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by road, and the nearer town of Vung Tau is about 40 minutes.

   Best months

   Dec-Mar (dry season)

4. Day 4

   Nha Trang

   VietnamPort

   Nha Trang is Vietnam's beach-resort city, a long curve of sand backed by hotels, with Cham temple ruins on a hill at the northern edge. How you get ashore depends on your ship: smaller vessels anchor in the bay itself and tender in, while larger ones use the deepwater berth down at Cam Ranh. The difference matters, because one puts you ten minutes from town and the other an hour.

   • The Po Nagar Cham Towers, still an active place of worship
   • Long Son Pagoda and the white seated Buddha above the city
   • A mud bath at one of the Thap Ba hot spring centres
   • Island-hopping and snorkelling in Nha Trang Bay

   Getting ashore

   Mixed - mid-size ships anchor and tender to Ana Marina at the north end of the city, while large ships berth at Cam Ranh International Terminal about 60km (an hour) south.

   Best months

   Feb-May (calm sea, low rain)

5. Day 5

   Da Nang

   VietnamPort

   Da Nang docks at Tien Sa, on the sheltered side of the Son Tra peninsula, and it is one of the better-placed ports in Vietnam - the city is 20 minutes away and two UNESCO sites are within reach. Most passengers skip Da Nang's beach high-rises entirely and head straight for Hoi An. The drive south passes the Marble Mountains, which are worth the stop if your tour includes one.

   • Hoi An Ancient Town - the tailor shops, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the lantern-lit lanes
   • The Marble Mountains and the caves and pagodas inside Thuy Son
   • The Lady Buddha statue at Linh Ung Pagoda on Son Tra, above the port
   • The Imperial Citadel at Hue, for those willing to spend the day driving

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Tien Sa Port; Da Nang city is about 20 minutes, Hoi An roughly an hour south, and Hue around 2.5 hours each way over the Hai Van pass.

   Best months

   Feb-May (dry, before the heat); Sep-Dec is the wet, storm-prone stretch

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

   ThailandPort

   Laem Chabang is Thailand's main container port, and the cruise berth sits in the middle of it - cranes, stacked boxes, no town. Bangkok is the reason ships call, but it is a long way inland, so the day is largely spent on a coach. Passengers who would rather not spend four hours in traffic usually go to Pattaya instead, which is close enough to be relaxed about.

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
   • Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, plus a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya klongs
   • The Sanctuary of Truth, a carved teak temple on the shore at Pattaya
   • Wat Yansangwararam and the Nong Nooch tropical garden, both between the port and Pattaya

   Getting ashore

   Docked at the commercial port; central Bangkok is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by coach, while Pattaya is only 30-40 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Feb (cool, dry season)

9. Day 9

   Bangkok (Laem Chabang)

   ThailandPort

   Laem Chabang is Thailand's main container port, and the cruise berth sits in the middle of it - cranes, stacked boxes, no town. Bangkok is the reason ships call, but it is a long way inland, so the day is largely spent on a coach. Passengers who would rather not spend four hours in traffic usually go to Pattaya instead, which is close enough to be relaxed about.

   • The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
   • Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha, plus a longtail boat on the Chao Phraya klongs
   • The Sanctuary of Truth, a carved teak temple on the shore at Pattaya
   • Wat Yansangwararam and the Nong Nooch tropical garden, both between the port and Pattaya

   Getting ashore

   Docked at the commercial port; central Bangkok is 90 minutes to 2 hours each way by coach, while Pattaya is only 30-40 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Feb (cool, dry season)

10. Day 10 · At sea

11. Day 11

    Singapore

    SingaporeArrive

    Singapore is the turnaround hub for most Southeast Asia itineraries, so for a lot of passengers it is embarkation day rather than a port call. Ships use either Marina Bay Cruise Centre, purpose-built for the largest hulls, or the older HarbourFront terminal next to VivoCity. What you get on arrival is an efficient, very hot city where the metro is fast and cheap and almost nothing worth seeing is more than half an hour away.

    • Gardens by the Bay - the Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome
    • Hawker lunch at Maxwell Food Centre or Lau Pa Sat
    • Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, then the shophouses of Little India
    • Singapore Botanic Gardens and its National Orchid Garden

    Getting ashore

    Docked. Marina Bay Cruise Centre is a 10-minute walk from Marina South Pier MRT and a short taxi from downtown; HarbourFront sits directly above its own MRT station.

    Best months

    Feb-Apr (driest); hot and humid year-round