Azamara Quest from Singapore to Hong Kong: Bangkok, Cambodia and Vietnam at New Year

From 21 December 2010 to 8 January 2011, Ben Hall sailed Azamara Quest for 18 nights from Singapore to Hong Kong, with calls in Bangkok, Sihanoukville, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Halong Bay. These are his despatches from the voyage.

Bangkok by bicycle

With three full days in Bangkok, our first port after Singapore, we took a private tour on one of them with a company called Amazing Bangkok Cyclist, which ran a six-hour cycling tour of the backstreets of the Thai capital. This is one of the most amazing ways to experience the real street life of Bangkok, with routes that take you away from the tourist areas and into some of the locals' markets. The back streets are safe to ride around, and the highlight was the longtail boat ride over to one of the floating markets that aren't often mentioned in tourist guides. We rode on the elevated concrete walkways to get to Bang Nam Phueng Market, which is a really pretty place and very local. This is not the type of place you can easily find on your own, and it's one of the best experiences I've had in Bangkok: very authentic, with a bit of exercise thrown in. Our guide was the manager, Michael Hoes, who's very passionate and knowledgeable about the "unknown" parts of Bangkok.

Sihanoukville

After a sea day it was into Sihanoukville, the Cambodian port city, and we opted for a ship's tour of the city and local area. It was a fascinating snapshot of Cambodian life. First stop was the city's main temple, and then Serendipity Beach, a pretty stretch lined with bars and restaurants and a real favourite with foreign tourists. Then it was on to the Central Market, which covers nearly a square kilometre with the most amazing produce and sights, sounds and smells.

Editor's update: Sihanoukville has changed almost beyond recognition since this was written. The Serendipity Beach bar strip described here was demolished from 2018, amid large-scale casino and high-rise development.

The final stop was the highlight of the day: the stilted fishing village, which gave a real insight into how working Cambodians live. The kids were hilarious and were intrigued as to why a bunch of western tourists were wandering around their area.

Up the Saigon River, and New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Minh City

We sailed up the Saigon River at sunrise, one of the highlights of a cruise in this part of the world. Life gets going really early here, and at 6am fishing families are already up and at work, while barges carrying concrete, gravel and sand are already heading up or down from Ho Chi Minh City. Drivers and deckhands are brushing their teeth and making tea on deck, and they usually just stop and stare when a luxury cruise ship glides by. All these people live on board their boats and they are totally self-sufficient, with kitchens on most and mini-apartments on some of the bigger vessels. As the day goes on, more and more boats are on the water, and the sheer volume of traffic slowed our arrival into Ho Chi Minh City by a full hour.

Even though it was New Year's Eve, we took a ship's tour to the Mekong Delta for a look at the lives of the people who live on the waterways of one of Vietnam's most famous regions. It was a two-hour road trip to the town of My Tho, at the heart of the Mekong Delta system, where we boarded a tourist boat for a trundle around the area. Working boats and tourist vessels like ours putter around, and we were dropped off at one of the islands where the traditional way of life still holds true. It made for a long day, but somehow we made it through to celebrate the New Year in a very unique way.

And what a way to spend New Year's Eve: fireworks over the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City, right in front of where Azamara Quest was docked. We had the best spot in the city to ring in 2011, and the deck party was the perfect way to celebrate. An estimated half a million people crammed into the city and the Saigon River waterfront for an amazing night, and across the river one of the local bars celebrated with a mad night of loud Vietnamese karaoke, the unique sound drifting across the water loud and clear to us on deck. They love their New Year's celebrations in this part of the world.

Hoi An

After the New Year celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City, the next port of call was the central Vietnamese city of Danang, which serves as an access point to the imperial city of Hue and the ancient town of Hoi An. We opted for a drop-off at Hoi An, as we'd been to Hue already.

Hoi An was a very busy commercial port in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Merchants from Japan, China, Holland and India, among others, traded with the city.

The Thu Bon River, however, silted up, and the town died economically for nearly 200 years; it has been given a new lease of life thanks to tourism. Almost all of its architecture, including streets, ports and buildings, is intact, and although it is a little touristy these days, there's good reason for it. It's one of the few Vietnamese towns to have survived centuries of conflict, and it has a real charm which makes it one of the most enjoyable sightseeing places in the country. Much of the original Old Town is pedestrianised as well, which makes it a good walking town, and most of the original houses now operate as shops selling traditional handicrafts and jewellery.

There's plenty to see in Hoi An, including the famous Japanese Bridge, the Cantonese Assembly Hall, the Phung Hung Ancient House and the lively market down near the river.

But this place oozes history and charm from every pore, and you could easily spend a day wandering the streets and taking in its easy charm, with the odd coffee stop along the way.

Hanoi in a day, from Halong Bay

Imagine a 12-hour day of touring where more than half the time is spent sitting on a tour bus. Sounds a bit rough, doesn't it? But when you're on a cruise ship and you want to see one of the most exotic cities in Asia, you've got to do the hard yards.

Our next port, Halong Bay, is the closest point to the Vietnamese capital in the far north of the country, and at just under 200km away, it's at least a three-hour drive each way (sometimes more if the traffic is backed up on the dual carriageway between the port and the big smoke).

The long haul up to Hanoi was worth it, though, thank god. This is an Asian city at heart with a Parisian feel, thanks to its period of French colonisation. Mopeds and bicycles clog the streets, fronted by market stalls and outdoor cafés, and all around, European architecture adds to the bizarre mix, which somehow works.

We flashed through the place on a tour called "Hanoi in a Day", which really should have been called "Hanoi in 2–3 hours with lots of traffic around". We swept through the city's Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake, where hawkers in traditional hats punt their wares, and looked longingly at the fabulous Vietnamese coffee being sipped at sidewalk cafés. But there was no time to stop for us; we were on a mission that also included the Presidential Palace, where the country's legendary "Uncle" Ho Chi Minh lived and ruled, and the mausoleum where he lies.

The beautiful Temple of Literature was also on the schedule, along with a lunch stop at the new InterContinental Westlake for traditional Vietnamese food in a sumptuous five-star setting. The drive back took nearly four hours, through towns and cities that have sprung up along the corridor between Hanoi and Halong, and it was a fascinating snapshot of day-to-day life in northern Vietnam.

Hong Kong, and a verdict on Azamara Quest

After a final sea day we were in Hong Kong at the end of this 18-dayer from Singapore, and we finished in style with a stunning sunset over Victoria Harbour and the city skyline as a backdrop. Most of the feedback on board was very positive (but as always there are one or two whingers around who never seem happy with anything), and it's easy to see why this small cruise line has a loyal following.

With a maximum capacity of 694, Azamara Quest is at the smaller end of the mid-size ships, which means you don't feel like you're competing for space with thousands of other guests, and it makes for quick and easy embarkation and disembarkation in ports. Importantly, the ship rides well even in the three-metre swell we encountered a few times in the South China Sea. She may be a little on the old side, having been built in 2000, but Quest has an edge of comfort and elegance across the board which harks back to the golden era of cruising.

Service levels on board are seriously high, and this is where Azamara is investing a lot of time and effort. The staterooms, and especially the bathrooms, may be small, but the crew more than make up for that, with attention to detail similar to what you'll experience on the ultra-luxury cruise lines.

Perhaps the best feature of this particular cruise, apart from the crew, is the itinerary. It's the perfect mix of sea days and extra days in some of the more popular ports, like three days in Bangkok, two in Ho Chi Minh City, two in Halong Bay and two in Hong Kong and Singapore. The sea days in between make for a great way to relax and unwind after busy days of touring and exploring these fascinating Asian cities.

And while I'm often not a great fan of cruise ship tours (I often find many of them to be glorified shopping and babysitting exercises), these tours were pretty good. The key was the shore excursion team, who did an excellent job with their information and presentations. So much detail went into these that we were left in no doubt about exactly what we were in for when we went ashore, and the whole team made sure the tours ran on time with little fuss and no waiting around. A few people on board made independent arrangements for tours, which I have done myself in the past, and I was told they were "okay".

Another big plus is the food quality. The main dining room was busy most nights and we waited around 10–15 minutes for a table, but the menu selection and presentation were top notch, and the upstairs buffet-style restaurant, Windows Café, was also excellent, offering a good variety and style of food each night.

More on UTM: Azamara Quest · Bridging the Gap: The Azamara Club Cruises Experience · Northern & Central Vietnam: A 12-Day Itinerary

From the lanes of Hoi An to Hanoi's Old Quarter, Vietnam rewards the traveller who stays longer than a port call, and Pack Ya Bags puts together tours and itineraries on the ground there for travellers from Australia and New Zealand. To plan yours, write to info@packyabags.com

Editor's note. This article brings together UTM's original Azamara Quest Singapore to Hong Kong despatches, first published as a series, into a single piece. Consolidated and fact-checked on 21 September 2026.