Southeast Asia — Why It Makes an Excellent Cruise Destination

Southeast Asia offers visitors diverse experiences, from sandy beaches, to ultra-modern cities like Singapore, to rural villages surrounded by lush jungle and farmland. Even the most jaded travelers can find something to stimulate the senses here.

So whether your tastes run to island hopping, delicious cuisine, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, or cosmopolitan metropolises, you’ll find something to occupy you in Southeast Asia. But with so much to see spread over such a large area and many destinations separated by water, traveling between them can be time-consuming. That’s why cruising is an excellent choice for visitors who want to move about without packing and unpacking daily.

Most major cruise lines are now active in Southeast Asia and offer a good variety of itineraries. Local governments are keen to promote tourism, and the region’s main cities can host some of the biggest cruise ships in the world. Many cruises start from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other destinations with easy access to international airports. Cruise ports in less developed countries like Cambodia and Myanmar are rapidly building out their infrastructure, but keep in mind that they are often simpler than cruise terminals in the West. Still, they are safe and functional.

Best Time for Southeast Asia Cruises

Southeast Asian countries have pretty varied climates, even within the same country — Vietnam, for example, has 2,000 miles of coastline and the climate differs from north to south, and from the coast to the interior.

However, generally, winter is the most popular time to cruise. This is because temperatures drop to more comfortable levels after the rainy season from mid-June to July. The summer months can be hot, with average temperatures in the upper 80s and high humidity, so it’s best to avoid cruising then unless you are used to those conditions. Keep in mind that cruises closer to the equator will usually be hot and humid, no matter what time of year.

In addition, you may want to avoid Lunar New Year, a major holiday in many East Asian countries that falls any time between late January and late February, depending on the year. Crowds are particularly heavy during this time.

Popular Southeast Asian Ports

Select a cruise itinerary that includes ports of interest to you and your party to get the most out of your Southeast Asia cruise. These are some of the region’s top cruise ports:

Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Center is 20 minutes from Changi International Airport and 12 minutes from downtown Singapore. It is a modern port catering to today’s mega-liners. Popular shore excursions include city day-tours and the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which boast a Michelin-star restaurant and the most extensive collection of tropical orchids in the world.

Vietnam’s Chan May Port is an hour and a half drive to Hoi An, an international trading hub from the 15th to the 19th century that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This port is also 90 minutes from Vietnam’s former imperial city, Hue, where visitors can experience the royal culture of Vietnam and take a mini-cruise on the Perfume River. If modern cities or sunbathing are more your thing, an hour’s journey from the port will take you to Da Nang, the largest city in central Vietnam, which boasts beautiful stretches of sandy beaches.

Vietnam’s Cai Lan Port is in Ha Long City in Quang Ninh Province, three to four hours from Hanoi. It’s ideal for exploring Halong Bay, and if you have time, to overnight in Hanoi, where a street food tour is a must-do for foodies.

Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port is the country’s largest port and the best one to explore the historic Siamese city of Ayutthaya, another UNESCO World Heritage Site that is about two and a half hours’ drive by car. A two-hour journey will take you to Bangkok, where you can explore the city’s sights, including the magnificent Wat Phra Chetuphon temple, the Grand Palace, and the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market.

Thailand’s Phuket Port will position you within 40 minutes of Patong beach, the most popular beach in Thailand, and let you explore the island of Phuket.

Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Port is the only deep-water seaport in the country and can provide easy access to a number of beautiful beaches. It’s 30 minutes from Sihanounkville International Airport, where you can catch a flight to Siem Reap to visit the famous Angkor Wat temple, among the most famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You might also visit one of Cambodia’s traditional floating villages.

Southeast Asia River Cruises

River cruises provide an alternative, if less flashy, experience of Southeast Asia. For cultural immersion, consider a cruise down the Irrawaddy River through Myanmar, where you’ll see around 2,000 temples and other ancient places of worship. You can also travel down the Mekong River from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Whatever your choice of itinerary, try to take advantage of specialized tours, ranging from cooking lessons to paper lantern making, private dinners in residents’ homes, market tours, or cultural theatre performances. Just like most places in the world, people are proud of their heritage and keen to share it with visitors.