Azura Cruise for private events.

Facilities you can build a programme around

• An infinity pool running to the edge of the deck, with loungers and an open-air bar
• Spa treatment rooms and a sauna, for pre-wedding prep or a slow second day
• Fully equipped gym, so a longer retreat does not break anyone's routine
• Baylight, Horizon and Imperial suites, each with a balcony and ocean-view bathtub
• A marble lobby and lounge that photograph well and hold a crowd between sessions

Where the five-star voyage actually goes

• 2D1N through Lan Ha Bay: the Dark & Bright Caves, Frog Pond by kayak, sunset on the pool deck
• 3D2N adds Tra Bau, quieter beaches and a slower second day — the format the spa and sauna earn their place on
• Cooking class and live music onboard, both of which slot around a run of show rather than fighting it

Deciding between the two ships? We will tell you plainly which fits your headcount and budget. Compare with Aspira

Facts and figures

• Launched:  December 2025
• Length:  80m
• Cabins:  30, across three grades
• Restaurant:  265m²
• Pool:  12m four-season infinity pool
• Also on board:  Sol & Sea open-air sky bar, spa and sauna, gym
• Departs from:  No. 38, Tuan Chau International Port

In every cabin, whichever grade

• Panoramic windows opening directly onto the private balcony, air conditioning, LCD television and a working desk
• Safe, internal phone, wardrobe, slippers and bathrobes; life jackets sized for adults and children
• Mini refrigerator with free daily drinking water, electric kettle, and a tea and coffee selection
• Private bathroom with a hair dryer and full amenities — and the bathtub, in every grade

One figure to ignore if you meet it elsewhere: the operator's Vietnamese page says "90 to 200 guests". Neither can be an overnight number for this cabin mix — it is presumably a day-boat or event capacity.

2 days, 1 night — Ao Ech Lagoon and the Dark & Light Cave

• 11:30  Departure. Check in at waiting lounge 38, Tuan Chau International Marina, and tender out to the ship
• 12:30  Lunch in Auréa, the restaurant on deck three, while the ship sails out among the islets. Cabins open after lunch
• 14:30  Ao Ech Lagoon — kayaking on flat water, or a swim in the lagoon
• 17:00  Sunset party and happy hour. The jacuzzi on deck three is open, and this is the hour people photograph
• 18:00  Cooking class led by the chef — spring rolls and other Vietnamese dishes, in Auréa
• 19:00  Dinner in Auréa, then squid fishing, board games, music or a drink at the bar
• 06:30  Day two: Tai Chi on the sundeck, optional, or the gym
• 07:00  Breakfast in Auréa
• 08:00  Hang Sang Cave — the Bright and Dark Cave — by kayak, or by bamboo boat rowed by a local boatman
• 09:30  Back aboard, cabin check-out, and a buffet lunch while the ship cruises back to port
• 11:15  Return to Tuan Chau Marina and the transfer back to Hanoi

What the fare covers, and what it does not

• Included: every meal on board, welcome drinks, all entrance fees, an English-speaking guide, kayaking and the bamboo boat, the pool and gym, the cooking class, onboard insurance and water in the cabin
• Not included: round-trip transport to Hanoi, and the spa, massage and sauna — they are on board and bookable, but they are charged separately
• Not included: beverages, tips and personal expenses. The happy hour is buy two get one, not an open bar

Azura leaves from Tuan Chau International Marina, waiting lounge 38. So does Aspira, from the harbour alongside it — but the Athena ships all work out of Ha Long International Port instead. Worth knowing when you are timing transfers from Hanoi, and essential if a guest list is split across two vessels.

Lunch in Auréa, as a buffet

Five salads across Waldorf, Niçoise, Sicilian, German bacon and chickpea; a hot corner running grilled oysters two ways, stir-fried squid, pork belly in orange sauce, honey chicken and shrimp steamed in coconut water; then a dessert counter, a tropical fruit platter and a Vietnamese chè station with six sweet soups.

Dinner, as a plated set — four to choose from

Each runs five courses. Scallops with mango then cod with passion fruit butter and Iberico pork with truffle; or herb-cured salmon, seafood papillote and beef tenderloin; or octopus salad, baked salmon with tobiko cream and braised chicken with pear; or Caesar, tiger prawns with salted egg yolk and lamb chops with green peppercorn.

Two Vietnamese sets

Mango and anchovy salad, seafood spring rolls, sea bass steamed in soy, beef braised with sugarcane and pineapple fried rice — or banana blossom salad, Ha Long squid cakes, ginger chicken, beef ribs braised with tomato and sticky taro rice in coconut milk.

Dietary menus that already exist

A vegetarian lunch and a separate Indian vegetarian dinner — tomato shorba, corn chaat, roti, tarka dal, paneer tikka masala, aloo gobi and rice kheer. Worth knowing before you ask: these are printed menus, not a kitchen improvising on the day.

Breakfast and brunch

A live egg station, beef or chicken pho, a pastry counter and fruit. Brunch on the second morning is served while the ship cruises back to port. All of it in Auréa, the restaurant on deck three.

Menus change with the season and with what the kitchen can source. Tell us the dietary requirements in your group early and we will get the current sheets from the operator rather than working from this page.