Yangon
Around 250 workers were trained in new skills for the sensitive restoration in 2016 of this two-storey colonial-era building, home to 80 residents from 12…
Must-see attractions in Southeast Asia
Sumba
Tarung is home to five tribes, each with their own small, thatched shrine where only the local ratu (priest) is allowed to pray and commune with the…
Kuala Lumpur
Founded in the late 1880s, this is Kampung Baru's principal mosque; it has been expanded and now sports a handsome gateway decorated with eye-catching…
West Bali
You'll find this museum within a large complex devoted to Tabanan's subak organisations. It has displays about the irrigation and cultivation of rice, and…
Myanmar (Burma)
This rectangular shrine contains 28 sitting and 28 standing buddha images – many of them jazzed up with flashing lights giving the place a carnival…
Makassar
Pelabuhan Paotere, 4km north of the city centre, is a large port where Bugis sailing ships berth. It's a working port, with requisite bustle and grime,…
Vigan
This church was built in ‘earthquake baroque’ style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by quakes in 1619 and 1627. The…
Chiang Mai
A remnant from when Chiang Mai was a detour on the Silk Road, the largest Thai-Muslim mosque in the city is attended by a small, prosperous community of…
Nong Khiaw
This viewpoint rivals that of Pha Daeng Peak Viewpoint for its widescreen drama of surging karsts and mountains, with the boats on the river far below…
Banyak Islands
The second-largest of the Banyak Islands, Pulau Bangkaru is home to a turtle conservation project, so visits are strictly controlled and you’re only…
Quy Nhon
Backed by coastal cliffs, this drop-dead-gorgeous cove beach is 23km east of Quy Nhon. Ky Co's turquoise waters and fine pale sands have not gone…
Pulau Perhentian
Besar’s main beach stretches along the west coast of the island to the southern tip, interrupted by several rocky headlands – you can walk around them on…
South Sulawesi
Sengkang is known for its sutera (silk) weaving, and hundreds of workshops in surrounding villages can be great places to watch the process and purchase…
Sumba
Right beside the main road to Waingapu, 22km east of Waikabubak, Kampung Pasunga boasts one of Sumba’s most impressive tombs. The most interesting grave…
Kuching
Offers a pretty good introduction to Malay-Muslim culture and its long ties with the Muslim heartland far to the west. Displays range from Bornean-Malay…
Singapore
The Cheng Huang Temple is constantly buzzing with locals paying their respects. Dedicated to a god who administers justice in the netherworld (must…
Sarawak
Across the river from park HQ, this museum has displays on Niah’s geology, ecology and prehistoric archaeology, including an original burial canoe that’s…
Padre José Burgos National Museum
Vigan
Built in 1788, this museum is in the ancestral home of Father José Burgos, one of the three martyr priests executed by the Spanish in 1872. It houses an…
Northeastern Thailand
Tree-shaded, nicely landscaped and criss-crossed by pathways, this island park and its pretty lake are the focal point of Roi Et and attract picnickers,…
Manila
Busy Don Chino Roces Ave (Pasong Tamo) has evolved into an art district of sorts, and this hip collection of galleries, furniture shops and design labs is…
Puerto Princesa
Just east of the centre, this is an interesting, privately owned museum set up by Eugenio Mendoza, whose father was a member of the Fighting 1000, a group…
Yangon
The tomb of one of Myanmar's most celebrated poets and public intellectuals is the furthest away from Shwedagon Paya in the quartet of mausoleums here…
Hue
The exquisite (though crumbling) little two-storey Emperor’s Reading Room was the only part of the Purple Forbidden City to escape damage during the…
Bach Ma National Park
A French-era hill station, this national park reaches a peak of 1450m at Bach Ma mountain, only 18km from the coast.
Hanoi
Shaded by huge trees, Quan Thanh Temple was established during the Ly dynasty (1010–1225) and was dedicated to Tran Vo (God of the North), whose symbols…
Hanoi
Spanning almost 4km along the Song Hong dyke, from its terminus at the Long Bien Bridge, this mural project holds the Guinness World Record for being the…
Banda Aceh
This state museum displays Acehnese weaponry, household furnishings, ceremonial costumes, everyday clothing, gold jewellery, calligraphy and some…
Sukhothai
This wát contains an impressive mon·dòp (small, square, spired building) with a 15m brick-and-stucco seated Buddha. This Buddha’s elegant, tapered fingers…
Ko Tao
In the lee of the headland, this secluded and sheltered little white-sand beach in the middle of the east coast, north of Ao Tanot, is a delightful place…
Yangon
The small gallery of historic photographs here gives an idea of how downtown Yangon used to look. There's a great view of lower Pansodan St's grand…
Kuching
Housed in a ‘colonial Baroque’–style building constructed in 1909, this museum displays some superb examples of traditional Sarawakian textiles, including…
Phuket Town
Thailand's sun-yellow oldest foreign bank is a fine example of Phuket Town's historic Sino-Portuguese architecture. Though you can admire the restored…
Hat Yai
High up on the hills overlooking Hat Yai in the municipal park this cable car offers stunning panoramic views over Songkhla Province as it climbs from the…
Northern Laos
Well-signposted from the northern end of the main strip, the Phanoy Cave is a cool relief on a hot day. The cave lies about halfway up a steep track that…
Sumatra
A straightforward hike here through coffee and palm-sugar plantations finishes at a campsite near an idyllic natural hot spring, from where you can take…
Phuket
Comparatively quiet and laid-back by Phuket standards, Hat Kamala is a well-enclosed sugar-white strand with a mostly rustic feel, framed between green…
