Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
Wat Pho is our absolute favorite among Bangkok's biggest sights. In fact, the compound incorporates a host of superlatives: the city's largest reclining鈥
Must-see attractions in Southeast Asia
Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
The Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawang) is a former royal residence in Bangkok that was consecrated in 1782. Today, it鈥檚 only used on ceremonial鈥
Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
Wat Arun is the missile-shaped temple that rises from the Chao Phraya River's banks. Known as Temple of Dawn, it was named after the Indian god of dawn,鈥
Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
Architecturally fantastic, the Wat Phra Kaew temple complex is also the spiritual core of Thai Buddhism and the monarchy, symbolically united in what is鈥
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
North-Central Vietnam
Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003, the remarkable Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park contains the oldest karst mountains in Asia, formed鈥
Ho Chi Minh City
Built in 1909 in honour of the supreme Taoist god (the Jade Emperor or King of Heaven, Ngoc Hoang), this is one of the most atmospheric temples in Ho Chi鈥
Ho Chi Minh City
To understand the US invasion of Vietnam, and contextualize its devastating impact on the country's civilians, this remarkable and deeply moving museum is鈥
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Hang Son Doong (Mountain River Cave), located in the heart of聽Phong Nha-K岷 B脿ng National Park, is known as the world's largest cave, and is one of the鈥
Hue
Built on a small hill overlooking the Song Huong (Perfume River), 4km southwest of the Citadel, this seven-storey pagoda is an icon of Vietnam and as鈥
Banglamphu
Even if you're w谩t-ed out, you should tackle the brisk ascent to the Golden Mount. Serpentine steps wind through an artificial hill shaded by gnarled鈥
Nha Trang
Forming a magnificent sweeping arc, Nha Trang's 6km-long golden-sand beach is the city's trump card. Sections are roped off and designated for safe鈥
Hanoi
Set amidst landscaped grounds near the centre of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature honours Vietnam's finest scholars, and also offers visitors a chance to鈥
Bangkok
Named after the Buddha鈥檚 birthplace in Nepal (Lumbini), Lumphini Park is central Bangkok鈥檚 largest and most popular park. Its 58 hectares are home to an鈥
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
The Tu Lan cave system comprises of more than 20 wet and dry caves, which聽are thought to be between three and five million years old. Huge caverns,鈥
Cat Ba Island
Lying to the south of Halong Bay off the north-eastern coast of Vietnam,聽the 300-or-so karst islands and limestone outcrops of Lan Ha are just as鈥
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Surrounded by forested karst peaks, this staggering cave system in聽Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park聽extends for 31km, though most people only visit the鈥
Phu Quoc Island
With picture-perfect white sand, the delightful curve of beautiful Sao Beach bends out alongside a sea of mineral-water clarity just a few kilometres from鈥
Danang
This wonderfully wacky bridge takes the form of a ginormous, colour-changing dragon, weaving its way across the Han River. If that wasn't attention鈥
Ho Chi Minh City
Built between 1877 and 1883, Notre Dame Cathedral enlivens the heart of Ho Chi Minh City's government quarter, facing 脨 Dong Khoi. A red-brick, neo鈥
Mekong Delta
Hon Son, also known after its main village of Lai Son, is a solitary and beautiful mountain island about 50km southwest of Rach Gia on the southern shores鈥
Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay
Take a tour through the Battlebox Museum, the former command post of the British during WWII, and get lost in the eerie and deathly quiet 26-room鈥
Yangon
One of Buddhism's most sacred sites, the 326ft zedi (stupa) here is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other鈥
Temples of Angkor
At the heart of Angkor Thom is the 12th-century Bayon, the mesmerising, if slightly mind-bending, state temple of Jayavarman VII. It epitomises the鈥
Southern Laos
Bucolic Wat Phu sits in graceful decrepitude, and while it lacks the arresting enormity of Angkor in Cambodia, given its few visitors and more dramatic鈥
Central Java
Comprising the remains of some 244 temples, World Heritage鈥搇isted Prambanan is Indonesia's largest Hindu site and one of Southeast Asia's major鈥
Sumatra
This scattering of ruined and partially restored temples is the most important Hindu-Buddhist site in Sumatra. The temples are believed to mark the鈥
Borobudur
Dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, and built from two million blocks of stone, Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist temple and one of Indonesia's鈥
Cambodia
Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone鈥
Phnom Penh
In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot鈥檚 security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21); it soon became鈥
Temples of Angkor
A spectacular sight to behold, Beng Mealea, located about 68km northeast of Siem Reap, is one of the most mysterious temples at Angkor, as nature has well鈥
Northwestern Cambodia
Beautiful, peaceful and covered in astonishingly intricate bas-reliefs, Banteay Chhmar is one of the most impressive temple complexes beyond the Angkor鈥
Temples of Angkor
The traveller's first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is matched by only a few select spots on earth. Built by Suryavarman鈥
Yogyakarta
Beside the southern alun-alun (main square), Yogya's enormous kraton (palace) is the cultural and political heart of this fascinating city. Effectively a鈥
Mandalay
To get a sense of Mandalay鈥檚 pancake-flat sprawl, climb the 760ft hill that breaks it. The walk up covered stairways on the hill's southern slope is a鈥
Nha Trang
Built between the 7th and 12th centuries, these impressive Cham towers are still actively used for worship by Cham, Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists鈥
Ho Chi Minh City
Surrounded by royal palm trees, the dissonant 1960s architecture of this landmark government building and the eerie ambience of its deserted halls make it鈥
Cambodia
Prek Toal is one of three biospheres on the Tonl茅 Sap lake, and this stunning bird sanctuary makes it the most worthwhile and straightforward of the three鈥
Temples of Angkor
The so-called 'Tomb Raider Temple', Ta Prohm is cloaked in dappled shadow, its crumbling towers and walls locked in the slow muscular embrace of vast root鈥
Northwestern Cambodia
The most dramatically situated of all Angkorian monuments, Prasat Preah Vihear sprawls along a clifftop near the Thai border, with breathtaking views of鈥
Northwestern Cambodia
For tantalising lost-world ambience, this remote temple complex about 90km south of Preah Vihear City can't be beaten. It's wrapped by vines and trees,鈥
