Singapore Airlines Cultural Destinations
Discover the impressive cultural and historical sites within our network
Southeast Asia is particularly known for its spectacular landscapes, endless coastlines, sunny beaches and of course some of the world’s best cuisines. With all those characteristics, it’s easy to overlook the fact that Southeast Asia also has an unbelievably rich and long history. For the culture and history enthusiasts, Southeast Asia offers numerous destinations where you'll find stunning architecture and ancient monuments, including several amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There is just so much to see and to explore.
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Cambodia
Phnom Penh
Once called the Pearl of Asia, the Cambodian capital is an international master of disguise. The grand boulevards are graced by colonial French-era buildings, evocative shop-houses hide like secrets around every corner, and striking Chinese temples and royal Khmer palace rooftops are camouflaged by a growing number of high-rises that puncture the skyline.
To understand Phnom Penh’s psyche properly, you’ll have to delve into its harrowing past. The 1970s saw Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime mercilessly impose a totalitarian dictatorship on the people, resulting in the deaths of more than two million Cambodians. Visit the Choeung Ek Killing Fields to see the brutality first-hand. It’s sobering to say the least.
Siem Reap
Witnessing sunrise over Angkor Wat must have felt surreal when it was first spotted by French explorers in the mid-19th century. The Buddhist complex, the largest of its kind on the planet, rises from the jungle like a behemoth from another age – and yet today it is only 7km from the bustling heart of Cambodia’s second metropolis.
Angkor is hard to believe at first glance. It is a megacity-sized puzzle in the jungle, home to thousands of enigmatic temples (many of which haven’t even been discovered yet). This all helps explain why visitors go for a day, return the following day, then extend their stay by an extra 24 hours. You really need three days to do justice to the complex, and don’t even think about going without a tuk-tuk or bicycle: the distances between temples are leg-achingly vast.
Indonesia
Bali (Denpasar)
Visit Tanah Lot. The 15th-century temple is a sight to behold. Built on a crumbling offshore rock, the impressive temple is one of seven peppered around Bali’s coastline. The setting sun really brings the structure to life so be sure to bring your camera.
Head to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple to watch the Kecak fire and trance dance, a reenactment of a battle from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, usually performed by around 100 or so bare-chested men. The highlight of this feast for the senses is the accompanying chanting, which can be trance-inducing to say the least.
Yogyakarta
You can never overestimate the allure of Yogyakarta. Ask a regular visitor what they like most and they’ll tell you that it dazzles with a vast spectrum of Indonesian culture in all its forms. Classical Javanese fine art, ballet, batik, drama, traditional gamelan music, poetry, shadow puppets – the city has all of it in spades.
Be sure to visit the awe-inspiring Borobudur, an enigmatic Buddhist temple that ranks as one of the most beautiful in Asia. Wander through the jungle and fields of rice paddies to its perforated stupas, and you’ll believe that you’re in touching distance of nirvana.
Myanmar
Yangon
The ornamental Shwedagon Pagoda is the city’s prize asset, a series of golden Buddhist temples, crowned by an eye-popping 325ft-tall stupa, painted with 27 metric tons of gold leaf and adorned with thousands of diamonds and gems. It is still just as beautiful in the eye of the beholder as it was when it was first created more than 2,500 years ago.
Mandalay
The second largest city in Myanmar and the last royal capital of Burma (former name of Myanmar), Mandalay is today, the centre of culture and religion in the country. Although the British shifted commercial and political activities to Yangon, Mandalay continued to be the main city of Upper Burma throughout colonial rule and even after independence in 1948. The city is home to the magnificent royal palace as well as many other attractions built during the Konbuang Dynasty. The Ancient City of Bagan, long considered one of the world’s greatest archeological sites, is accessible through Mandalay.
Thailand
Bangkok
Bangkok is Southeast Asia’s tropical metropolis. Vibrant and cosmopolitan, it is a place where cultures meet and coexist. From Rattanakosin, its historic heart where temples and palaces speak of old Bangkok, to its modern party meccas – Sukhumvit Road where high society locals shop and mingle, to Khao San Road, favourite haunt of backpackers.
Chiang Mai
The rose of the north. That’s what locals call Chiang Mai. It’s a more than appropriate moniker because the city is Thailand’s sanctuary. Far removed from the edge and attitude of Bangkok and the luxury of the beaches of the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand coast, it is charming, carefree, and laid back. In the historic square mile centre, there are a multitude of stupas, spas, sacred spaces, meditation courses, spiritual centres, and massage parlours.
Vietnam
Hanoi
In 1010, Vietnam’s Emperor Ly Thai To founded his capital on the banks of the Red River. One millennium later, picturesque Hanoi is still Vietnam’s political and cultural centre and one of Asia’s most captivating cities: a hub where ancient temples, Chinese merchant townhouses and landscaped lakes steeped in legend rub shoulders with contemporary fine-dining restaurants, upscale bars, modern art galleries and eclectic designer boutiques.
Danang
What people want when they come to Vietnam is adventure – and Danang delivers on all fronts. It has jungle temples, awe-inspiring marble, and limestone hills; caves that beg to be explored; curving, hidden beaches that some would argue are the best in the country; and the frenetic, motorbike-engine hum of a city that is a non-stop caper in itself.
