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South-East Asia

Destination guide

Singapore

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The omicron variant has been found in Singapore, which has been opening its borders to select countries since October.
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I skipped the big cities for Vietnam’s charming less-visited waterways

The basket boats of Ke Ga’s fishermen and the floating markets on the Mekong Delta are among the many attractions to discover.

  • Belinda Jackson
Le Bokor Palace was restored to its former glory and reopened as a luxury hotel in 2018, but still feels unsettling.

The eerie Asian ghost town once a holiday spot for the elite

Abandoned French colonial ruins, a former king’s residence, empty townhouses and a hilltop palace-turned-hotel. Bokor is an unsettling destination.

  • Julia D'Orazio
Som Tam… don’t hold the spice.

Perfectly balanced, but this spicy salad is not for the faint-hearted

Order this South-East Asian dish “medium spicy” and prepare to have your world turned upside down.

  • Ben Groundwater
Isthmus and villas at Koh Tao.

Thailand’s 12 best islands, ranked and rated

With more than 1400 to choose from, there really is a Thai island for absolutely everyone, whether you want unspoilt beaches, buzzy bars or just to get away from it all.

  • Lee Cobaj
Street food in Ho Chi Minh City.

Greatest pho ever: I ate the best of Vietnamese food in 48 hours

It’s 7am in southern Vietnam, the air cool and crisp as Saigon awakes and thinks about what to eat. And it thinks about pho.

  • Ben Groundwater
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Foodie heaven… mie goreng.

There’s no food in the world more comforting than this noodle dish

Let’s consider the greatness of Indonesia’s ubiquitous fried noodles.

  • Ben Groundwater
Batu Karang, Nusa Lembongan.

No crowds or chaos: These three Bali escapes are a step back in time

Overdevelopment is rife on the south-west coast, but these satellite island stays offer a step back to more mellow times.

  • Jenny Hewett
Sidemen, free of traffic congestion and overdevelopment, offers a slower pace of travel.

‘The next Ubud’ in Bali is, thankfully, nothing like the actual Ubud

Sidemen on the east coast of the island offers a quieter, more immersive Bali for those who relish a slower mode of travel.

  • Penny Watson
The Bill Bensley-designed Four Seasons Koh Samui.

How to have a White Lotus experience in Thailand (from under $200 a night)

Koh Samui is bracing for an influx of tourists off the back of season three, but you don’t have to stay at the Four Seasons to get a taste of White Lotus life.

  • Kristie Kellahan
On Bali, the velocity of change can be bewildering.

I’ve been visiting Bali for 31 years – it has become worse every year

In three decades, the destination has been transformed from a tropical paradise into a centre of mass tourism.

  • Ryan Ver Berkmoes

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/traveller/topic/south-east-asia-lmb