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In areas popular among tourists in the region such as Bali , Phuket and Luang Prabang , English is widely spoken by people working in the tourism industry, although with various degrees of proficiency. Business people who deal with international clients generally speak an acceptable level of English. Many people in Singapore can speak a creole of English known as 'Singlish' which borrows heavily from many other regional languages and has rather different grammar and intonations.
It may sound like an unrelated language to the native English speaker at first, but give it time and it will become clearer to you! French is still spoken and taught in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, although its situation varies by country. In Vietnam, it is known by many educated Vietnamese, especially those schooled before , though today English is the more preferred second language among youths. In Laos, French is widely used among the educated populace and features on most public signage.
In Cambodia, French is limited chiefly to urban and elderly elites and a handful of university educated students. The other languages of the former colonial countries are generally not spoken so widely anymore or at all. Southeast Asia's most visited countries, Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , Thailand , and Indonesia , do not require visas obtained before arrival from most visitors. Cambodia , Laos , and East Timor offer visas on arrival at most points of entry. Vietnam and Myanmar require advance paperwork for most visitors. Visa-free travel may be for a shorter period than travel with a visa, limited to as little as 14 days.
Visitors from outside the ASEAN area still need to consult the specific visa requirements for the countries they are visiting. Business travellers may wish to take advantage of tariff reductions and other economic measures between the nations. For visitors, however, normal duty free limits on cigarettes, alcohol, perfume and the like, apply when travelling between them.
Manila Philippines and Bali also offer relatively good connections to other cities outside the region. Hong Kong also makes a good springboard into the region, with many low-cost carriers flying into Southeast Asian destinations. Singapore Airlines , Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways are all known for their great service and safety records. Philippine Airlines is the oldest airline in this part of the world still flying under the original name, while Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia are slowly but surely growing their intercontinental networks.
AirAsia also operates several secondary hubs in Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila, as well as a dense network into Singapore. There are no connections between Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries yet, although there are plans for links through both Cambodia and Myanmar onward to the existing Thailand - Malaysia network. Such plans have existed since the colonial Era, but the rise of China has injected them with new vigor and capital. Southeast Asia is a popular destination for round the world cruises, and many of them make several stops in Southeast Asia with the option to go for shore excursions.
With the exception of Singapore , public transport networks in Southeast Asia tend to be underdeveloped. However, due to reckless driving habits, driving is also usually not for the faint-hearted. Most of the time, plane, bus or rail travel tends to be the best way to get around. There are local means of transport based on converting a motorcycle, truck, van or even bicycle to haul passengers.
These include jeepneys and traysikels in the Philippines, songthaews and tuk-tuks in Thailand, and similar vehicles elsewhere. Unmodified motorcycles also provide taxi services in various places. All these modes of transport are generally cheap and rather colorful, but somewhat uncomfortable and perhaps dangerous. Be aware of various scams when crossing national borders.
If someone offers to help you obtain a visa for the next country, or tries to direct you to a "health check", you can be certain that that person is trying to scam you. Much of Southeast Asia is now covered by a dense web of low-cost carriers, the largest being Malaysian carrier AirAsia and its Thai, Indonesian and Filipino affiliates, making this a fast and affordable way of getting around. Bangkok , Jakarta , Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are the main hubs for budget airlines in the area. Due to the popularity of budget carriers, flights on full-service carriers are not as widespread as they used to be, with many routes now being served solely by budget carriers.
Nevertheless, the respective national airlines still offer options between major cities in the region, while Singapore Airlines regional affiliate Silk Air continues to have a relatively extensive network from its Singapore hub. The larger multinational budget airlines and most national carriers are respectable, but some of the smaller airlines have questionable safety records, especially on domestic flights using older planes.
Do some research before you buy. Services along the main Jakarta - Singapore - Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok business corridor are extremely frequent, with frequencies almost like a bus service in the daytime, meaning that competition is stiff and prices are low if you book in advance. Due to the high rates of road accidents in most the region, trains in Southeast Asia are generally considered to be a safer option than buses, especially during the night, although in several cases the journey by train takes longer than by bus. Thailand has the most extensive network, with relatively frequent and economical albeit slow, compared to most buses and generally reliable services.
The networks in Indonesia and Myanmar are more limited and decrepit and perhaps best experienced for their nostalgic value. Cambodia 's railways were badly hit by the civil war and have been going downhill ever since. The only remaining passenger service connects the capital Phnom Penh with the seaside resort town of Sihanoukville , and takes longer to arrive than a reasonably determined cyclist.
It is no longer possible to go all the way through Cambodia to Thailand by rail. There are no high-speed rail lines in Southeast Asia. International ferry links are surprisingly limited, but it's possible to cross over from Malaysia to Sumatra Indonesia and from Singapore to the Riau Islands Indonesia and Johor Malaysia. Star Cruises also operates a fleet of cruises between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, occasionally venturing as far as Cambodia, Vietnam, and even Hong Kong.
Domestic passenger ferries link various islands in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia and the Philippines , but safety regulations are often ignored, boats overloaded and sinkings are not uncommon. Be sure to inspect the boat before you agree to get on, and avoid boats that look overcrowded or too run down. Getting around continental Southeast Asia as well as intra-island travel in the various islands of Southeast Asia by car is possible, but definitely not for the faint-hearted.
While you can drive yourself around Singapore , Malaysia , Thailand and Brunei without any major problems after giving yourself some time to get used to the relative lack of road courtesy, traffic conditions elsewhere range from just bad to total chaos. As such, it is advisable to rent a car with a driver, and not try to drive yourself around.
From active volcanoes to spectacular coastlines, from pristine rainforests to equatorial glaciers, and from impressive rice terraces to great river systems. Southeast Asia has it all. There are fourteen natural UNESCO World Heritage sites in the region, with dozens more on the tentative list, and hundreds of national parks and otherwise protected nature areas. Most countries in Southeast Asia have impressive mountain ranges.
The highest mountains of the region more than 5, m can be found in the eastern end of the Himalayas in Northern Myanmar , but almost equally high are the mountains of the Lorentz National Park of Indonesia's Papua province, known for their equatorial glaciers. Another high mountain almost 4, m , that is easier to reach and therefore popular for climbing, is Mount Kinabalu in the Malaysian part of Borneo.
The highest volcano of the Philippines is Mount Apo. The Indonesian archipelago has more than active volcanoes, with the most active one being Mount Merapi most recent eruption in , and the most popular tourist destination being Mount Bromo. Tropical rainforests dominate the landscape in much of Southeast Asia, from the monsoon forests of the mainland to the equatorial evergreen rainforests of the islands of Indonesia and the Philippines. The rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo are known as the habitat of the orangutan.
Many of the rainforests and other landscapes in Southeast Asia are home to critically endangered animal species, such as several primate species in Vietnam's Cuc Phuong area, the Javan rhinoceros in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon lowland rainforest, and the Indochinese tiger in several areas of Southeast Asia's mainland, notably the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries.
The key river of Southeast Asia, often called the lifeblood of the Indochina region, is the Mekong , that flows from China towards the South China Sea, passing five Southeast Asian countries on its way: In Cambodia, the Mekong creates the unique ecological phenomenon of the Tonle Sap lake. Also in Cambodia, around the town of Kratie , river dolphins can be found.
The second-longest river of the region is the Salween , flowing mostly in Myanmar. An interesting river is the subterranean river of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, with 8 km in length possibly the longest underground river in the world. Apart from Tonle Sap, other large lakes in the region include the densely populated Inle Lake of Myanmar, and Indonesia's Lake Toba , that is actually a huge volcano crater. In several places in Southeast Asia, rivers and lakes are used for floating markets or villages, with famous examples including the floating villages surrounding Siem Reap Cambodia , and the floating markets of Thailand including Damnoen Saduak and of Indonesia including Banjarmasin.
Geological formations and landscapes of interest are plenty in Southeast Asia. More information on spectacular beaches including for surfing and underwater life for diving and snorkelling can be found in the Do section below. In addition to natural landscapes, also many agricultural landscapes in Southeast Asia are spectacular.
The key crop in most of the region is rice, with five Southeast Asian countries in the world's top 10 of rice producing countries.
Clothes and accessories of international brands are usually just as expensive as in developed countries, or even more expensive. For the next four years, the nationalists would be forced to retreat to the small island east of China, known as Taiwan formerly known as Formosa , where they remain today. You will need at least 6 months validity left on your passport, at least 2 blank pages, 2 passport photos. Hinduism is still observed in parts of Indonesia, most notably Bali , as well as by a sizeable proportion of the ethnic Indian community in Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar. No idea why they require two… Maybe they are needed for two different forms? The civilizations in Mesopotamia , India , and China shared many similarities and likely exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel.
Some regions that are known for their stunning rice terraces include the Cordillera region of the Philippines, the region surrounding Sa Pa in Vietnam, and the Indonesian island of Bali. The cultural landscape of Bali, including the traditional subak irrigation system dating back to the 9th century, is on the World Heritage List. Other common crops in Southeast Asia include coffee, tea, rubber, sugar, tobacco, and a wide variety of tropical fruits. Famous regions with extensive tea plantations include the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, and the Puncak mountain pass area of Indonesia.
All of the larger cities in Southeast Asia boast a range of museums, with the capital cities standing out. Throughout the region, there are museums commemorating specific events in the regional and local history. Among the key places to go for modern art collections are Singapore for example the National Gallery in the Riverside district and the town of Ubud in Bali, which boasts dozens of art galleries and museums.
Botanical gardens are plenty throughout the region. Southeast Asia has a huge number of archaeological sites , ranging from the fossil remains of early humans of possibly more than 1 million years old, to great Hindu and Buddhist temples from the 8th to 14th centuries.
Historic sights from the precolonial era are covered in this section, while colonial heritage is covered in the next section. The so-called Sangiran Early Man Site can be found near Solo in Indonesia, with fossils of early humans related to the 'Java Man' that are estimated to be between , and 1,, years old, possibly older.
In Malaysia's Perak state, the Lenggong Valley contains four archaeological sites with tools, weapons jewellery and other equipment from various ages, and the 'Perak Man' skeleton. The archaelogical site of Ban Chiang near Udon Thani in Thailand contains among others red painted pottery, from about 4, to 2, years ago.
However, from about the 4th to the 15th centuries, Hinduism, Buddhism and combinations were adhered by the vast majority of Southeast Asia, and this led to the construction of many Hindu and Buddhist temples across the region.
Two world-famous Buddhist temples, and major tourist attractions, are Borobudur in Indonesia 8th-9th centuries and Angkor Wat in Cambodia 12th century. All of these temples are World Heritage Sites. Other key historic sights in Southeast Asia from the precolonial time up to the 16th century include the Sukhothai Historical Park in Thailand that used to be the capital of the Sukhotai Kingdom 13thth centuries , the Pyu Ancient Cities in Central Myanmar 2nd century BCE to 11th century , the ancient town and trading port of Hoi An in Vietnam 15th to 19th century , and the ancient capital of Ayutthaya in Central Thailand 14th century.
Myanmar also boasts the archaeological sities of Bagan and Mrauk U , which were once the great capitals of ancient kingdoms of the Bamar and Rakhine ethnicities respectively, and each home to literally thousands of ancient temples. Near the city of Mandalay is Inwa , which served as one of the last capitals of the Burmese kingdom before it was conquered by the British.
In Vietnam, two famous old citadels can be found: The Central Coast also boasts the city of Hue , the last capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, which continued to rule in name under French suzerainty until With the notable exception of Thailand, all Southeast Asian countries have been under European colonial rule for varying lengths of time between the 16th and 20th centuries. As a result, there is a considerable colonial heritage in the region, for example including fortifications, infrastructure, and architecture. Catalogue Persistent Identifier https: London Wikipedia Citation Please see Wikipedia's template documentation for further citation fields that may be required.
You must be logged in to Tag Records. Between topos and topography: Wittkamp 'First appearance of this celebrated capital' ; or, what Mr. English travel books, audiences, and modern Chinese history, c. In the Library Request this item to view in the Library's reading rooms using your library card.
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We will contact you if necessary. The government of Brunei allows visa-free entry for 90 days for nationals of the following countries: Nationals of the following countries get 30 days visa-free: Nationals of the following countries get only 14 days visa-free: Nationalities of the following countries can get a visa on arrival at Brunei International Airport: The cost of the visa on arrival is 20 Brunei Dollars approx. Passports must be valid for up to 6 months before entering and the embassy recommends that you travel with at least six unused pages in your passport.
Visa overstaying is a serious crime punishable by jail, fines and even caning — a form of corporal punishment that is still used today in Brunei. Read our travel guide to Brunei here. You must have two completely free pages in your passport, as well as 6-months validity. You must have two recent passport photos of yourself — and take your own pen — it avoids fights! You can also apply for an eVisa before entering Cambodia which takes days to process. Advantages of an eVisa: After that, you must leave the country and come back to get a new visa.
At the end of your day stint, you can extend this visa and get one of the four visas: For more information on the different types of long-stay visas, Move To Cambodia has a good page that was updated Aug Gems of Battambang — Walking Tour. In , East Timor signed an agreement with the EU to allow all citizens of countries in the EU, that are contracting parties to the Schengen Agreement, to stay in East Timor without a visa for up to 90 days. Indonesian and Portuguese citizens also get day free access. You must have the correct amount in US Dollars upon arrival.
The fourteen chapters in this book examine various topics and contexts of travel writings on China, Japan and Southeast Asia. From the first Colombian on a. This timely and clearly focused collection of essays offers an illuminating introduction to accounts of travel to and from China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
There are embassies in Jakarta, Denpasar in Bali and the closest one is in Kupang, which is the capital of the province East Nusa Tenggara on the same island as Timor Leste. Your passport must be valid for 6 months, accommodation arrangements at least at the beginning of your trip and some officials may ask you for an onward ticket out of East Timor.
You will need to download the application form here and fill in the form using Adobe Acrobat Reader or by signing, scanning and emailing. The visa process can take up to 10 working days and must be used within 12 months of being granted. See this page for more info on business and tourist visas. You can extend your visa for a total of 90 days by submitting an application to the Department of Immigration. Visit the official Immigration Service of Timor Leste for more info here. Travelling to East Timor? Read our travel guide to East Timor here. All EU citizens, US citizens and citizens of most nations can visit Indonesia without a visa for 30 days.
This day visa waiver entry cannot be extended or converted to any other type of visa. The benefit of this visa is that you can extend it once for a maximum of 30 days by visiting an immigration office within Indonesia. So, if you think you may end up staying longer, this is the best visa to go for. How to extend your day Tourist Visa in Indonesia: If you want to extend your visa yourself, make sure you give yourself at least 7 days to complete the whole process and avoid spontaneous public holidays.
Oh and take a black pen. Citizens of the following countries can enter Laos visa-free for a specified number of days: Almost all other nationalities apart from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, some African and Middle-Eastern nations can obtain a visa on arrival for 30 days whether crossing by air or land. You will need at least 6 months validity left on your passport, at least 2 blank pages, 2 passport photos. Paying in Thai Baht or Cambodian Riel at the neighbouring countries borders can be more expensive as prices are often rounded up and poor exchange rates are given.
Shop around for the best price. If your visa is about to run out, you can also leave the country and re-enter by air or land granting you with another 30 days. Read our travel guides to places to visit in Laos here. For citizens of most nations who visit Malaysia, the country has perhaps the easiest visa process in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia has Malaysia grants a 14, 30 or day visa-free entry to nationals of many countries across the world. For a full list of nationalities and the number of days they are eligible for, see this link via Wikipedia. The easiest way to extend your stay in Malaysia is to simply cross the border and come back again. You can do this, in theory, twice per year. If you discover that you have accidentally overstayed your visa, head to the Immigration Office immediately to explain your situation.
The official portal for the Immigration Department for Malaysia can be found here. See our travel guides to places to visit in Malaysia here. Getting a visa to Myanmar used to be a lengthy process that could only be done in person at a Myanmar Embassy. Some people got rejected, particularly if they were journalists or writers of some sort. Costs for the eVisa: All you have to do is fill out a form online, upload a digital photo and make the payment online with credit card.
You can pay by Visa, MasterCard, Amex or JCB and the processing time is three days, although you can pay more if you would like a visa urgently. You will receive an approval letter by email, which you need to print out and bring with your passport to present to the officials upon arrival in Myanmar, who will stamp your letter and passport.
The approval letter is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued. More FAQs answered on the official government page here. Where can you use the eVisa? Overstay fees and visa extensions: There seems to be no official way of extending your visa once you are in Myanmar and the official overstay rules are a bit up in the air. Forum advice seems to suggest that if you want to stay longer in Myanmar, you can just overstay your visa.
However, what is accepted as a valid number of days overstay will depend on the discretion of the Immigration Official who lets you out of the country. We usually strongly advise against overstaying your visa unofficially in all countries in Southeast Asia. Possible complications are the following:. Many people who want to extend their stay in Thailand make visa runs to neighbouring Myanmar. For the visa runs, you do not need to obtain a Myanmar Visa in advance. Thai nationals can stay 7 days with the same visa which costs 30 Thai Baht.
See our travel guides to places to visit in Myanmar here. Nationals of Brazil and Israel are granted a visa free entry for 59 days upon arrival in the Philippines. Citizens of Macau and Hong Kong receive 14 days. For a full list of countries see this Wikipedia page. Not all airlines will ask, but we do recommend that you book an onward ticket in the case that you are asked to avoid having to buy an airline ticket at the airport!
Getting a Tourist Visa before you arrive: All of those citizens who are allowed the day visa free entry can apply for a Tourist Visa before travelling to the Philippines which is valid for 59 days. Once your visa-free period has expired or your tourist visa has run out you can extend your stay in the Philippines for another 60 days by visiting a Philippine Embassy. Here is a map of locations of the Immigration Offices in the Philippines who can process a visa extension and here is a breakdown of the costs of the extension last updated February on the official government website.
As long as you keep extending your visa this way at an official embassy, you can extend your stay in the Philippines up to 36 months! With rules like the above, there really is no need to overstay your visa, however, if you do so by accident you will have to pay a fine at the airport upon leaving the country.
We strongly advise against overstaying your visa as you can be blacklisted from ever visiting the country again. Travelling to the Philippines? See our travel guides to places to visit in the Philippines here. Check out this day group adventure!
Citizens of most countries in the world can travel to Singapore without a visa, gaining days upon entry depending on their nationality. To enter you must have 6 months validity on your passport, proof of onward ticket, sufficient funds to stay in Singapore and yellow fever vaccination if you have recently travelled to a country that has yellow fever. The following nationalities receive 90 days: The following nationalities receive 30 days: See this Wikipedia page for the full list and for countries who are required to get a visa in advance.
On the ICA website, it says: If you overstay, you may be subjected to a composition fine or prosecution in Court. Read our Singapore travel guide here.