When you are traveling around Thailand for long and want to change the scenery, you have plenty of options to choose from as traveling around Southeast Asia is easy and there are many interesting and unique places to visit in all these countries.
Countries & Places to visit in Southeast Asia
Discover Southeast Asia travel guide with the detailed list of the most popular cities, most beautiful beaches, paradise islands, and best places to visit in each Southeast Asian country.
Thailand
Whatever your dream beach vacation is, you will never be short of the options for it in Thailand. From remote beaches with just rustic bungalows on them to luxury resorts on famous worldwide beaches, just choose any you like. The variety of Thailand beaches is huge, making Thailand beach destinations and islands a perfect place for holidays. Here you can also discover a wide range of cultural and natural tourist destinations.
The most popular destinations in Thailand:
Bangkok - the capital of Thailand and one of the biggest and most vibrant cities in Southeast Asia.
Phuket - the largest island of Thailand, situated in the Andaman Sea.
Chiang Mai - the largest city in Northern Thailand with amazing ancient architecture, fabulous food, and impressive natural attractions.
Koh Phi Phi - a small archipelago of six islands, widely considered to be amongst the most beautiful islands in the world.
Koh Samui - an island in the Gulf of Thailand, boasting wonderful nature, beautiful white sand beaches, and crystal clear seas.
Vietnam
Vietnam is a long, thin country in Southeast Asia. Its neighboring countries Laos and Cambodia are neighbors of Thailand, putting all these countries on the list of a round trip around Southeast Asia. Vietnam wasn’t known as a tourist destination for a long time, but in recent years it’s getting much more popular with travelers.
The most popular destinations in Vietnam:
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - the largest city and the main economic centre of Vietnam, located in the southern part of the country.
Hanoi - the capital of Vietnam, located on the banks of the Red River in the northern region of the country.
Da Nang - the resort city and the gateway of Central Vietnam that is extremely important in terms of tourism.
Hoi An - an exceptionally well-preserved traditional trading port in central Vietnam, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Halong Bay - a beautiful natural wonder, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its unearthly scenery which is created by 1,600 limestone islands and islets scattered in the bay.
Singapore
Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia which is one of the world's most prosperous countries. Singapore, also known as “Garden City”, is a modern city with influence of Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures felt all around it. The city offers a delicious food, good shopping and a tropical climate, making it one of the most popular travel destinations in the world.
The most popular places to visit in Singapore:
Marina Bay Sands - a complex featuring Singapore's most iconic hotel with the world's largest rooftop Infinity Pool, award-winning dining, and a wide range of shopping and entertainment options.
Gardens by the Bay - a large public garden with two conservatories (the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest) and a cluster of gigantic Super Trees.
Singapore’s Chinatown - a Chinese heritage area, where you can find many Chinese treats and a number of religious sites.
Singapore Zoo - the 'open concept' zoo where you can explore animals roaming freely in their open habitats.
Universal Studios Singapore - theme park that offers you a possibility to go beyond the screen and experience cutting-edge rides, shows, and attractions based on your favorite films and television series.
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia, located on a peninsula of the Asian mainland south of Thailand. Malaysia is still developing country but at the same time it’s one of the richer countries in Southeast Asia. Malaysia offers a good mix of the modern world comfort and reasonable prices for tourists.
The most popular destinations in Malaysia:
Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia’s multi-cultural capital and the largest city, featuring ultra-modern skyline and the famous Petronas Twin Towers.
Penang — the island with excellent cuisine and well retained colonial heritage, especially in island’s capital city George Town.
Malacca - the historical city on the western coast of Malaysia famous for its colonial-style architecture.
Langkawi — archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, off the mainland coast of northwest Malaysia, known for its nice beaches, rainforest and mountains.
Kota Kinabalu is the largest Malaysian city in Borneo, next to Kinabalu National Park – the national park in Sabah (Borneo), which is home to the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia - Mount Kinabalu.
Philippines
Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia, located in the western part of Pacific Ocean. The country is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands. The Philippines offers rich biodiversity to country’s visitors as there are many wonderful islands, beaches, diving spots, mountains and rainforests for tourists of any taste.
The most popular destinations in the Philippines:
Manila - the capital of the Philippines where are nice mix of Spanish colonial architecture and modern business centres can be found.
Boracay - the island, which is a worldwide famous beach destination and one of the top places to visit in the Philippines.
Cebu - the island in the central Visayas region which is considered to be a perfect place for underwater enthusiasts.
Palawan - a tropical paradise, where you will find pristine white beaches, clear waters, limestone caves and even a five-mile underground river.
Bohol - island in central Visayas region, where you will find nice white sand beaches that are far less crowded than in more touristy islands of the country.
Indonesia
Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia, which is the biggest archipelago in the world with 18,330 islands, about one third of them inhabited. With the population of more than 260 million, Indonesia is the biggest Islamic country in the world which is rapidly developing. For tourists Indonesia offers a wide cultural diversity, wonderful nature of tropical islands and all this for really reasonable prices.
The most popular destinations in Indonesia:
Bali — the most popular between tourists island of Indonesia, which is a worldwide famous beach destination with everything you need for a perfect tropical vacation.
Yogyakarta (Jogja) - the historical city in the central part of Java famous for the nearby Buddhist and Hindu temples Borobudur and Prambanan.
Lombok – the island with divine beaches, spectacular marine life and steep volcanic peaks.
Jakarta - Indonesia’s capital and the largest city with terrible traffic, leftovers of colonial architecture and little places of interest.
Mount Bromo — a picturesque active volcano in East Java, which is the most popular volcano to visit in the country.
Cambodia
Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia, located to the east and northeast of Thailand. Cambodia is attracting increasing numbers of visitors as they are rediscovering magnificent temples and picturesque beaches of the country. Tourist destinations such as Angkor are developing fast but traveling beyond the beaten path here is still not easy.
The most popular destinations in Cambodia:
Siem Reap - the gateway to Angkor Archaeological Park, home of the magnificent ruins of ancient Khmer civilization.
Phnom Penh — the capital of Cambodia, situated in the centre of the country at the confluence of three rivers, one of the being the mighty Mekong.
Battambang — the second largest city of Cambodia, popular between travellers for ancient temples, Buddhist shrines and the infamous bamboo railway.
Sihanoukville — Cambodia's premier beach town on the southern coast with white sand beaches and warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand.
Laos
Thailand shares borders with Laos to the north and northeast. This mountainous and landlocked country is one of the poorest in Southeast Asia and was forgotten by tourists for a long time but nowadays the tourism in Laos grows significantly. The country attracts visitors with its laid-back lifestyle and beautiful landscapes formed by the Mekong River and surrounding mountains.
The most popular destinations in Laos:
Vientiane - the sleepy capital of Laos located on the Mekong River.
Luang Prabang - historical city with numerous temples and colonial era architecture, which is a UNESCO World Heritage City.
Vang Vieng — small town famous as a backpacker hangout for exploring limestone caves in the surrounding area and tubing on the Nam Song River.
Pakse - city which is gateway to two most important touristic objects in the area - Wat Phu temple ruins and the "four thousand islands" in the Mekong River.
Phonsavan – the city mostly visited for nearby Plain of Jars.
Myanmar
Myanmar, or Burma, is a country lying to the west of Thailand on the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea coast. There are many attractions such as temples, pagodas and historical sites in Myanmar. Most of the Burmese people are really friendly and do their best to make a fast growing number of tourists feel welcome in their country.
The most popular destinations in Myanmar:
Yangon — the former capital and economic centre, known for its colonial architecture and Buddhist pagodas.
Bagan — the capital of the first Burma Empire and one of the richest archaeological sites in Southeast Asia with thousands of ancient pagodas in the area near the banks of the Ayeyarwady River.
Mandalay — the main economic centre of Upper Myanmar and former royal capital of the last Burmese monarchy.
Inle Lake — a large shallow lake located in the mountains at over 900 m above sea level with floating villages.
Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) - a mystical pagoda with a gold-gilded rock perched on the edge of the hill.
Maldives
Maldives is a tropical country in the Indian Ocean. The country isn't located in Southeast Asia but it can easily be reached from Thailand. Maldives consists of more than 1,000 coral islands forming 26 ring-shaped atolls. Maldives is a perfect holiday destination known for its white sand beaches, blue lagoons and extensive coral reefs.
The most popular destinations in the Maldives:
Male - the capital and most populated city of the Maldives.
Hulhumale - a man-made island nearby Male, home of the main airport in the country, nice neighborhoods and artificial beach.
Maafushi - the most popular local island in Maldives, where you can find local guesthouses suitable for budget travelers, and gorgeous beaches with palms.
Himmafushi - a local island, where travelers can experience firsthand on how local Maldivians go about on their daily life on the island.
Addu - the southern most atoll of the Maldives, which is the only area of the country that lies below the equator in the southern hemisphere.
Traveling around Southeast Asia
Different transportation options for a trip between destinations in Southeast Asia can be found and transport tickets can be booked by this search form.
National Costumes of Southeast Asia
National costumes show the difference of all Southeast Asian nations and their cultures. National costumes of all the countries in Southeast Asia can be found here: National Costumes of Southeast Asian Countries.
