Culture

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Feb 17, 2021 • 4 min read

Drugs Thai meth barons look closer to home as pandemic curbs exports

By Pitcha Dangprasith and Lisa Martin/AFP • Feb 17, 2021
Thailand has long been a global gateway for exports of meth, but the coronavirus pandemic's sudden disruption of international transport has seen a surge in cut-price "yaba" tablets in the local market

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Feb 11, 2021 • 10 min read

Youth protests Junta to junta: As Milk Tea Alliance brews in Myanmar, how far can it go?

By Wanpen Pajai • Feb 11, 2021
As scores of people take to the streets across Myanmar, shared symbols and solidarity are growing in Thailand as the movement is welcomed into the Milk Tea Alliance. A growing presence across the region, how far can this youth-led online activist movement spread?

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Feb 05, 2021 • 12 min read

Food culture What happened to Hanoi’s dog meat ban?

By Ashley Lampard • Feb 05, 2021
In an attempt to beautify the capital, back in 2018 Hanoi officials announced a dog meat ban that would be in full effect in the city centre by 2021. But as we enter the new year, the much-maligned meat remains readily available on menus at the heart of Hanoi

Culture • Feb 04, 2021 • 6 min read
Culture

[Photos] Inside Bangkok’s life-sustaining temple communities

While today Bangkok has evolved into a rolling skyline of gleaming skyscrapers, historically temples have served as the centre of life in the Thai capital, offering affordable housing and education in a role that has only become more valuable during the pandemic
By Wanpen Pajai • Feb 04, 2021

Culture • Feb 04, 2021 • 3 min read
Vietnamese culture

Dragon dancers scale up ambitions in Vietnam

Overcoming gender stereotypes, Quyen was one of the first women to join Vietnam's Tu Anh Duong lion and dragon dance troupe, where performers mimic the movements of the creatures to bring good luck and dispel evil spirits
By Quy Le Bui/AFP • Feb 04, 2021

Culture • Jan 27, 2021 • 2 min read
LGBTQ rights

Singapore protesters detained at tiny LGBT rights demo

Police in Singapore said today that three LGBT rights protesters have been arrested in the city-state after taking part in a tiny, rare demonstration triggered by the government's alleged mistreatment of a transgender student
By Agence France-Presse • Jan 27, 2021

Culture • Jan 26, 2021 • 10 min read
History

Brush strokes: Preserving Saigon’s heritage signage

There is much talk about the need to preserve Saigon's heritage architecture, but what about those more subtle flourishes of style that make the city? As heritage signage is pulled down, artists are working to preserve these disappearing relics of Vietnamese history
By Govi Snell • Jan 26, 2021

Culture • Jan 25, 2021 • 4 min read
History

[Photos] Bird’s-eye view: Aerial photos of 1953 Indochina

Post-WWI, aerial photography became central to French rule over Indochina as the colonial administration charted remote corners of the region. Here, images taken by a French air force pilot show the empire's dying days, providing a bird’s-eye view of Cambodia and Vietnam
By Alastair McCready • Jan 25, 2021

Culture • Jan 13, 2021 • 7 min read
Food culture

New and old meet as social media breathes life into Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown

Kuala Lumpur's Petaling Street has a long and rich culinary history as the historic centre of the capital's Chinese community. But having fallen into disrepair, today it is undergoing a revival, spurred on by the social media boom among Malaysia’s urban middle class
By Huei Ting Cheong • Jan 13, 2021

Culture • Jan 13, 2021 • 4 min read
Aviation

Indonesia divers search for crashed plane’s second black box

As Indonesian investigators continue seek to explain why a plane with 62 people aboard slammed into the sea minutes after takeoff, they said on January 13 they were hopeful of retrieving a crashed passenger jet's second black box
By Agence France-Presse • Jan 13, 2021

Culture • Jan 12, 2021 • 3 min read
Thai monarchy

Thai king sweeps prison floors alongside consort

In the latest round of a charm offensive following unprecedented criticism of the monarchy during Thailand's street protests, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has visited prisons and been pictured sweeping floors alongside his official consort
By Agence France-Presse • Jan 12, 2021