Arts & Entertainment

From traditional water puppetry to exciting modern circus acts, we know where to find the best arts & entertainment across Southeast Asia.

Fire Boat Festival, Luang Prabang, Laos

5 alternatives to the Hoi An Lantern Festival

The Hoi An Lantern Festival is beautiful, there’s no doubt about it, but when it comes to waterborne parties and flickering lanterns floating downstream you don’t need to be in Hoi An. Or Vietnam, for that matter. Southeast Asia has plenty of equally magical festivals, with far fewer visitors. Here are just 5 of our […]

Aaron tour leading in Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos: Tour leader top tips

We’ve met some well-travelled people in our time, but few compare to tour leader Aaron Edgington. From favourite restaurants to unmissable waterfalls, he shares his top tips for a special trip to Southeast Asia (as well as a few of his hairier travel moments!)

Myanmar (Burma) New Year's Thingyan celebration

Insider’s Guide to New Year (Thingyan) in Myanmar (Burma)

While a noisy countdown, hearty cheers and the sweet sounds of Auld Lang Syne ring out on 1st January in the West, the celebration of New Year (Thingyan) in Burma takes place between 13th and 16th April with some very different traditions. Less champagne, more water. Lots of water.

Hoi An, Vietnam

How to spend two weeks in Vietnam

Vietnam is a sprawling country filled with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, national parks, otherworldly natural highlights, modern cities, laidback towns and remote villages… And you’ve got two weeks – where to start?!

7 of the best festivals in Vietnam

Imbued with tradition and rituals, festivals provide an authentic way to see the “real” Vietnam. The calendar is peppered with events, but here are 7 of the best.

7 of the best Buddhist festivals in Myanmar (Burma)

With an enormous Buddhist population, Burma is peppered with pagodas, and pilgrims travel from far and wide to celebrate festivals. If you have the chance to see one, seize it! Expect something unique, occasionally eccentric (bamboo elephant dancing, anyone?), and rarely entirely pious.

Phare: The Cambodian Circus

There aren’t many shows that you can say hand on heart you’d like to see again and again, and again… Dylan discovered just that when he went to see Phare: The Cambodian Circus perform in Siem Reap.

Understanding Vietnam through art

After travelling to Vietnam and becoming fascinated by the art in museums and small galleries, Sophie moved to Vietnam, and now runs art tours in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.