Future Southeast Asia Site News: April 2026

A month of travel in Vietnam, China, and the Philippines, an update on the weekly news round-up, and a cable car for Kinabalu?

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City! It’s been a busy month of travel, so I have not published as many new articles as usual. The weekly newsletter for paid subscribers continues to be sent out every Wednesday, so consider becoming a paid subscriber to support this site.

I have been on the road for most of April, so I will be posting new articles here and at Nomadic Notes over the coming months. Here is where I have been and what articles to expect.

Train from Hanoi to Nanning

The Hanoi-Nanning train is the only international train line from Vietnam, and I was curious to see how the international crossing works. I also wanted to ride it in its current format, as there is a plan to upgrade the Vietnam section from Hanoi to Dong Dang on the Vietnam-China border.

I have started a factsheet to keep track of the Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway upgrade, and I will be posting a review at Nomadic Notes.

Nanning and the high-speed railway to Hong Kong

I had not been to China since 2019, so it was good to be back and see how modern Chinese cities have become. One of the most startling aspects of Nanning is that it is a city of electric scooters. Vietnam is trying to go electric, with an ambitious timeline to ban petrol bikes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It seems like a giant task, but it feels possible after seeing what Nanning has achieved.

From Nanning, I got the high-speed railway to Hong Kong. I wanted to see if it was practical to go from Hanoi to Hong Kong by train, and I wanted to experience high-speed railway again. Vietnam is in the preparation phase of building a high-speed railway, so it is good to remind myself of how China is doing it.

Philippines: Manila to Cebu

After Hong Kong, I went to Manila to ride the old railways of Luzon. While I was in Manila, I visited Bonifacio Global City, and in Cebu, I visited Cebu IT Park. Both of these new urban areas are like private cities within each city. I will post a review of each city in the coming months.

Philippine Railways

My main mission in the Philippines was to ride the remnants of the Manila to Legazpi railway (the Bicol Express). Two sections are still operating, so I had to get a bus between the discontinued sections.

The railway isn’t useful for tourism, but I wanted to ride it to be able to say I’ve been on every railway in Southeast Asia. There is also a plan to build a modern railway in this corridor (PNR South Long Haul), so it was instructive to see what the current railway looks like.

I will be posting about this trip on Future Southeast Asia and at Nomadic Notes.

[Waiting to board the train at Calamba (south of Manila).]

Travel plans

I will be heading back to Chiang Mai for the next two months, so I will start working through articles from my most recent trips.

Weekly news

The weekly news was previously at the domain news.futuresoutheastasia.com. The weekly news roundup is now posted here at futuresoutheastasia.com for paid subscribers. Upgrade to Premium to get the weekly news updates.

Here are the last month’s issues of the weekly newsletter (click article links to upgrade).

• Future Southeast Asia News [29 Apr 2026]

World Bank’s $300M fund to enhance Cambodia’s transport transformation, Indonesia plans 14,000-km rail network outside Java, Sabah mulls Trans Borneo Railway, Clark second runway project, Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link testing, Thailand outlines 20 transport projects under THB1.38tn plan, mega urban area project near Halong Bay.

• Future Southeast Asia News [22 Apr 2026]

Sihanoukville stalled projects persist, Papua railway line survey in Jayapura, funding for 1,743 infra projects across the Philippines, common ticketing set for Bangkok, Da Nang metro project expected to break ground early next year.

• Future Southeast Asia News [15 Apr 2026]

Construction of Funan Techo Canal, Jakarta eyes Kota Tua as its flagship tourist hub, Laos advocates use of EV trucks to counter soaring fuel price, plans for Silicon Island on display, San Miguel pushes ahead with Boracay bridge, land half the size of Marina Bay expected to be reclaimed as part of Greater Southern Waterfront, feasibility studies behind Land Bridge ‘inaccurate’, construction begins on Hanoi-Quang Ninh high-speed railway line.

• Future Southeast Asia News [8 Apr 2026]

Old Phnom Penh Airport opens as public park for KNY, Indonesia’s seawall bet, Laos–Vietnam Railway Company, Penang Mutiara Line LRT project on track for 2031 opening, Singapore’s first 3D concrete printed pedestrian bridge, Thailand Transport Ministry fast-tracks Bt1.96tn mega-project pipeline, 99-story financial tower in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Thiem.

• Future Southeast Asia News [1 Apr 2026]

Former Phnom Penh International Airport all set to be cultural landmark, housing plan for Jakarta railway slum area, Kuching ART progress, Singapore to start preparatory works for Long Island, U-Tapao airport construction set for April 3, mountain expressway to cut Nha Trang-Da Lat drive from 4 hours to under 2.

Article updates

A cable car for Kinabalu?

Updated: Cable cars in Southeast Asia

I keep a list of current and proposed cable cars in Southeast Asia, and Mount Kinabalu has now joined the list of proposed cable car locations:

Proposed cable car for Mount Kinabalu must prioritise conservation, says minister

“The remarks come following a presentation by Jesselton International Sdn Bhd on its proposed Kinabalu Cable Car project, along with a feasibility study covering the Kundasang area.”

The report doesn’t specify whether the cable car would ascend the mountain or be located nearby.

Mount Kinabalu has an elevation of 4095 metres above sea level. For comparison, the world’s highest passenger ropeway station is China’s Dagu Glacier Gondola (4,843 metres), while the highest in Europe is the Matterhorn Glacier Ride (3,883 metres).

My flight from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur flew near Mount Kinabalu, and I got a great view of the mountain sticking its peak through the clouds.