Trip report from my visit in December 2024, including the two-tower apartment project in Kampot Town, the Tiktokification of tourism landmarks, and land reclamation in Kep. Kampot and Kep are the southernmost provinces in Cambodia. Kampot Province includes the charming colonial-era riverside city of Kampot, and Kep is reawakening as a coastal tourism destination. Kampot […]
Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia
The Thai Canal – The proposed canal across the Isthmus of Kra in Southern Thailand
The Thai Canal (also known as the Kra Canal) is a proposed canal that would cut across the Malay Peninsula in Southern Thailand. This man-made waterway would connect the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand, providing a maritime shortcut by rerouting shipping away from the Strait of Malacca. The canal of approximately 100 km […]
Sihanoukville report: abandoned towers and seaside redevelopment
An update on one of the biggest mixed-use developments under construction in Cambodia, prominent abandoned projects, and the redevelopment of Ochheuteal and Otres Beach. Sihanoukville is the largest coastal city in Cambodia and home to its main port. It has great beaches and a train to Phnom Penh. Despite this beautiful natural setting, the city […]
Selangor Rail Line: proposed railway along the North Selangor coast
The Selangor Rail Line is a proposed railway in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The proposed line will run along the North Selangor coast from Klang to Sabak (near the boundary of Perak state). Selangor surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and the state includes part of the Greater Kuala Lumpur area […]
Trans-Borneo Railway: High-speed railway connecting Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia
Trans-Borneo Railway is a proposed railway that would traverse the island of Borneo through Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, and there have been announcements for a proposed railway that would link the major cities. A more realistic scenario is that railways are built over time that connect nearby […]
What Vietnam can learn from other high-speed rail projects
Vietnam has an ambitious plan to build a high-speed railway. Here is what Vietnam can learn from the Laos-China Railway, the Bangkok-Nong Khai High-Speed Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and the Mumbai–Ahmedabad HSR. Vietnam announced in 2024 that it plans to build a high-speed railway from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. The railway will […]
Mekong River Railway Bridge – New Thailand-Laos bridge for high-speed railway
The Mekong River Railway Bridge is a proposed railway bridge between Thailand and Laos. The bridge will have 2 tracks of meter-gauge and 2 tracks of standard-gauge for the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed railway. The 4-track railway bridge will be 30 metres away on the downstream side of the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge. The metre-gauge on […]
Phnom Penh construction report (2024 edition)
Heritage buildings update, the temple-shaped National Bank building, the fake Paris on Diamond Island, bad urban planning on the Tonle Sap riverfront, a new urban area rises on a disappeared lake, the bird nest towers, and booming BKK1. Phnom Penh construction and infrastructure report (December 2024).
Mindanao Railway Project – The proposed 2000km railway on the second-largest island in the Philippines
The Mindanao Railway Project is a proposed railway network on the island of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines. The railway would connect the major cities of the island via a circumferential railway, with spur lines connecting outlying cities. Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines, and it has a population of over 20 million […]
Bangkok–Nong Khai High-Speed Railway (China-Thailand Railway)
The Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway is an under-construction railway that will connect Bangkok to Nong Khai in northeast Thailand on the Laos border. It will then be connected to the Laos-China Railway, providing a railway connection from Bangkok to Vientiane, and onwards to Kunming in China. This new railway is a double-track standard-gauge line that […]
