Trip reports of cities I visit in Southeast Asia, featuring construction updates, transit reviews, and observations on urban development.
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2025
Thailand
Bangkok
• Bangkok construction update (2025 edition)
Another mall at Siam, the future “Shinjuku of Bangkok”, more classic hotels that have been lost, the South Sukhumvit Innovation District, and a mega project in Chinatown.
Pattaya
• Pattaya construction and transport report
Trip report from January 2025: Walkability and bad street layouts, Pattaya construction notes, the ghost tower, future high-speed railway and monorail, Jomtien Beach as a future apartment hotspot, and air quality.
Sri Racha
• Sri Racha Trip Report
The Little Osaka of Thailand, bad design of Sukhumvit Road (like Bangkok), seaview apartments (shame about the beach), and the future high-speed railway to 3 airports.
Vietnam
Da Lat
• Da Lat construction and transport report
Da Lat (Central Highlands of Vietnam), featuring a new international hotel, the greenhouse problem, the old Governor’s Palace, build too big and ask for permission later, an old military airport that would make a great park, international flights, and the proposed railway restoration.
Da Nang
• Da Nang construction update – 2025 edition
Da Nang and Hoi An to join forces, Japan’s Aeon Mall, Robert De Niro’s waiting (for his hotel to be built), the riverfront apartment boom, the resort coast, and would you still love Da Nang if the beach were gone?
Quy Nhon
• Vietnam’s most provincial international beach city
Quy Nhon trip report (2025 edition). A review of apartment and hotel towers under construction, the resort project that will be connected to the city by cable car, the abandoned Japanese-themed new urban area, and prospects for the city with the future high-speed railway.
Vung Tau
• Vung Tau: The future beach district of Ho Chi Minh City
Vung Tau construction report, featuring the proposed merger of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province into Ho Chi Minh City, Front Beach projects, Back Beach redevelopment, and updates on proposed urban and inter-provincial railways.
2024
Cambodia
Kampot and Kep
• Kampot and Kep (Cambodia) construction and tourism development (December 2024)
The two-tower apartment project in Kampot Town, the Tiktokification of tourism landmarks, and land reclamation in Kep.
Phnom Penh
• Phnom Penh construction report (December 2024)
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.
Poipet
• Poipet trip report: Construction and urban development in Cambodia’s wild-west casino city (December 2024)
Poipet has plans to transform this border town associated with casinos and scam compounds into an enthralling civilized city to attract national and international tourists. I spent a night in Poipet to see what it was like.
Sihanoukville
• 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.
Indonesia
Makassar
Bad Urban Design: Center Point of Indonesia, a missed opportunity to put Makassar on the map
Malaysia
Johor Bahru
• Johor Bahru construction update – 2024 edition
Kuala Lumpur
• Kuala Lumpur construction update – 2024 edition
Singapore
• Singapore construction update: 2024 edition
Thailand
Bangkok
• Bangkok construction update: 2024 edition
The groundscraper of Sukhumvit, big projects surrounding Lumphini Park, legal drama for the massage parlour magnate at the Chuvit Garden project, Central Groups expanding mall empire, another iconic 60s hotel is gone, taking liberties with place names, and more.
Vietnam
• Da Nang construction update – 2024 edition
Updates on construction in Danang, including current and stalled projects in the city and along the coast.
• Dong Hoi construction update – 2024 edition
• Hoi An/Quang Nam province construction report (2024)
Visiting the new urban areas, abandoned resorts, ghost towns, and haunted castles of the Hoi An-Danang resort coast.
• Ho Chi Minh City construction report (December 2024)
The HCMC Metro and Transport Oriented Development, the many boxy blue towers, Saigon is getting a Nobu, the Thu Thiem New Urban Area is showing signs of life, and bridges update.
• Hue construction and transport report
Wandering with cows in abandoned new urban areas, a new megamall, how the high-speed rail will make Hue and Danang commuter cities, and the case of the proposed tramway.
• Nha Trang construction update – 2024 edition
Updates on construction in Nha Trang, including current and stalled projects, and the Vega City development.
• Vung Tau construction update: 2024 edition
A report on Vung Tau construction projects, and following the path of a proposed urban railway.
2023
Cambodia
Phnom Penh
• Phnom Penh trip report (2023 edition) (subscriber only)
Construction reports for Koh Pich (the fake Paris island), BKK1 (the booming expat area), and Phnom Penh City Center (the city rising out of a drained lake).
Indonesia
Jakarta
• Trip Report: Jakarta construction update
Part 1: A summary of the big construction projects in the city that, contrary to media reports, is not being abandoned.
Medan
• Trip Report: Medan
An airport train. the massive main square redevelopment, Jakarta-style Superblocks arrive, and the rejuvenation of the old city area that could put Medan on the tourist map.
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
• Kuala Lumpur trip report: 2023
The KL city skyline continues to bulk up. Merdeka 118 (2nd tallest building in the world), the second-tallest building in KL, and more 300m+ buildings that look small in comparison.
Langkawi
• Langkawi trip report (subscriber only)
A big tower comes to Cenang Beach, an inappropriate Dubai-like development, and yet another mediocre urban development that Malaysia does so well.
Melaka
• Melaka trip report: Little Dubai in the Strait of Malacca (subscriber only)
The controversial land reclamation area of Melaka Gateway, Malaysia’s mania for ugly carpark podiums, a 9-tower project connected by a skybridge, a proposed 88-storey tower, and the Melaka Monorail.
Penang
• Penang construction update (2023 edition) (subscriber only)
Trip report for my visit to Penang in March 2023. New hotels questionably close to the old town, an endangered historic cinema, and land reclamation mania.
Thailand
• Pattaya trip report (subscriber only)
The proposed high-speed railway station, an urban railway from station to sea, demolishing the notorious Walking Street, and visiting the retirement beaches.
• Phitsanulok trip report (subscriber only)
The provincial city with a preposterous plan for a 5-line mass transit system, and how the proposed high-speed rail to Chiang Mai could transform its fortunes.
Vietnam
• Hanoi construction update: 2023 edition
• Ho Chi Minh City construction update – 2023 edition
• Trip Report: Hoi An 2023 construction update (Subscriber only)
The Da Nang-Hoi An resort coast, more new urban areas, the fragile beaches of Hoi An, and the hidden casino resort from Macau.
• Binh Thuan trip report (2023 edition) (Subscriber only)
Construction update on the Southeast coast of Vietnam. The weird building in a land corruption scandal, a mega-hotel on top of a sand dune, empty new urban developments, and the lost beach of Mui Ne.
• Novaworld Phan Thiet review
The new coastal resort town on the South Central coast of Vietnam.
• Danang construction report for 2023 (subscriber only)
Revisiting the construction sites in the city and along the coastal road to Hoi An, including a mini Dubai by the sea, and the apartment that Ronaldo didn’t build.
• Quy Nhon: The best and worst of urban development in Vietnam in one city (subscriber only)
My 2023 trip report for Quy Nhon, the city that could be the next big thing in Vietnam
2022
Cambodia
• Kampot and Kep
• Phnom Penh
• Sihanoukville
Indonesia
• Batam construction update: The Indonesian island on the other side of the Singapore Strait (subscriber report)
Laos
Malaysia
• Forest City – Futuristic city or farcical folly? (subscriber only)
Find out as I frolic through the flora of this fake island while uttering other F-words. This is my on-the-ground review of Malaysia’s mega land reclamation project in the Johor Strait.
• Johor Bahru
• Kuala Lumpur
• Penang
Philippines
• Manila trip report – 2022 edition (subscriber only)
Beginning the mammoth task of reporting on transport and urban development in the megacity of Metro Manila.
Thailand
• Bangkok
• Bangkok trip report (extra construction update notes) (subscriber only)
Dispatch from Bangkok: Notes and observations on a fast-changing city.
Vietnam
• Binh Thuan
• Da Nang
• Haiphong
• Hanoi
• Hanoi Metro
• Ho Chi Minh City
• Ho Chi Minh City Metro
• Hue
• Nha Trang
2021
Thailand
• Bangkok
• Bangkok Urban Rail Transit
Vietnam
• Ho Chi Minh City
• Ho Chi Minh City Metro
• Phu Quoc
• Vung Tau
2020
Vietnam
• Da Nang
• Hanoi Metro
• Ho Chi Minh City
• Ho Chi Minh City Metro
• Nha Trang
• Quy Nhon
