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Vietnam - China Completes Drilling Oil Well in Disputed Waters.

Vietnam – China Completes Drilling Oil Well in Disputed Waters.

The Chinese government claimed that a controversial oil rig located in waters disputed with Vietnam, has completed drilling.

The $1 billion deepwater rig was deployed last year amid cries of outrage from the Vietnamese government.

Haiyang  Shiyou 981, owned by China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), is located approximately 100 nautical miles east of Vietnam, and 75 nautical miles south…

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Beautiful Eyes…?! Two typhoons are heading to Southeast Asia: one could skim Taiwan or the northern Philippines with super typhoon force by the end of Aug 23, 2015.

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Bangkok Bombs - A lot of questions!

Bangkok Bombs – A lot of questions!

The scene after a bomb exploded outside Erewan Shrine in Bangkok late on Aug. 17, 2015. (PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Thailand is notorious for civil unrest, but the latest deadly attack in the capital is new in its kind.

It will take time to uncover the truth behind the Bangkok bombings; historical patterns and strategic incentives point to certain groups.

This…

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Laos - Flooding on the Mekong.

Laos – Flooding on the Mekong.

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) took these photographs of the Mekong River along the border between Thailand and Laos, in an area about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Vientiane.

Southeast Asia’s largest river winds as a red-brown channel of flood water, the result of very heavy monsoon rainfall that affected populations from North Vietnam through Thailand and…

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South China Sea: "Reclamation" is not "Construction".

South China Sea: “Reclamation” is not “Construction”.

China said its island-building spree has stopped.

Foreign minister Wang Yi announced that China’s land reclamation projects in the South China Sea are on hold.

He urged critics to “just take an airplane to take a look,” Reuters reported.

The announcement came after US secretary of state John Kerry spoke with Yi on the sidelines of a meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

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Thailand: Southern Rebels Attack Paramilitary Base.

Fourteen wounded as rebels storm base in Thai south.

The latest attack of 31 July, 2015, is the latest in a long and bloody series of deadly attacks in the predominantly Muslim southern part of Thailand.

This early morning attack on village defense volunteers, a local protection force armed by the state against the rebels, in Yala province left at least 18 volunteers wounded .

The simmering…

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China starts naval drills in the disputed South China Sea.

China starts naval drills in disputed South China Sea.

The Chinese Navy kicked off 10-day military exercises in the disputed South China Sea amid heightened tensions in the region, especially with the US. 

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedy seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in this file still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and provided by the US…

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This place is one of the exciting, bright spots in the world.

This place is one of the exciting bright spots in the world right now.

Hanoi, Vietnam –  July 17, 2015.

As Europe burns, Puerto Rico sinks, and China violently gyrates, it’s nice to know there are still some exciting bright spots of growth in the world.

Vietnam is certainly one of them.

The first thing you should know about Vietnam is that it’s a really wonderful place to spend time.

I’ve always loved it here. The food is one of the best parts, heavily influenced…

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Thailand Draws Ire Over Deportation of Uighurs to China.

Thailand’s military government confirmed the deportation of more than 100 ethnic Uighur people from western Xinjiang province back to China, a move condemned by rights groups and the United Nations. The deportation followed months of negotiations and came after more than 170 Uighurs were cleared to travel to Turkey last week.

By Ron Corben    

The overnight deportation of more than 100 ethnic…

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Abe counters China in Mekong Region.

Abe counters China in Mekong Region.

Thailand, Japan and Myanmar on Saturday launched the US$50 billion Dawei special economic zone by signing an agreement in Tokyo that will have a deep impact on trade and investment in Southeast Asia.

Image via GlobalAsia

Dawei is projected to become the major gateway for the Mekong region’s trade with India, the Middle East and Africa, while linking Myanmar by road to Thailand, Cambodia and…

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Da Nang - Booming Incoming Tourism.

The city of Da Nang welcomes 2.2 million visitors in the first half of 2015. The number of tourist arrivals to the Central Vietnam city of Da Nang between January and June 2015 is expected to hit an estimated 2.2 million, up 25% compared with the same period last year.

Da Nang – cầu sông hàn and Azura Tower.

The number of foreigners is expected to have risen by 33% to an estimated 600,000,…

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China-led AIIB development bank holds signing ceremony.

Vietnam becomes founding member of the multilateral investment bank (AIIB).

China has hosted the signing ceremony of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a new international financial institution set to rival the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Delegates from 50 countriessigned articles that determine each member’s share and the bank’s initial capital. The Bank, which will be…

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Vietnam - New international airport for greater HCMC region.

Vietnam National Assembly deputies give nod to Long Thanh International Airport.

The VND336.7 trillion (US$16 billion) construction project of an international airport in the southern Dong Nai Province was approved by a majority of the National Assembly deputies.

Located approximately 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, it is intended to become operational by 2025.

It is expected to…

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Vietnam visa exemptions for five more countries.

Visa exemptions for five more countries.

Vietnam to scrap visas for five European countries in July 2015.

Vietnam will waive visas for the five countries for one year. These countries do not have a similar policy for Vietnamese citizens, however.

According to the decision, from 1st of July 2015 onward, a total of 23 nationalities will be exempt their Visas when entering Vietnam, including 9 from the ASEAN and 14 from Europe.

Vietnam cu…

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Asian tourism is too dependent on Chinese travelers.

Asian cities need to attract a more diverse crowd.

A new report suggests so and warns about its potential implications.

Last Friday, MasterCard released the 2015 version of its Global Destination Cities Index, which tracks the most visited cities around the world.

Unsurprisingly, Asia does remarkably well when it comes to the number of international visitors.

But the report suggests that these…

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Highway planned to contact HCMC with Cambodian border crossing Bavet/Moc Bai.

The Vietnamese company Cuu Long Transport Infrastructure Management Investment and Development in HCM City plans to build a VND 30 trillion (US$ 1.37 billion) project to build an expressway that will connect HCM City with a southern border crossing into Cambodia.

The proposed expressway would link the city’s Thu Duc District with Moc Bai Border Gate in the southern Tay Ninh province that borders…

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Rohingyaland - A South Asian “Kosovo”?

There’s always an ulterior motive behind the US lecturing countries about ‘human rights’ and ‘democracy’.

Rohingya refugees.

Those two key words should raise immediate red flags to any decision makers in the targeted states that the US is addressing.

In the case of Myanmar/Burma, it’s evident that the US is already exploiting the Rohingya issue for its own geopolitical ends.

Washington wants to…