When the Portuguese took control of Malacca in 1511, the Sultan of Malacca escaped south and founded the Johor Sultanate, which included...

I just spent a week holidaying with my family in Manado on the northern tip of Sulawesi, the fourth largest island in Indonesia. Aside...

When most people think of Vietnam in a historical context, the Vietnamese war and the American role come to mind, or perhaps the French...

I had the pleasure of spending last weekend in Phuket, Thailand. Reading about things to do, I came across the fact that Old Phuket Town,...

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is not among the most well-known countries of Southeast Asia. A former British colony, it was starting...

Following up on Thailand's centuries-old relationship with Portugal, would there be any surprise that cultural exchange extended beyond...

Each time that I go to Bangkok I like to visit the Kudeejeen neighbourhood on the west side of the Chao Phraya river. Not a well-known...

I had the pleasure of a quick trip to the Indonesian resort island of Bintan this weekend. At the breakfast buffet, I came across this...

In my last post about kerosang, I described how this traditional piece of jewellery for wearers of the kebaya blouse comes from the...

The Straits Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia are a unique culture, a centuries-old blend of Chinese and Malay. One of their traditional...

I recently visited the Eurasian Heritage Gallery in Singapore, a museum at the Eurasian Association that commemorates the complex history...

I recently went to the Singapore National Museum and came across this quote about what is now Singapore highlighted on a wall: Who is...

Malay was the lingua franca of Southeast Asia, and after the Portuguese took control of the trading port of Malacca in 1511, many words...

The Portuguese made their appearance in Southeast Asia when they conquered Malacca on 24 August 1511. Their Iberian neighbours the...

The Portuguese introduced ingredients to the Asia palate that some would consider to be fundamental today. What would Thai food be like...

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to make contact with the Kingdom of Siam more than 500 years ago in 1511. In 1518 was signed the...

Starting with the conquest of Malacca, the Portuguese finally found in Southeast Asia the source of the spices they were looking for.