From the secluded valleys of Bhutan to the hustle and bustle of Beijing, Asia is a land of diverse cultures and terrain. Travel across the continent and discover all it has to offer.

Where thousands of soldiers ferried supplies toward the front, a new road swings through Quang Tri Province

Vietnam

Revolutionary Road

Efforts to turn the Vietnam War's notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail into a major highway have uncovered battle scars from the past while paving a way to a brighter future

With their reputed healing powers, Japan

Japan

Springs Eternal

In rural Japan, stressed workers and tourists seek geothermal ease

young monks at a religious festival sport trendy shades, masks

Bhutan

The Changing Face of Bhutan

As the last Himalayan Buddhist kingdom cautiously opens itself to the world, traditionalists fear for its unique culture

Doors to the Hall of Middle Harmony

China

Forbidden No More

As Beijing gets ready to host its first Olympics, a veteran journalist returns to its once-restricted palace complex

The Empress Dowager Cixi 1903-1905

China

Cixi: The Woman Behind the Throne

The concubine who became China’s last empress

Three hundred and fifty million people live along the Yangtze in places ranging in size from massive cities to tiny villages. Chongqing, a city at the convergence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, is home to more than six million people. Others live in more remote outposts, such as these two homes on the river

China

Snapshot: Yangtze River

A virtual vacation along China's mighty waterway

Calendar of Events

Bangkoks Songkran New Year festival washes away bad luck.

Highlights and Hotspots

Celebrations, ceremonies and competitions sure to delight even the most seasoned traveler

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Burma

Pagans restorations since 1996
  • Sacred and Profaned
    Misguided restorations of the exquisite Buddhist shrines of Pagan in Burma may do more harm than good

India

Hindu monk
  • India's Holiest City
    At Varanasi, Hindu pilgrims come to pray—and to die—along the sacred Ganges River

Malaysia

Building on the past is one of Singapore
  • Singapore Swing
    Peaceful and prosperous, Southeast Asia's famously uptight nation has let its hair down

Cambodia

Saffron-robed monks enter the Bayon, which stands in the precise center of the King Jayavarman VII
  • Jewel of the Jungle
    Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

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Videos

Destination Asia

The Smithsonian Channel has spent some time over in Asia. Watch videos ranging from Buddhists monks praying to Pandas in their native mountain landscape.

From the Smithsonian Life List

Have you traveled to these places? Tell us about your adventures.

• Angkor Wat
• Pagan
• Taj Mahal
• The Great Wall
• Yangtze River
• Zen Garden of Kyoto

Travel with Smithsonian