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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](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/204*109/hochimin_mar08_388.jpg)
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
![young monks at a religious festival sport trendy shades, masks](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/204*109/bhutan_mar08_388.jpg)
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](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/204*109/forbidden_mar08_388.jpg)
China
Forbidden No More
As Beijing gets ready to host its first Olympics, a veteran journalist returns to its once-restricted palace complex
Calendar of Events
![Bangkoks Songkran New Year festival washes away bad luck.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/204*109/calendar_mar08_388.jpg)
Highlights and Hotspots
Celebrations, ceremonies and competitions sure to delight even the most seasoned traveler
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Burma
![Pagans restorations since 1996](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/145*78/sacred_main_388.jpg)
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Sacred and Profaned
Misguided restorations of the exquisite Buddhist shrines of Pagan in Burma may do more harm than good
India
![Hindu monk](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/145*78/varanasi_monk_388.jpg)
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India's Holiest City
At Varanasi, Hindu pilgrims come to prayand to diealong the sacred Ganges River
Malaysia
![Building on the past is one of Singapore](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/145*78/singapore_main_388.jpg)
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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](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/145*78/angkor_388.jpg)
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Jewel of the Jungle
Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples
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Videos
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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
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090116005908im_/http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/lifelist-145.jpg)
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