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🎬 Borrowed scenery, borrowed stories: Hollywood’s complicated love affair with Southeast Asia

We’ve lent our landscapes to blockbusters for years. Now, Asia is lending Hollywood something bigger — its stories.
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Daily Angle

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🇻🇳 Vietnam marks 81 years of independence with economic milestones and looming challenges
Long after its independence, the country has outperformed nearly all its peers, but the next phase will be harder
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Elias Widhi, and Alvin Qobulsyah
🇵🇭 Philippine 95th National Heroes Day: Honouring the past, protecting the future
The commemoration remembers those who fought for freedom, while honouring modern-day heroes and the duty to protect Philippine sovereignty
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Nugrahanto Margo Raharjo, and Alvin Qobulsyah
⚓ UK Royal Navy's Cambodia visit signals growing commitment to the Indo-Pacific
United Kingdom Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Fleet Tamar visits to the Realm Naval Base to strengthen defense cooperation with Cambodia. This agenda…
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Mochammad Ade Pamungkas, and Alvin Qobulsyah
🇲🇾🌍 Hari Merdeka 2026: A local spectacle, policy shifts, and a global celebration for Malaysia’s 69th
Royal pageantry, major policy shifts, and global diaspora events mark Malaysia’s 69th Hari Merdeka
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Indryan Swarandaru Djamin, and Alvin Qobulsyah
🌐 ASEAN fintech powerhouse: 37 Southeast Asian firms nab spots on CNBC's Global Top 500
Led by Singapore's dominant 27 entries, the region's $896B fintech ecosystem asserts its global authority across digital payments, insurance, and wealth…
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Fredrick Samuel Haryanto, and Alvin Qobulsyah

Weekend Brew

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🎬 Borrowed scenery, borrowed stories: Hollywood’s complicated love affair with Southeast Asia
We’ve lent our landscapes to blockbusters for years. Now, Asia is lending Hollywood something bigger — its stories.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Vila Marescotti, and Alvin Qobulsyah
🌊🎣 3 Southeast Asia fishing tournaments: where sport meets tourism
From Lembata to Labuan and Siargao, these fishing competitions offer more than a chance to land the biggest catch, they offer a different way to…
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dhamayanti Pratiwi, Nazila Fitri Adinda, and Alvin Qobulsyah
🏮✨ The most magical lantern and light festivals across Southeast Asia
Rooted in centuries-old traditions, these glowing celebrations offer travelers a unique way to experience the region’s culture, spirituality, and…
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dhamayanti Pratiwi, and Veronica Berna
Feeling, flirting, and letting go: Southeast Asia’s August music wave 🎵
How a wink, a wound, a confession, and a downpour crossed borders on the regional pop charts.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Nazila Fitri Adinda, and Aris Satya
🎶🌏Beyond the Beat: How Southeast Asia Is Reinventing Music Festivals
✨ From local sounds to immersive experiences, how Southeast Asia’s festivals are redefining the way audiences experience music.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dhamayanti Pratiwi, and Veronica Berna
🎬✨The Southeast Asia new shot-callers of global action movies
Southeast Asia’s stars aren’t just acting in blockbusters anymore. They’re running the show.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Nazila Fitri Adinda, and Aris Satya
🌿 Where silence still exists: 6 off-grid Escapes in Southeast Asia for travelers seeking nature and solitude
From floating jungle lodges to remote island escapes, these destinations offer a quieter side of Southeast Asia away from the crowds.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dhamayanti Pratiwi, and Veronica Berna
🎤🎙️Eurovision Asia sets date to crown the continent’s next mega-star
Ten nations, strict three-minute rules, and a single global stage—here is how Eurovision Asia is reshaping regional pop.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Nazila Fitri Adinda, and Aris Satya
🚌"Get on the Angkot": no na's "honk!" is putting Indonesian street culture on the world stage
From the “Om Telolet Om” craze to the angkot still filling Indonesia’s streets, No Na’s “Honk!” turns everyday sounds into a cultural tribute.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Vila Marescotti, and Veronica Berna
From collector to competitors: Southeast Asia Rise in the Global Koi Industry
A structural power shift is redirecting Nishikigoi monopoly.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Ananda Saridevi, and Aris Satya
🇮🇩 Hollywood meets Southeast Asia: Agnez Mo brings Indonesia’s Pencak Silat to Comic-Con
✨ Indonesian stars Agnez Mo and Anggun showcase Southeast Asian talent in Amazon’s Reacher universe.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Vila Marescotti, and Veronica Berna
Fines, bans, and viral Friction: the cost of bad travel etiquette
From an exclusionary Bali run club to clashes on the Bangkok BTS, recent incidents reveal the fragility and rapid repair of cross-cultural goodwill.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Nazila Fitri Adinda, and Aris Satya

Podcast

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7:59
S26E31 - They Came to Fight. Now They’re Calling the Shots
Southeast Asian action stars are taking their martial arts traditions — and increasingly, their creative power — onto the global stage.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dilla Sunarya, Akasha Viandri, and Rheza Ardiansyah
7:08
S26E30 - Southeast Asia's Independence Month: Growing Older, Living Better?
Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia celebrate another year of independence. But is life getting better for their people?
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Akasha Viandri, Dilla Sunarya, and Rheza Ardiansyah
8:50
S26E29 - Wearing Our Heritage: How Southeast Asia Is Redefining Traditional Fashion
Tradition finds a new life in Southeast Asia’s modern fashion scene.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dilla Sunarya, and Rheza Ardiansyah
18:00
S26E28 - Solo Traveling Across Southeast Asia
As Indian travelers flock to Southeast Asia, a new generation of solo explorers is discovering the region through deeper, more spontaneous experiences.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Rheza Ardiansyah, and Akasha Viandri
7:34
S26E27 - Tea in Southeast Asia: A Story in Every Cup
From Camellia sinensis to Thai tea, Teh Tarik, and laphet, the history behind the region's tea culture.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Akasha Viandri, and Rheza Ardiansyah
6:59
S26E26 - Press Start, If You Dare...
Horror games across Southeast Asia are bringing the region's folklore to global audiences through interactive storytelling.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dilla Sunarya, Akasha Viandri, and Rheza Ardiansyah
4:57
S26E25 - One Label, Better Health
Countries across Southeast Asia are redesigning food labels to help consumers make healthier choices.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Akasha Viandri, Dilla Sunarya, and Rheza Ardiansyah
7:08
S26E24 - When Southeast Asia Takes the Conductor’s Podium
From Jakarta to Manila and Bangkok, the region’s orchestras are proving that music can be one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful forms of diplomacy.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Dilla Sunarya, and Rheza Ardiansyah
4:09
S26E23 – 5 Floating Villages Keeping Southeast Asia's Waterborne Traditions Alive
These centuries-old communities prove that life on the water is still thriving across Southeast Asia.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Cecilia Setiawan, and Rheza Ardiansyah
6:06
S26E22 - The Happiest Countries in Southeast Asia: Is Happiness Really About Money?
Southeast Asia’s latest happiness rankings suggest the answer is far more complicated than economic growth alone.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Akasha Viandri, and Rheza Ardiansyah
8:08
S26E21 - Michelin Stars in Southeast Asia: Why Some Have Them and Some Don't
The Story Behind the Oscars of the Culinary World and Their Growing Presence in Southeast Asia.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Akasha Viandri, and Rheza Ardiansyah
6:04
S2620 - Indonesia's Racquet Sports Boom: Your Friends Play It, and Investors Are Watching
From a social fitness trend to a growing sports economy, Indonesia's racquet sports boom is proving to be about more than just breaking a sweat.
 • THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DESK, Akasha Viandri, and Rheza Ardiansyah
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