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Feel more at ease booking future travel
Rating: No votes Date: March 13th 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Wow – what a few hard weeks it’s been for the travel industry. While it’s incredibly important to stay informed regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s also all too easy to get [...] -
Traffic in Ho Chi Minh City
Rating: No votes Date: February 26th 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders As you probably know, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is a place filled with motorbikes, currently there are about 7 million motorbikes on the road. Most of the people who live here will drive a motorbike, [...] -
Up close and personal with orang-utans in Indonesia
Rating: No votes Date: February 13th 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders For the last couple of years, orang-utans are having a hard time. There is a lot of deforestation of the lowland forest in Borneo and Sumatra, Indonesia – one of their natural habitats – [...] -
Touring adventurous Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: February 5th 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Dreaming of a holiday where you can enjoy city, nature and beach life, all in a bit more than 2 weeks time? Then you’re definitely dreaming of a vacation in Thailand! Especially if you join our [...] -
Bolaven Plateau and Champasak
Rating: No votes Date: January 29th 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders To reach Bolaven Plateau in Laos, you start your tour from Pakse. We will share our personal eperience of traveling here. Pakse is a small city on the Mekong river, where most people start when they [...] -
Happy Year of the Rat!
Rating: No votes Date: January 22nd 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Chuc Mung Nam Moi! Happy Lunar New Year (in Vietnamese). 25 January 2020 is the first day of Lunar New Year, called Tet in Vietnamese. The evening before, family is gathering to celebrate the turn [...] -
When to travel to Southeast Asia?
Rating: No votes Date: January 16th 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Traveling through Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia or Laos is something you can do the whole year round. Yes, there are monsoon seasons in these countries, which can ruin your beach [...] -
Visiting Phnom Penh
Rating: No votes Date: January 2nd 2020 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When thinking about Cambodia, Phnom Penh is often overshadowed by the marvellous temples in Siem Reap. However this charming city has a lot to offer, such as the pretty riverfront promenade, buzzing [...] -
When is New Year ?
Rating: No votes Date: December 26th 2019 Traveller: Carla It's almost New Year. In Europe, America and Australia all kinds of wishes for the new year are made under the Christmas tree. In Asia, people start the New Year freshly. In [...] -
Where to go in Southeast Asia with kids?
Rating: No votes Date: December 19th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders You’ll notice it the minute you get off a plane in Southeast Asia – people here love kids! They are very accommodating to small and big kids alike, which makes this a great family holiday [...] -
Discover the highlights of Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: December 12th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Rich in history and culture, but still pretty new as a tourist destination; a good way to describe Myanmar. After centuries of rule by the British and later the military junta, Myanmar finally opened [...] -
Exploring the South of Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: December 3rd 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cambodia is a small country located in between Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Gulf of Thailand. Even though it’s small, it has a long and interesting history, with a magnificent early [...] -
48 in Bangkok
Rating: No votes Date: November 19th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Bangkok, a city that never sleeps. Never a dull moment in the city of the movie Hangover II. But where to begin in one of the biggest metropolises of Asia? We will start with teaching you about the [...] -
Wonderful Luang Prabang
Rating: No votes Date: November 12th 2019 Traveller: Carla If you go to Luang Prabang, the offering ceremony of the monks is a 'must-see' and definitely worth getting up early. You have to treat the ritual with respect; on the one hand it is a bit [...] -
Many reasons to put Sri Lanka on your bucket list!
Rating: No votes Date: November 6th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Sri Lanka, a beautiful diverse country that has much to offer the traveler. Whenever you want to travel, there is always a part of the country with 'the best travel time' of the year, so it [...] -
Our favourite places to stay in Phuket, Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: May 23rd 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When we say Phuket, you probably think of beautiful beaches filled with palm trees that the island is surrounded with. To be honest, we do too. And that’s why we most of our favorite hotels are [...] -
Vientiane’s Night Market
Rating: No votes Date: May 9th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Come and join us to discover the charming capital of Laos. You can cycle the city’s back roads, discover Vientiane and the Buddha park, or join in on a city tour where you’ll visit all of [...] -
National Geographic has honored Topas Ecolodge Sapa
Rating: No votes Date: March 27th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Every year National Geographic publishes its Unique Lodges of the World list. This list is not just a selection of world-class hotels, but also a collection of rare experiences. These lodges offer [...] -
Cycling around the backstreets of Bangkok, Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: March 14th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders There are loads of ways to get to know Bangkok a bit better, you can walk around, take a tuk-tuk, sit on the back of a motorbike, enjoy it from the back seat of an air-conditioned car, or you can go [...] -
Impressive That Luang in Vientiane, Laos
Rating: No votes Date: February 28th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vientiane is probably the most laid-back city in Asia. It’s not (yet) grown out to be a metropolis, and still has that small-town charm about itself. Besides being laid-back, it’s also a [...] -
Hidden places in Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: February 14th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders You read that right; hidden places in Angkor Wat. They still exist. And you don’t have to get up early morning to beat the crowds either. You just need to know where to find them, and how to [...] -
Happy Chinese New Year!
Rating: No votes Date: February 1st 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Chúc Mùng Nam Mói in Vietnam! Happy Chinese New Year! 2019 will be the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese Zodiac. The Pig is the zodiac which stands for personality, good [...] -
A couple of reasons why you too should visit Singapore!
Rating: No votes Date: January 4th 2019 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Are you still looking for a reason to visit Singapore? Even though the country is very famous for its airport and as a stopover island, we got several great reasons why this would be your next [...] -
Happy 2019!
Rating: No votes Date: December 28th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Whether you're celebrating your New Years Eve in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam or in your own country. The team of Been In Asia would like to wish you a very [...] -
What is the best time to go to Indonesia?
Rating: No votes Date: November 20th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders With a total land area of more than 1,9000,000km2 and more than 17,000 islands, you can imagine that there is not one set period to visit the entire country. In general, the entire archipelago is [...] -
Unusual things to do in Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: October 24th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar is rich in history and culture, however, as a tourist destination, its very young. After centuries of rule, the Burmese are getting their country back, and this results in uncensored media, [...] -
What to do with kids in Hua Hin, Thailand?
Rating: No votes Date: October 18th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Traveling with kids can be a daunting thing to do. But when you travel around Southeast Asia, you’ll soon realize it doesn’t have to be so hard. People here are very child oriented, love [...] -
Another country on our list: Indonesia
Rating: No votes Date: October 10th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Every so often we find a country that we have to put on our list. Indonesia is such a place, as it has a lot to offer. And that’s why we decided to add it to our list of countries we have been, [...] -
The beauty of Rabbit Island, Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: October 3rd 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Rabbit Island (or Koh Tonsay) is still mostly hidden away from most tourists. It’s one of those places you would like to keep a secret, as it’s a truly relaxing place, with wonderful and [...] -
Where should you stay in Singapore?
Rating: No votes Date: September 26th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders As you probably know, this year we introduced a new country to our list: Singapore. This country is one of the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 683 km2. But even if [...] -
Take your kids to Vang Vieng!
Rating: No votes Date: September 12th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos has a lot to offer for travelling families. There are beautiful landscapes, zigzagging rivers, and incredibly nice people to meet here. And then there are almost as many sights and activities [...] -
The wonderful world of puppetry
Rating: No votes Date: September 6th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When was the last time you visited a puppet show? Maybe when you were little yourself or more recently with your own kids? In Myanmar, however, going to a puppet show is not just for kids, but also [...] -
Go visit the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
Rating: No votes Date: August 29th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Phnom Penh is one of those cities of opposites. It has beautiful broad boulevards, where people wander around once the sun sets. But also crazy busy streets filled with motorbikes and honking cars [...] -
Mui Ne’s fairy stream
Rating: No votes Date: August 14th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders At a bit more than 200km from Ho Chi Minh City (4hr drive), you’ll find the fishing village turned beach resort Mui Ne. Here you can catch your breath from the chaos of Ho Chi Minh City, enjoy [...] -
The incredible 4000 islands of Southern Laos
Rating: No votes Date: July 20th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos’ 4000 islands, or Si Phan Don, can be found in the country’s deepest south, close to the Cambodian border. At this point, the Mekong is divided into an archipelago of islands, [...] -
Special offers Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: July 13th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The expansive golden country of Myanmar stretches as long as the distance from Copenhagen to Palermo, and as wide as the distance from Paris to Vienna. While some foreign governments continue to [...] -
Discovering Old Phuket Town | Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: July 5th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Phuket is known for its beautiful beaches, clear blue waters and big palm trees. As one of the top destinations in Thailand, almost everyone has at one point or another heard of this amazing place. [...] -
Where to stay in Southern Cambodia?
Rating: No votes Date: June 28th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cambodia is a beautiful country. Although people will automatically think of Angkor Wat and its temples, there are a lot of other things to experience and see here. Think of the incredible Mekong [...] -
Central Vietnam - Hoi An and Hue
Rating: No votes Date: June 21st 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The highlights of Central Vietnam are definitely pittoresque Hoi An and imperial Hue. As I hadn't been there for a while, it was time to go back and discover it again. When I lived in Vietnam I [...] -
The stunning Kuang Si Waterfall - Laos
Rating: No votes Date: June 13th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders At only 30km from Luang Prabang you can find the famous Kuang Si waterfalls. It’s probably one of the most popular attractions here; not without reason as it’s absolutely [...] -
Should you travel to Myanmar?
Rating: No votes Date: June 7th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In 2011, Myanmar (or Burma) re-opened its borders after being closed by an oppressive regime. This meant that it was slowly possible to explore all of the splendour the country had to offer. And [...] -
Stunning Koh Yao Noi |Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: May 31st 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Finding a beautiful island in Thailand is not so difficult. But finding an island which is not overloaded with tourists, not spoiled and with an authentic feeling might be harder. But not if you [...] -
Special offer for our 16 days Treasures of Vietnam tour!
Rating: No votes Date: May 24th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Special offer for our 16 days Treasures of Vietnam tour! Ho Chi Minh City | 16 days | from USD$2,065 Starting in vigorous Saigon, recent history in Chi Chi, life along the Mighty Mekong, Royal [...] -
Introducing a new BeenInAsia country: Singapore!
Rating: No votes Date: May 9th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders What was once a sleepy fishing village is now an interesting first-world metropolis. Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world (only 682,7km2), but this city-state has a big impact in [...] -
Best street food in Bangkok
Rating: No votes Date: May 2nd 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Bangkok is the city of Angels, the city that is always busy and full of life, and the city where you can eat 24/7. Not only are there an infinite amount of beautiful restaurants here – from low [...] -
Breezing through Luang Prabang’s Night Market
Rating: No votes Date: April 25th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Luang Prabang has many incredible markets, such as the Phosi Market (largest market in Luang Prabang), the Dara Market (famous for sinhs, traditional skirt worn by Lao women) and the morning market [...] -
Exploring Cambodia’s street food in Siem Reap
Rating: No votes Date: April 11th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cambodia is a beautiful country, its people are friendly, the culture is interesting and the food… delicious! However, when looking at the countries in the region, the Cambodian cuisine is [...] -
Bring your kids to Vang Vieng
Rating: No votes Date: March 21st 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders People in Laos LOVE children, and so it’s not strange that it’s a great place to travel with kids. Everyone is very accommodating and always happy to interact with kids, especially the [...] -
Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
Rating: No votes Date: March 13th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders At the Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, you’ll find the big, impressive and statuesque Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Not necessarily what Ho Chi Minh wanted; he wanted to have a simple cremation. But as he [...] -
How to spend your Yangon evenings?
Rating: No votes Date: March 1st 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is the largest city of Myanmar. As such there are off course loads of people here, but also many things to do. You have the magnificently gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, [...] -
Get back to nature in Chi Phat, Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: February 21st 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Chi Phat in Cambodia is a real off the beaten track location where you can truly get back to nature. It’s not an easy place to get to, as you need to take a bus, motorbike taxi and then cross a [...] -
Exploring the treasures of Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: February 14th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vietnam stretches itself along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. Bordering with China, Laos and Cambodia, and with its 1,650 kilometres from North to South, it has so much to [...] -
Have you heard of the cleanest beaches of Thailand?
Rating: No votes Date: January 31st 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Thailand has some of the most amazing beaches you can imagine. Often they pop up in the list of best beaches in the world, such as the 2017 list made by Islands.com in which Maya Beach on Koh Phi Phi [...] -
The different tribes in North Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: January 25th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vietnam is known as the land of the “ascending dragon”, crazy traffic, great food and beautiful countryside. But that’s not all there is to this amazing country; just think of the [...] -
This is why you should visit Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: January 17th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar, which was known as Burma until 1989, shares its borders with China, India, Laos, Bangladesh and Thailand. The country has countless temples, which were all mainly built during the 12th and [...] -
Discover Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: January 11th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cambodia is the land of temples, interesting markets, shrines, the horrors of the killing field, the wonders of the Khmer Empire in Angkor, beautiful seaside getaways, and so much more. It’s a [...] -
Experiencing the rice culture of Laos
Rating: No votes Date: January 4th 2018 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos has a very diverse landscape, however, this country, that only covers 236,000km2, exists 70% out of mountains, plateaus and rivers. Some of the mountains in the North go as high as 2,800metres [...] -
Remember these public holidays for Southeast Asia
Rating: No votes Date: December 28th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Will you be travelling to Southeast Asia in 2018? Make sure to keep an eye out on these public holidays. Some can make your holiday more interesting (like Vasakha Bucha Day, while experiencing [...] -
Season's Greetings
Rating: No votes Date: December 19th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Chúc mừng năm mới, ပျော်ရွှင်ဖွယ်နှစ်သစ် pyawshwinhpwal nhaitsait, สวัสดีปีใหม่ Sawasdee Pee Mai, [...] -
Find Angkor Wat’s hidden gems
Rating: No votes Date: November 30th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Angkor Wat, or the “City of Temples”, has many hidden gems, with many inaccessible temples around the area. Every year new temples and ruins are being discovered. There are many people [...] -
Thailand’s fighting art form
Rating: No votes Date: November 22nd 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It seems like Muay Thai, Thailand’s fighting art form has been around forever. And that’s almost right. In the Buddhist year 1238, the first Thai army was created. This army needed to [...] -
Planning your Southeast Asia trip
Rating: No votes Date: November 8th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It’s almost 2018, so time to start preparing for your 2018 holidays! Why not go to Southeast Asia for your next big trip? This is a great area to visit, as it’s filled with adventure, and [...] -
The wonderful world of Lao Cuisine
Rating: No votes Date: November 2nd 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Instead of asking ‘How are you?’ the people in Laos ask ‘Have you eaten?’. This is how important food is in this country! Knowing this, you can imagine Lao people are very [...] -
Royal Cremation for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: October 4th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders On Thursday 13 October 2016, King Bhumibol passed away. He was the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history and in the world, serving for more than 70 years. He was Thailand’s most beloved King [...] -
The elaborate tunnels of Cu Chi
Rating: No votes Date: September 28th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders If you want to find out more about the elaborate network of the underground tunnels used as hideouts, living quarters, supply routes, hospitals and more for the Viet Cong during the Vietnamese / [...] -
Shop till you drop at Psar Toul Tom Poung
Rating: No votes Date: September 22nd 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Every big city in Asia has them; a large market where you’re able to buy anything and everything, from souvenirs to silver jewellery, fake designer bags to Chinese-style furniture, photocopied [...] -
Laos’ boat racing festival
Rating: No votes Date: September 14th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Every year the local Boun Souang Heua (boat racing festival) takes place in Laos. This festival is spread out over a 6 week period, usually from the end of August to the beginning of October [...] -
Exploring Saigon’s Mangrove forests
Rating: No votes Date: August 30th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When thinking of the metropolis Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, you will not think of a mangrove forest. But you should! Very close to the centre of Ho Chi Minh City, only 70km away, you’ll find [...] -
A quick guide to Chatuchak Weekend Market
Rating: No votes Date: August 24th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Bangkok’s world famous weekend market is spread out over 27 (!) acres. It’s one of the largest weekend markets in the world. It’s known as Chatuchak, Jatujak and JJ market. It has [...] -
The travel tips you need to know when travelling to Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: August 17th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Until fairly recently, Myanmar was off limits to international wanderlusters. But after five decades of military rule, this beautiful country, rich in culture, peaceful pagodas, ancient towns, sacred [...] -
An amazing elephant experience in Khao Sok National Park
Rating: No votes Date: August 3rd 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Less than 2.5 hours away from Phuket Airport, you’ll find the Khao Sok National Park; part of the largest area of tropical rain forest in South Thailand and probably one of the country’s [...] -
Don’t leave Saigon before doing all of this
Rating: No votes Date: July 26th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City how it’s officially called now, used to be the French capital of the French colony of Cochinchina. Even though it’s not the capital of Vietnam, it is the [...] -
A true of the beaten path experience in Kratie
Rating: No votes Date: July 19th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Kratie is a small town in Cambodia, with colonial heritage, situated on the banks of the Mekong River. On first glance, there isn’t much to look at, besides the pretty colonial building and the [...] -
Bangkok nights in a tuk tuk
Rating: No votes Date: July 6th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Bangkok offers something for everyone, from quiet Buddhist temples, delicious street food to bustling nightclubs. With this diversity of tourist attractions, it welcomes around 11 million tourists [...] -
Spending 36 hours in Mandalay
Rating: No votes Date: June 28th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Located in the north of Myanmar, on the Ayeyarwady River, you’ll find the second largest city in the country – Mandalay. This city was built by King Mindon to replace Amarapura as his [...] -
Why you should visit Laos next!
Rating: No votes Date: June 15th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Located in Southeast Asia you’ll find Laos – a country traversed by the Mekong Delta and known for its mountainous terrain. It’s a beautiful country to visit, but due to the more [...] -
How to spend your 36hrs in Chiang Mai wisely
Rating: No votes Date: June 1st 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Situated about 700km North of Bangkok you’ll find Chiang Mai. With an estimated 1,000,000 people living in here, it is considered to be the second most important city in the country. Here [...] -
Traveling the Red River Delta - Northern Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: May 26th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders We will take you from Hanoi, Northern Vietnam, to the Red River Delta, a beautiful area South of Hanoi, often overlooked. Hanoi is a labyrinth of small streets, all called after 36 different [...] -
36 hours in beautiful Hoi An (Vietnam)
Rating: No votes Date: May 10th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders We would almost say that the best way of spending 36hrs in Hoi An, would be to find a way to extend your time in this quaint and quiet ancient city. Here you will find the perfect balance between [...] -
Run in Paradise at the Phuket Marathon
Rating: No votes Date: May 3rd 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders For the 12th year in a row Go Adventure Asia is organizing the Phuket Marathon on the 3rd and 4th of June 2017. The Laguna Phuket Marathon attracts participants from all over the globe, who want to [...] -
Otres Beach Sihanoukville
Rating: No votes Date: April 26th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When traveling down to the south of Cambodia, make sure to make a stop at Otres Beach in Sihanoukville. This is the quieter part of Sihanoukville, and even though the ones empty stretch of beach is [...] -
Food Week Saigon – 24-28 April 2017
Rating: No votes Date: April 13th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is famous for its delicious food, such as the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup called Pho, Vietnamese shellfish called Oc, Vietnamese Spring Rolls and much more. Besides the [...] -
Celebrating Songkran in Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: April 5th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It’s almost Songkran – a time to celebrate the Thai New Year! The Thai New Year is celebrated a bit differently than the western New Year. First of all, it is celebrated in April and [...] -
24 hours in Vang Vieng (Laos)
Rating: No votes Date: March 31st 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Many people know Vang Vieng as a party hub for backpackers, with its bars along the river and people passing by on a tube. However, since many of the bars were closed in 2012 this all changed, but [...] -
Spotting dolphins on the Mekong River
Rating: No votes Date: March 9th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In a 190km stretch of the Mekong River between Cambodia and Laos, you’re able to find around 80 Irrawaddy River dolphins. They symbolize the magnificence of the Mekong River and its continued [...] -
36 hours in Yangon (Myanmar)
Rating: No votes Date: March 1st 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Regularly I travel to destinations, to inspect hotels and to experience new tours, so I know what we offer to clients. This time Yangon had the honour. From Bangkok we take an early flight, so we [...] -
Hidden gems of Northern Thailand: Nan & Phrae
Rating: No votes Date: January 19th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Thailand is well discovered by tourist. Well, that’s what you think. But there are still areas, which are rarely visited by tourists and still untouched. We have found one of these areas: Nan [...] -
Remote Sapa (Vietnam)
Rating: No votes Date: January 14th 2017 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Sapa has become a very popular destination. Since 1.5 yr there is an expressway, which connects Hanoi to Lao Cai near Sapa, which makes it even easier to reach the ‘roof of Vietnam’. [...] -
Happy 2017
Rating: No votes Date: December 29th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When you ask a child “when is New Year”, you would think the answer is easy, right? Well, there is more than 1 answer. In the Western world we have the countdown on the 31st of [...] -
Merry Christmas from Southeast Asia
Rating: No votes Date: December 24th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Christmas is a Christian celebration. Originally it’s not Santa, but the celebration of a new born baby, Jesus. Southeast Asia has a mainly Buddhist population, with Christians far in the [...] -
Exploring the rivers in Laos
Rating: No votes Date: December 8th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos is a country filled with waterways; Mekong River (the biggest and probably the most known), Nam Ou River (longest river in the northern region of Laos), Nam Suang River (with a length of [...] -
The Golden Rock on Mount Kyaiktiyo
Rating: No votes Date: December 1st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Golden Rock is one of the most important religious sites in Myanmar. This well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site is located on top of Mount Kyaiktiyo, in the Mon State, and is also known as the [...] -
Things to do in Vietnam – visit the Cao Dai Cathedral
Rating: No votes Date: November 24th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Have you ever heard about the religious movement called Cao Dai (or Caodaism)? It’s actually a pretty new religion, only being established in 1926 in South Vietnam. It’s a fusion of [...] -
Jungle adventures in Koh Kong, Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: November 10th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Situated on the border of Thailand and Cambodia, in between the Cardamom Mountains and the sea, is where you will find Koh Kong; a relatively untouched part of Cambodia. The city itself is small [...] -
The Festival of lights in Thailand – Loy Krathong
Rating: No votes Date: November 3rd 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Loy Krathong is one of Thailand’s most enchanting festivals. It’s colourful and joyful; people gather around lakes, rivers and canals to pay respect to the goddess of water by releasing [...] -
Things to do in Myanmar – visit Hpa-An
Rating: No votes Date: October 19th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Hpa-An is a charming town that sits on the eastern bank of the Than Lwin River. Even tough this is the capital of Kayin State, it feels more like a village than a city. Although, with the new highway [...] -
The beloved King of Thailand has deceased
Rating: No votes Date: October 13th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Today, Thursday 13 October, it has been officially announced that the beloved King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej has deceased. He was the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history and in the world, [...] -
Human trafficking in Sapa
Rating: No votes Date: October 12th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Human trafficking is a business like no other. Every year an estimated 2 to 4 million humans are traded across foreign borders as slaves, sex workers and brides. And this also happens in the Vietnam, [...] -
Apsara – the traditional dance of Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: October 6th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders If you’ve visited Cambodia before, you have probably seen the carvings found around several temples (especially at Angkor Wat) of beautiful Apsara dancers. Looking at these carvings, historians [...] -
Things to do in Mandalay – climb the Mandalay Hill
Rating: No votes Date: September 29th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In the Northern part of Myanmar, you can find Mandalay, situated along the Ayeyarwady River. Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar, and it was the capital of the last independent Burmese [...] -
An unforgettable experience – trekking in Northern Laos
Rating: No votes Date: September 21st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos combines some of the best elements of Southeast Asia, as it’s a country that is yet untouched by modern demands and stress. The beauty of this country lies in the Lao people with their [...] -
Community-based restaurants in Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: September 15th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In Cambodia, the community-based tourism is slowly growing. But what do we mean with a community-based tourism? We think of this as social enterprises that give back to the community. Mainly by [...] -
What to do when it rains in Phuket?
Rating: No votes Date: September 8th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When thinking about a trip to Phuket you’re probably expecting beautiful white sand beaches, clear blue waters and the most stunning tropical sunsets you’ve seen in your life. As this is [...] -
Highlights of Laos – the Nam Ou
Rating: No votes Date: September 1st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In the mountainous Northern part of Laos, you’ll find the Nam Ou (Ou River) passing through some of the country’s most inspiring scenery. But before we get into things, just a little [...] -
A powerful earthquake shakes Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: August 25th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Yesterday (Wednesday 24 August) a powerful earthquake hit central Myanmar. According to the American Geological Survey (USGS) the quake registered 6.8 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of [...] -
Kanchanaburi and River Kwai
Rating: No votes Date: August 18th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The 'Bridge over the River Kwai' is the famous movie from 1957. Now River Kwai is an idyllic river through the jungle in Thailand near the Burmese border. You can do thrilling downstream [...] -
Spending 36 hours in Ho Chi Minh City
Rating: No votes Date: August 11th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Ho Chi Minh City – HCMC, or Saigon as it’s still known by plenty of people – is the city of millions of motorbikes, chaotic streets without any traffic rules, the delicious local [...] -
Hot Air ballooning over Bagan
Rating: No votes Date: August 4th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Flying in a hot air balloon is a truly unforgettable experience – flying over a beautiful landscape far above the ground, with the only sound you here is coming from the burners filling up the [...] -
More than just a game – the Battambang wheelchair basketball team
Rating: No votes Date: July 28th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined areas in the world, and even though 50% of the minefields have been cleared, the Cambodian Mine Action Center estimates that there are still 4 to 6 million [...] -
Cruising the Ayeyarwaddy River
Rating: No votes Date: July 21st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Ayeyarwaddy River – the Burmese name for the Irrawaddy River – is the main river of Myanmar, flowing through the centre of the country with a length of 2,170km! It’s [...] -
The Dams in the Mekong River
Rating: No votes Date: July 13th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Mekong River is the 7th largest river in Asia (and the 12th in the world), beginning in the high plateau of Eastern Tibet and subsequently flowing through six more countries being China, Myanmar, [...] -
The meaning of Buddhist Lent
Rating: No votes Date: July 7th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Buddhist Lent is a special time of the year for Buddhists in Southeast Asia. It is something that does not exist throughout the religion, but was created for the Buddhists in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, [...] -
Phnom Penh Highlight – Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
Rating: No votes Date: June 29th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Royal Palace and The Silver Pagoda are definitely a symbol of the city of Phnom Penh. Giving you a glimpse of the country’s royal history. Often this side of the country is missed due to [...] -
How to spend 36hrs in Siem Reap
Rating: No votes Date: June 16th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Siem Reap – located in the northwest of Cambodia – is the major tourist hub in the country. That’s not strange if you know this city is home to the world famous temples of Angkor. [...] -
The ever-changing Phu Quoc Island
Rating: No votes Date: June 9th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Phu Quoc is a peaceful paradise located in the beautiful turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Especially for beach lovers it’s heaven, with stretched white-sand beaches. But it also has [...] -
Elephant Camp in Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: June 2nd 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Elephants are an endangered species, due to loss of natural habitat, ivory poaching, and human-elephant conflicts. In Southeast Asia elephants are often used for the logging industry, which however [...] -
What to do with only 36hrs in Luang Prabang?
Rating: No votes Date: May 25th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Luang Prabang – located in Northern Laos – has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. Mountains and the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers encircle the city. Due to this, and the vast [...] -
Coming soon: Thailand
Rating: No votes Date: May 19th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Before the summer we will offer a new destination: Thailand! With this we complete the mainland of Southeast Asia. Sice 2.5 years I call Bangkok /Thailand my 'home' and I have seen and [...] -
The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City
Rating: No votes Date: May 12th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It has been more than 40 years ago that the Vietnam War (or the American War as the Vietnamese call it) ended, but it might be one of those wars that a lot of people remember vividly. Maybe [...] -
Join in the Rocket Festival celebrations in Laos
Rating: No votes Date: May 5th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Near the start of the wet season, the Rocket Festival (or Boun Bang Fai) is celebrated in Laos. It is traditionally held in the sixth Lunar month of the year – which is usually around May or [...] -
Volunteerism – make sure you do the right thing
Rating: No votes Date: April 28th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Over the past years, volunteerism has been a popular way of spending a holiday. And why not? Spending time with underprivileged kids, helping out at a dog shelter, or even rescuing turtles. While [...] -
36 hours in Yangon
Rating: No votes Date: April 21st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Yangon – formerly known as Rangoon – was the country’s capital till 2006. Today it still remains the largest city in the country and its buzzing commercial centre. When visiting [...] -
Vietnam’s undiscovered coastline
Rating: No votes Date: April 13th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Many people travelling to Vietnam will make sure to hit the highlights, such as Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City. Some wanting to make a stop at the beach will add Danang, Nha Trang or Phu [...] -
New Year's celebrations with water!
Rating: No votes Date: April 7th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Most countries celebrate the New Year with loud fireworks, but not in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. No, we do it a bit differently on this side of the world – here the New Year is [...] -
Highlights of Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: April 1st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Talking about the highlights of Myanmar is a difficult choice. What should I name? Yangon with the Swedagon Pagoda, the sacred sight for Burmese people, where they have to come at least once in their [...] -
Visiting Nha Trang – Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: March 24th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Until the 1970s, Nha Trang was only a small fishing village. Now it is one of the most popular beach destinations in Vietnam. With its 6 kilometre stretch of white, sandy beaches and clear waters, [...] -
Laos is broadening its tourism appeal
Rating: No votes Date: March 17th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos has been on plenty of people’s travel bucket list in the past years. And for plenty of good reasons. The country offers many attractions, beautiful rivers (Mekong) and wildlife-filled [...] -
36 hours in Hanoi
Rating: No votes Date: March 9th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam is known for its beautiful French architecture, large lakes, Buddhist pagodas, coffee shops on every street corner and broad boulevards. The city has a history of [...] -
Mandalay – the last royal ancient city
Rating: No votes Date: March 3rd 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Mandalay is the second largest city of Myanmar and is home to just over 1 million people. This former royal capital is a dusty, large and flat city. But once you get to know it better, you see that [...] -
Connecting travellers through food
Rating: No votes Date: February 25th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Food is such a big trend right now. You can see it everywhere – food halls popping up everywhere, Restaurant weeks in almost every big city in the world, just to name a few. It’s not [...] -
Celebrating Makha Bucha in Laos
Rating: No votes Date: February 18th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders One of the exciting things about travelling is getting to know a country and it’s culture. Off course this includes celebrating holidays you’ve never heard about. One of these [...] -
What to do in Phnom Penh - in only 36hrs?
Rating: No votes Date: February 10th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodia, and often used as a layover destination to get to more known places such as Angkor Wat or Sihanoukville. If you’re in the capital for only a short [...] -
The people of Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: February 3rd 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar is an ethnically diverse nation with more than 100 ethnic groups. The government divided all these groups into seven major national ethnic races, mostly looking at their location, instead of [...] -
A guide to enjoying TET in Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: January 24th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The most important Vietnamese festival and public holiday is around the corner – TET, the Vietnamese New Year and also known as the Lunar New Year. This year Tet is held from 8 till 13 [...] -
Do you know Battambang?
Rating: No votes Date: January 21st 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cambodia is famous for the sacred temples in Siem Reap, and off course it’s capital Phnom Penh. But when travelling a bit more in the country, you’ll realize that there are so many more [...] -
The 4,000 islands of Laos
Rating: No votes Date: January 14th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos being a landlocked country – in between Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and China – you would not immediately think the country has islands. Think again, as in the south of Laos [...] -
Si Pi Bi Lai? – Have you eaten yet?
Rating: No votes Date: January 7th 2016 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar is a country that is able to offer a great variety of food all year round. Mainly because the country has very fertile soil, good water sources and favourable seasons. It’s no wonder [...] -
Ringing in the New Year
Rating: No votes Date: December 30th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders 2015 is coming to an end and so we’re right in the middle of the holiday season. We’re in limbo land right now, just having celebrated Christmas and with New Year’s Eve upon us. [...] -
Celebrating Christmas in Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: December 24th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Traditionally, the countries in Southeast Asia are not celebrating Christmas. And so Cambodia is not any different. Here almost 95% of the people are Buddhist, which means they don’t have the [...] -
New railway to be built between Laos and China
Rating: No votes Date: December 16th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It happens more often that countries work together to work on deals to improve their country’s accessibility. Like Japan whom is helping Vietnam with their metro systems, and Italy is working [...] -
Charming Siem Reap
Rating: No votes Date: December 10th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Once a year the Angkor Wat Half Marathon take place in Siem Reap. For me always a good reason to go back, to feel the atmosphere, to visit hotels and this time also again a time to admire the [...] -
Myanmar’s top destinations
Rating: No votes Date: December 3rd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar – the official name of the Southeast Asian country, but more commonly known as Burma – is a nation with more than 100 ethnic groups. The country borders India, Bangladesh, China, [...] -
When to travel in Vietnam?
Rating: No votes Date: November 26th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vietnam has a north-to-south distance of about 1,650 kilometers. This is approximately the same distance as traveling from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Porto, Portugal. You can imagine that there [...] -
Laos’s Elephant March
Rating: No votes Date: November 13th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Asian elephant is a species under threat, which can be seen when only looking at the numbers of elephants left in Laos. There are only 900 elephants left in Laos, a country once known as the [...] -
Ho Chi Minh City’s amazing rooftop bars
Rating: No votes Date: November 6th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is rapidly changing with plenty of new high-rise buildings popping up around town. Despite that, you still don’t have to go very high to enjoy a great rooftop bar with [...] -
Discover Luang Prabang and Vientiane
Rating: No votes Date: October 23rd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders How wonderful it is to travel around for work, to inspect hotels and to enjoy new tours! Experience is my motto and it's great to pass it on to other travelers. This has always been my motivation [...] -
Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City will get first ever make-over
Rating: No votes Date: October 7th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Notre Dame in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is one of the city’s architectural marvels. This incredible structure was built with materials exclusively imported from France, between 1863 and 1880. [...] -
New tours in Laos
Rating: No votes Date: September 11th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos is on many people's bucket list and more and more travelers find their way to this country, where there is so much to discover. Therefore, we have renewed and expanded our program! In a [...] -
New tours in Saigon and Mekong Delta
Rating: No votes Date: August 28th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Check out our new tours! In Saigon, we have two new tours on the back of a vintage Vespa! Discover Saigon in a very authentic way, the highlights of the city and you get to places you normally never [...] -
Laos - a delightful surprise for any traveller
Rating: No votes Date: August 21st 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Less touristy than Thailand, and more relaxing than Vietnam. Laos is often overlooked over its better known neighbours. But even Myanmar which was closed off for decades will probably surpass Laos in [...] -
5 must try dishes in Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: August 13th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vietnamese food means rice in many forms (steamed, noodles, pancakes, porridges), fish sauce (that smelly sauce that immediately changes the entire flavour of a dish, for the better), herbs (fresh [...] -
The ever changing direction of the Tonlé River
Rating: No votes Date: August 5th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Tonlé river is a special river located in Cambodia, connecting the Tonlé Sap Lake to the Mekong River. We all are used to rivers that flow from point A to Point B, but not the [...] -
The Reunification Palace - a 1960’s Time Capsule in Ho Chi Minh City
Rating: No votes Date: July 31st 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders A Vietnamese flag proudly waves above this whitewashed concrete building known as the Reunification palace. This incredible structure is one that you can’t miss when walking around Ho Chi Minh [...] -
Myanmar Top emerging destination
Rating: No votes Date: July 23rd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders For the third year in a row Myanmar was voted top “emerging” destination foreseen to gain popularity in 2015 in a study done by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in December 2014 for the United [...] -
Owning your own island - it's still possible in Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: July 15th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Ever dreamt of having your own tropical island? A place where you can live and enjoy the beautiful warm waters, sit under your own coconut tree and just enjoy it all? This is exactly what Melita [...] -
Combating Wildlife Trafficking in Laos
Rating: No votes Date: July 8th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Wildlife trafficking involves the illegal gathering, transportation and distribution of animals and their derivatives. This can be done either on international or domestic scale. At this moment, Laos [...] -
Changing Ho Chi Minh City
Rating: No votes Date: July 2nd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders I regularly visit places we offer on BeenInAsia. Not only because I love traveling, but also because of the incredibly fast changes some countries in Southeast Asia undergo. When we lived in Ho Chi [...] -
The rickshaw is still the number one transportation in Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: June 25th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When thinking of street life in Southeast Asia, plenty of people will think of men paddling guests or loads around in their rickshaw. In many of the bigger cities around this part of the world, the [...] -
Rooftop bars in Hanoi
Rating: No votes Date: June 18th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Which rooftop bar should you go to in Hanoi? A great way to discover a new city is by finding a good vantage point, somewhere high up with amazing views where you can get a visual grip on your new [...] -
Inle Lake - Myanmar’s best kept secret?
Rating: No votes Date: June 11th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Inle Lake is one of the most picturesque and photogenic places in Myanmar. Most people plan tomake the stopover at Inle Lake while traveling from Yangon to Bagan {or the other way around}, and are [...] -
Drinking in Southeast Asia
Rating: No votes Date: June 4th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In many countries around the world there are strict rules on alcohol consumption, with minimum age set from 16 years, minors not being allowed to enter places where alcohol is being served, to total [...] -
New Code of Conduct for Angkor Wat
Rating: No votes Date: May 28th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders 2015 has been a difficult year for Angkor Wat. Not that they’ve seen a decline in tourist - it is still the number one tourist destination in Cambodia with more than 2 million visitors a year - [...] -
Bringing Smiles to Vietnamese Children
Rating: No votes Date: May 21st 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It’s possible to discover a country in many different types of ways. You can travel around, enjoy the sites, have a homestay or you can volunteer to help out people in need. This is what [...] -
Visiting the mysterious Plain of Jars in Northeastern Laos
Rating: No votes Date: May 14th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Plain of Jars is a mystery of bizarre stone jars scattered across the landscape of North East Laos. Hundreds of these ancient Stone Age jars reach as high as 3m and weigh between 650kg and one [...] -
Pyin Oo Lwin - Myanmar’s Highland City
Rating: No votes Date: May 8th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In almost every country in Southeast Asia, you’ll find that one place where all the locals go to, to cool down during the scorching hot summer days. For Myanmar, this is Pyin Oo Lwin - or [...] -
Buddha’s Birthday celebration in Southeast Asia
Rating: No votes Date: April 30th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Buddha’s Birthday is one of the holiest religious days for Buddhist and is a holiday in many Southeast Asian countries. This day goes by different names in Southeast Asia, it’s called [...] -
Reunification Day Celebrations in Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: April 23rd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Vietnam War (or the American War as it’s known in Vietnam) was fought between the North of Vietnam - supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies - and the South of [...] -
Lighting up the sky in Danang!
Rating: No votes Date: April 16th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders All over the world people love to see fireworks, and there are many places where you can enjoy great firework shows. Just think about the beautiful shows in Macau, Dubai and even Scheveningen in [...] -
Happy New Year!
Rating: No votes Date: April 8th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Say what?! Happy New Year? It’s April! How could this be?! Well after the Western New Year on the 31st of December, we celebrated the Chinese New Year in February and now it’s Myanmar, [...] -
New: the Travel Planner !
Rating: No votes Date: April 2nd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Would you like to travel to Southeast Asia, but you don't know where to start and how much it will cost? Then the Travel Planner is a great starting point! Click on the country where you want [...] -
Fascinating Mandalay
Rating: No votes Date: March 28th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar is a fascinating country, developing really fast. That's why we want to keep up and visit our destinations regularly. Now I went to Mandalay, city of temples, monastries and monks. Half [...] -
Three days in the Thai jungle. An unforgettable experience!
Rating: No votes Date: March 19th 2015 Traveller: Maria Soledad A customers review: 'Our experience in Northern Thailand, was something incredible! Learned a lot, surprises and adventure (which is what most men want). It is important to note that this tour is [...] -
Dalat - the city of veggies and flowers, and much more!
Rating: No votes Date: March 12th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Dalat - a town situated in the South Central part of Vietnam - offers travelers good weather, great food and plenty of things to do. But when you tell a Vietnamese person you’re about to [...] -
Discover ASEAN
Rating: No votes Date: March 6th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (better known as ASEAN) was established in 1967. At that moment the ASEAN countries existed of five members, being Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, [...] -
Exploring Angkor Wat
Rating: No votes Date: February 27th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders-Matti Angkor Wat is in the top list of places to visit, for almost everyone who’s heading out to Southeast Asia. Not strange, knowing that this is one of the most important archaeological sites in [...] -
Hanoi & Sapa Culture Tour
Rating: No votes Date: February 20th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders One of the most beautiful areas of Vietnam is the North of Vietnam with stunning landscapes, green rice terrasses, which in some seasons reflect the clouds and the birds in the water. Colourful [...] -
Telecom in Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: February 12th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar is one of the few countries in the world where cell phones remain rare. Not so strange, considering that five years ago, buying a cell phone SIM card could cost you more than US$2,000! It was [...] -
Tet 2015 - Year of the Goat
Rating: No votes Date: February 5th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In Asia the New Year is not only celebrated on the 1st of January. Several countries are basing their year on the Moon or Lunar Calendar, and so they celebrate the New Year in January or [...] -
Myanmar’s rapid development
Rating: No votes Date: January 30th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders As in every major country that is developing quickly, buildings are being erected in high speed. Think about the changes that can be seen over the years in places like Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and [...] -
Traveling around Vietnam with Kids
Rating: No votes Date: January 23rd 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders It might not pop into your mind as a great family vacation, but Vietnam definitely is a great place to travel for young and old! A big part of the appeal is the Vietnamese love for kids, toddlers and [...] -
Social Etiquettes for Laos
Rating: No votes Date: January 16th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Every country has it’s own social etiquettes, and so does Laos. The Laotians are genuinely friendly people and interacting with them is one of the greatest joys of travelling through the [...] -
Vietnam’s first metro projects
Rating: No votes Date: January 8th 2015 Traveller: Carla Rijnders With a population of 87 million people, Vietnam is a fast growing country - and a busy one too. Many people have seen the video clips of how to cross a street in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) or Hanoi. If [...] -
Ringing in the New Year in Southeast Asia
Rating: No votes Date: December 30th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders By the end of the year everyone is in a holiday mood. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, there always is the big celebration of ending the old, and starting the new year of in great style. [...] -
Christmas in Southeast Asia
Rating: No votes Date: December 18th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Dreaming of a white Christmas, but not really lovin’ the cold? Southeast Asia might be the place for you, and with it’s beautiful white beaches in most of the countries you’re sure [...] -
New tours Northern Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: December 12th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders As we want to keep track on the latest developments, BeenInAsia travels to its destinations, to see the newest hotels and the latest interesting tours. We now went to Northern Vietnam, as this area [...] -
Fried spider anyone?!
Rating: No votes Date: December 5th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Southeast Asia is known for its amazing food. Just think about it; pho in Vietnam, fish amok in Cambodia, larb in Laos and āthouq in Myanmar. Prepared on the side of the street or in a local [...] -
Dandaree Show brings Myanmar’s rich history to life
Rating: No votes Date: November 28th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar’s rich history will be brought to life in a new cultural show in Bagan, called Dandaree. This show, which was jointly designed by local and foreign companies, started on the 1st of [...] -
Vietnamese motorbikes
Rating: No votes Date: November 21st 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vietnam is known for its huge amounts of motorbikes. It is estimated that in the entire country there are more than 37 million motorbikes driving around. Unlike in many Western Countries, Vietnam [...] -
ChildSafe Network in Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: November 14th 2014 Traveller: Frederiek Ilona Bollen Cambodia is one of those wonderful countries to visit in South East Asia. A country with a lot of history, nature and amazing people. Like in many places around the world, you will find poverty and [...] -
Discovering Hoi An
Rating: No votes Date: November 7th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders One of the place you can’t miss when visiting Vietnam is Hoi An. This incredible charming city is an UNESCO World Heritage site, featuring a mix of architecture of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese [...] -
Getting to know Myanmar
Rating: No votes Date: October 31st 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar opened its doors for international travellers after the reforms in 2011 - offering a world of rich and exotic delights. For many tourists this country has been on top of their wish-list to [...] -
Angkor Wat Half Marathon - 7 December 2014
Rating: No votes Date: October 24th 2014 Traveller: Frederiek Ilona Schrijver-Bollen The half marathon in Angkor Wat is not like any other internationally recognised half marathons. Besides the fact that it’s set in a stunning location - running around the beautiful temples [...] -
Taking a pitstop in Vang Vieng, Laos
Rating: No votes Date: October 17th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vang Vieng is situated about a four hour drive north of Vientiane, halfway down the long Vientiane to Luang Prabang highway. A perfect pitstop in between two of the most spectacular cities of Laos, [...] -
Memorial Day for the former King of Cambodia
Rating: No votes Date: October 8th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders When visiting another country it’s always important to know a little bit about its background, and whether there are any special festivities or holidays going on while you’re there. This [...] -
Reasons to love Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: October 3rd 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Ever thought of visiting Vietnam, but never really had the time to go? Here are a couple of things to love about this amazing country, which might win you over to visit the country sooner than [...] -
Shwedagon Pagoda Yangon Gilding
Rating: No votes Date: September 26th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Shwedagon Pagoda is the famous landmark of Yangon, Myanmar. It is the most sacred Buddhist site for the people in Myanmar and believed to be 2,500 years old. 'Shwe' means gold and honors [...] -
New: Myanmar !
Rating: No votes Date: September 19th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Myanmar, Golden Land. This is the nickname of the country. Throughout the country you will find beautiful pagodas and stupas glistening in the sun. Ancient Buddha statues which are worshiped by the [...] -
Hotel con Corazón, hotel with a heart
Rating: No votes Date: September 2nd 2014 Traveller: Gijs & Eva | Hotel con Corazón Cambodia Cambodia is a marvellous country with an impressive culture, beautiful nature and hospitable people. Every year more people visit Cambodia to experience the ‘kingdom of wonder’ [...] -
Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival
Rating: No votes Date: August 29th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Tet Trung Thu {pronounced as Tet Troong Thoo} in Vietnamese, is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon is at its fullest. For 2014, this [...] -
Southern Laos - exploring Champasak
Rating: No votes Date: August 21st 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Laos is often overlooked in favour of its better-known neighbouring countries. For years the country was caught in the middle of two Indochina wars and isolated from the rest of the world. It offers [...] -
Visiting Sapa in Autumn Time
Rating: No votes Date: August 14th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Sapa is situated in the North of Vietnam, about 350km from Hanoi and close to the border of China. The Hoang Lien Son mountains dominate this area, and this is the reason why you will find the [...] -
Let’s Run Da Nang 2014 | International Marathon 31 August 2014
Rating: No votes Date: July 31st 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Da Nang is the third largest city in Vietnam and famous for its coastline with its beautiful beaches, on which some of the best resorts in Southeast Asia are situated. Besides that, the city is also [...] -
Trang An Scenic Landscape recognised as World Heritage Site
Rating: No votes Date: July 24th 2014 Traveller: Frederiek Ilona Bollen On 23 June, Vietnam’s Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, it’s the country’s eight World Heritage site. The site was [...] -
Top 25 Landmarks of the World
Rating: No votes Date: July 16th 2014 Traveller: Frederiek Ilona Bollen Every year Tripadvisor makes lists on topics such as the best beaches, hotels and more, as determined from ratings by travellers using their website. Amongst this list you will find the Top 25 [...] -
Happy Buddhist Lent Day!
Rating: No votes Date: July 11th 2014 Traveller: Frederiek Ilona Bollen Several countries in Asia, including Laos and Cambodia, celebrate Buddhist Lent Day annually. If you’re not familiar with this tradition, but you will be in one of these countries on this day, [...] -
Angkor Wat run
Rating: No votes Date: June 27th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Where else can you run better than through the largest temple complex in the world? Half a marathon in a jungle area, between the 1,000 year old majestic temples, place of the Khmer empire. When? On [...] -
Exhibition 'Humans of Hanoi'
Rating: No votes Date: June 20th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Ever wondered what the lady who sells you flowers is thinking? Ever thought of what a 101-old lady has gone through in her life ? 'Humans of Hanoi' is a project 'Through the Windows of [...] -
Temple styles
Rating: No votes Date: June 15th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Temple styles vary in different parts around Asia. Most Asians believe in Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto and Hinduism. In Vietnam it is a mixture of Buddhism and Taoism - influenced by China. In Laos, [...] -
À Ố Show in Saigon
Rating: No votes Date: June 6th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City is not normally open to the public. Except for performances. This is your chance to see both the cozy French Opera House and the swirling À Ố Show. It is [...] -
Hoi An entrance fee
Rating: No votes Date: May 30th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The charming little town Hoi An (Vietnam) has introduced ticket fees. Although the fees existed for entering some historic building, they now set up ticket boots at every entrance of the city. [...] -
Vintage Jeep Tour Cambodia January 2015
Rating: No votes Date: May 22nd 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders A unique experience, touring Cambodia by driving your own vintage jeep! You will be escorted by a technical teams and guides, who will tell you all about culture, habits, history and nature. This [...] -
New: round trips Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: May 13th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Just book, pack & go with our new luxury complete round trips in Vietnam. In 8 to 18 days you will explore Vietnam's lively cities, fascinating country side, green rice terrasses and meet [...] -
Vietnam Mountain Marathon
Rating: No votes Date: April 18th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Vietnam Mountain Marathon takes place from 18-22 Sept. in a unique environment of beautiful mountains, green rice terraces and coloured with its beautiful minority tribes. September is the perfect [...] -
Ultimate jungle experience!
Rating: No votes Date: April 12th 2014 Traveller: Erik Through BeeninAsia we booked the 3 day Jungle Zip Lining in Southern Laos and is was a great experience! We had very good and professional advise, which resulted in having an unforgettable [...] -
Happy Songkran !
Rating: No votes Date: April 4th 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Songkran, Pii Mai or Chou Chhnam Khmer is New Year in several countries in Southeast Asia, like Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar. It is from 14-16 April and lasts for 3 days. It [...] -
Cardamon Mountains
Rating: No votes Date: March 21st 2014 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Lonely Planet listed Cardamon Mountains (in Khmer Kravanh Mountains) in the top 10-list 'most-action packed jungle'. You can stay in the jungle on floating tents [...] -
Hairdressers in Hanoi
Rating: No votes Date: November 20th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Why is this picture taken in Hanoi ? Yes, the phone number stamp is definitely in Vietnam and maybe you tried to call it. Most important: these are women as hairdressers ! In HCMC you only see male [...] -
Activities around Dalat
Rating: No votes Date: November 8th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders There is no better place than Dalat to go hiking, biking and canyoning ! The atmosphere in Dalat is significantly different to the rest of Vietnam. It is higher above sea level and therefore cool and [...] -
Nice, funny facts about Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: October 5th 2013 Traveller: Claudia Gharbi Why do Chinese eat with chopsticks ? Why are there so many motorbikes in Vietnam ? Anyone who visits Asia, will sooner or later be engaged with questions about cultural aspects or habits. Below we [...] -
Will you also visit the Angkor Photo Festival in Cambodia?
Rating: No votes Date: September 22nd 2013 Traveller: Claudia Gharbi Yes, it is still possible! You still have time to arrange your trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia for the Angkor Photo Festival. And that is definitely worth it, because this event is highly appreciated [...] -
Bangkok by Night
Rating: No votes Date: September 19th 2013 Traveller: Kevin van Dijk Before arriving in Thailand, my girlfriend and I booked a tour with BeeninAsia. We had made an itinerary for ourselves from Bangkok to Chang Mai, and from the north gradually descending to the [...] -
Rice harvest in Sapa
Rating: No votes Date: September 13th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders In October rice is harvested from the beautiful rice terraces in the mountains of Northern Vietnam. Mostly women are working in the paddy fields, harvesting the rice manually. This tradional way of [...] -
Half marathon at Angkor Wat
Rating: No votes Date: September 3rd 2013 Traveller: Claudia Gharbi All sports enthusiasts, attention! You can now combine a spectacular sport and culture event in Cambodia. How? By participating in the Angkor Wat half marathon on December 1, 2013. Imagine running [...] -
Round trips Laos
Rating: No votes Date: August 23rd 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders If you don't have time to organize your own trip to Laos, just book one of our round trips. We have classic tours and also a choice for the more adventurous people. Want to change something ? No [...] -
Did you discover these clubs and bars in Laos?
Rating: No votes Date: August 10th 2013 Traveller: Claudia Gharbi Laos, one of the most beautiful countries of Southeast Asia, offers a variety of temples and world heritage sites. When you think of Laos, you have temples in mind, beautiful nature, Buddha statues [...] -
Airport Hue reopens
Rating: No votes Date: August 6th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders On September 20th Hue's Phu Bai Airport will be reopened after a few months closure. This is 2 months earlier than expected. This makes it much easier to travel from/to Hue from Hanoi or Ho Chi [...] -
restaurants Saigon
Rating: No votes Date: July 6th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders The best pizza in Ho Chi Minh City you can find at Pizza4P, authentic Vietnamese dishes at Cafe Gao. See more recommended restaurants in our food [...] -
Saigon Art & History Tour
Rating: No votes Date: June 28th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Saigon Art & History tour takes a closer look at the major shifts in Vietnam’s modern history through the eyes of artists. From the grand halls of the HCMC Fine Art Museum to the fresh [...] -
Mia Resort Nha Trang
Rating: No votes Date: June 20th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Mia Resort Nha Trang is a fantastic place if you want to have a short break at the beach in Vietnam. Only 45 min flight from Saigon, 15 min. from airport and you stay in a lovely setting on the beach [...] -
Laos live on BeenInAsia.com !
Rating: No votes Date: June 12th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders A new chapter for BeenInAsia.com, a great addition for traveler who want to discover Laos. Everywhere you will find yourself surrounded by impressive temples, which house the orange-clad monks. Laos [...] -
3 days cycling tour Cu Chi & Mekong
Rating: No votes Date: May 31st 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Want to see the best of South Vietnam ? We have a new fantastic private 3-days cycling tour to Cu Chi - Ben Tre and Can Tho in Mekong Delta. It's a fantastic way to discover the best of the [...] -
Cruising Mekong Delta
Rating: No votes Date: May 20th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Cruising the Mekong with overnight on board of a traditional luxury boat or even a private boat for your family. In combination with Phu Quoc for the beach or with Phnom Penh to start your discovery [...] -
Cambodia in the picture
Rating: No votes Date: May 15th 2013 Traveller: Carla Rijnders Discover Phnom Penh, charming town where past meets present, stay in a beautiful villa resort in Kep, overlooking the sea and unwind yourself on the beach of Rabbit Island. Cambodia has a lot to [...] -
Sapa and Topas Ecolodge
Rating: No votes Date: April 16th 2013 Traveller: Katerina Bernova During easter holidays I spent a relaxing time in Sapa and sorrounding mountains. As I traveled with our children ( 7 and older) without my husband I wanted to be safe and without bad surprise. [...] -
Lovely and exploring trip to the Mekong Delta | Vietnam
Rating: No votes Date: January 22nd 2013 Traveller: Christina What a lovely 2-day-trip we had to the Mekong Delta. Even with knowing the area already we saw again a beautiful and stunning side from Vietnam. It was so interesting to see how the area changed over [...] -
Lovely Hoi An and the Cham culture at My Son
Rating: No votes Date: January 12th 2013 Traveller: Violette We had a great time in Hoi An! Thanks to BeeninAsia.com we found the Frangipani villa for the night. It is a cosy hotel with great amenities. We enjoyed riding the free bicycles into town and to the [...] -
A visit to Ha Long Bay .... a must
Rating: No votes Date: December 6th 2012 Traveller: Harry The trip started on check-in, and then we went aboard a beautiful boat with a private cabin with shower and toilet. The boat (Bhaya), where we spent the night, had a spacious restaurant deck, where [...] -
Vietnam, the easy riders
Rating: No votes Date: June 29th 2012 Traveller: Nieke A few adventurous days, since we had decided to do a tour with "the easy riders", an organization for motor trips to see Vietnam in another way. We were two mothers and five kids between 6 [...] -
Vietnam, Hoi An
Rating: No votes Date: May 16th 2012 Traveller: Carla One of the most beautiful towns in Vietnam I have seen is Hoi An. Nowhere else will you have such a nice streets, full of yellow, old houses. Everywhere you find restaurants and many shops. We were [...] -
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City: a cyclo ride
Rating: No votes Date: March 14th 2012 Traveller: Bert/Frank We had a wonderful experience, sitting in a cyclo, traversing the streets in the Chinese district of Ho Chi Minh City. It is the way to safely experience the traffic and at the same time to see much [...]
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