Bangladesh The Sundurbans is a wide swath of coastal area located near the delta of the Ganges River. The bulk of this region is a protected area in Bangladesh, though the western part is in India where it is incorporated into a national park. The Sundurbans is the site of the world’s largest tidal mangrove forest and incredibly important ecosystem. Among other things it is … [Read more...]
HA LONG BAY
Vietnam Ha Long Bay is acclaimed by many to be one of the most spectacular waterways on Earth. A labyrinth of titanic stone pillars that jut from the water’s surface, Ha Long Bay is a great natural harbor that is home to floating fishing villages and a culture that dates back thousands of years. The bay is now a favorite stop for cruise ships traversing the orient and … [Read more...]
PHANG NGA BAY
Thailand Phang Nga Bay is a magnificent waterway that separates the Malay Peninsula from Phuket Island. Located just north of the critical shipping lanes in the Malacca Strait, Phang Nga Bay has been an important haven for seaborne commerce since time immemorial. Dotted with exotic islands, it is now popular with seaborne sightseerers. Much of Phang Nga Bay is now protected … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF HUE (HUE BATTLEFIELD)
Hue, Vietnam (1968 AD) The Battle of Hue was one of the centerpiece engagement of the Tet Offensive and one of the largest and most important battles of the Vietnam War. Part of an all-out surprise attack across South Vietnam, the effort to dislodge the American forces from their critical base at Hue nearly succeeded, but in the end the city was defended at terrible cost to … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU (DIEN BIEN PHU BATTLEFIELD)
Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam (1954 AD) The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the penultimate engagement of the Indochina War in which Vietnam, and ultimately Laos and Cambodia, gained their independence from the Frence. One of the largest post-colonial battles anywhere in the world, it ranks with the Battle of Vertieres in Haiti in terms of a disastrous loss of a former colony for … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF BATAAN (BATAAN BATTLEFIELD)
Manila, Philippines (1942 AD) The Battle of Bataan was one of the most important strategic victories for the Japanese during the early Pacific campaign, and one of the largest military defeats in the history of the United States. Like Pearl Harbor, which had been attacked barely a few weeks before the war in the Philippines began, Bataan and the infamous death march that … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF MACTAN (MACTAN BATTLEFIELD)
Cebu City, Philippines (1521 AD) The Battle of Mactan was the first great battle of the colonial era in the Pacifc. Taking place barely three decades after Columbus discovered America, it was also one of the very few times in which the native forces successfully drove of the European invaders. The battle made the Philippine leader Lapu-Lapu a national hero. In addition to … [Read more...]
BATTLES OF BACH DANG (BATTLEFIELD)
Hai Phong, Vietnam (938 AD, 981 AD & 1281 AD) The Battles of Bach Dang, or Bach Dang River, was a trio of engagements that took place along the frontier between China and Southeast Asia during the Middle Ages. In all three battles, Chinese invaders attempted to extend the empire down the coast of what is now Vietnam; and in all three cases the Vietnamese beat them back. … [Read more...]
OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIN MOSQUE (MASJID OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIN)
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei The Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddin is one of the great mosques of the 20th century. Built by the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei, it is one of the most popular and visited mosques in the Islamic Far East. It has also been acclaimed by many to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, a claim that is not without merit. A modern-day structure, the … [Read more...]
DAMEK MOSQUE (MASJID DAMEK)
Kuala Lampur, Malaysia The Masjid Jamek in Kuala Lampur is one of the oldest mosques in the city and, along with the Masjid Negri in Kota Bahru, among the most important in Malaysia. It served as the national mosque of Malaysia throughout most of the first half of the 20th century, and though it has since been surpassed by the Masjid Negara, it is still first in the hearts of … [Read more...]
