Future Southeast Asia News #272

Da Nang update, coastal cities of Indonesia, Jakarta's derelict monorail pillars, Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Railway, Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link trains unveiled, proposed Chiang Mai cable car, Phu Quoc wants an electric train line

Author

James Clark
July 02, 2025

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter features transport and urban development news in Southeast Asia, edited by James Clark.

Hello from Da Nang. I’m splitting my time between here and Ho Chi Minh City this month, so let me know if you are about.

Da Nang, Vietnam

Future Southeast Asia articles

Latest article

This week’s feature article is about the lack of great coastal cities in Indonesia. Cities that Indonesians want to move to and that international tourists want to visit. Cities that can be an alternative attraction to Bali.

I was originally going to write about the 10 New Balis program, but to get tourists to other places in Indonesia means improving transport and city infrastructure. Ultimately, fixing these issues makes life better for Indonesians first, and it has the benefit of making Indonesian cities more attractive for tourists to visit.

I was in the middle of writing about how Indonesia should spend more to fix cities, then I read the news that Indonesia approved the second Bali airport (the link is in the news section below). So much for the idea of trying to get tourists out of Bali.

I will be writing more about the cities of Indonesia over the next month.

Indonesia comprises over 17,000 islands and has a population of over 280 million people. With so many islands and so many people, why are there no great coastal cities that are famous destinations?

Recent articles

Quy Nhon trip report (2025 edition). A review of apartment and hotel towers under construction, the resort project that will be connected to the city by cable car, the abandoned Japanese-themed new urban area, and prospects for the city with the future high-speed railway.

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News

🇰🇭 Cambodia

"The relocation of Phnom Penh International Airport has brought sadness along with the memories of travelers, nearby residents, and those whose jobs depend on its operations."

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• To rescue or abandon Java? (archive) [Jakarta Post]

"The lessons of the previous administration's IKN megaproject do not bode well for the revived "Giant Sea Wall" project, which could find itself and the coastal communities it is supposed to protect at sea, even before it breaks ground."

"For a long time, Jakarta has been Indonesia’s economic powerhouse, hosting over 70 percent of the country’s monetary circulation and contributing more than 17 percent to the national GDP. "

🇱🇦 Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said public transport will serve as the backbone of future development in Malaysia’s capital under the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 (PTKL40)."

"Penang residents plea to chief minister."

 🇲🇲 Myanmar

"Key projects include the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port in Rakhine State and a planned railway linking Rakhine to Yunnan Province following the route of existing oil and gas pipelines.

The train would connect the border town of Muse in northern Shan State with Mandalay and Kyaukphyu, linking landlocked western China to the Indian Ocean."

🇵🇭 Philippines

"Dizon said that the airports slated for privatization by 2028 are Iloilo, Davao, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Bicol, Tacloban, Bacolod-Silay, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa."

🇸🇬 Singapore

"A consortium led by Frasers Property—controlled by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and his family—submitted the highest bid of S$491.5 million ($387 million) for a residential plot in Singapore’s upscale Bukit Timah neighborhood."

🇹🇭 Thailand

"Preliminary ideas were presented for a route up Doi Suthep, connecting the foot of the mountain near the Chiang Mai Zoo with Wat Phra That Doi Suthep."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

This article mentions a railway for Phu Quoc:

"Meanwhile, seven other projects have been proposed by investors, with six in Phu Quoc, including an electric train line, two roads, an international seaport, an eco-tourism and resort complex, and a 36-hole golf course."

"Photos of the Vietnamese capital, home to almost 9 million people, show the environmental cost of the Southeast Asian nation’s explosive growth."

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