Hello dear subscribers, I have some big news this week - Living In Asia is now Future Southeast Asia! The new site is at https://futuresoutheastasia.com.

Future Southeast Asia continues with the work I have been doing on Living In Asia, covering construction, transport, and infrastructure in Southeast Asia. The new name better reflects the focus of the site.

I Initially bought the domain livinginasia.co to turn it into a digital nomad site about...living in Asia. I eventually abandoned that idea but I kept the domain. When I repurposed the domain I didn't expect the site to grow as it has. While Living In Asia is not a bad catch-all name for what I do, I found that it caused some confusion with people expecting living guides and apartment reviews. I do post about new apartment construction, but it's not the mission of the site to be a real estate or cost-of-living guide. There are other sites that are doing that well, and I would only consider doing such a site if I am bringing something new to the table.

Another reason to rebrand was to move from a .co to a .com. There are some sites where having a .co is fine. The domain coconuts.co is a great domain name, and for tech/nomad sites it works well. For a site about transport and infrastructure though I felt like it was better to have a .com site.  My friends at Tropical MBA did a podcast about this subject when they moved Dynamite Jobs from .co to .com, which was a "huge symbolic change" for their company.

Relaunching this site as Future Southeast Asia is also a huge symbolic change for myself and for this site. Living In Asia became a pandemic pivot site for me when the bottom of my travel business fell out from under me. Going forward, Future Southeast Asia will become my core business as there is still so much to report about.

I look forward to seeing this site grow and - depending on vaccinations and travel bubbles - hopefully I can start travelling soon for on-the-ground reporting of big projects in Southeast Asia. Once travel is back to normal I will be attending conferences again, and I will mention any I am going to if you would like to meet up.

[Yours Truly at a rail conference in Bangkok.]

On social media, you can follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. I've also registered accounts at Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Yes, it’s time to stop resisting and start doing videos.

Any links to posts on the old URL should redirect to the new URL.

The newsletter is also on a new domain at news.futuresoutheastasia.com. If you are already a subscriber you will not need to update your subscription. If you aren’t a subscriber yet, sign up for free weekly updates.

Latest Posts At Future Southeast Asia

Usually in this section I would introduce the latest post of the week. As I have spent most of the week preparing for the new site, I haven’t published a new post. Instead, I have posted a welcome post: Welcome to Future Southeast Asia!

Updated Posts

This section includes news items that are added to previously posted articles.

Thailand

Details of Mae Sot-Nakhon Sawan railway to be released Friday

• Added to The East–West Economic Corridor Railway

Thai/Chinese high speed train from Bangkok to Nong Khai moves a small step closer to reality

• Added to Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway

Other News

This section includes a round-up of the latest news in Southeast Asia related to construction, transport, and infrastructure.

Southeast Asia

For Asia’s hotel investors, a light at the end of the tunnel?

Cambodia

Phnom Penh to have a large green lung on a 75 hectare site at Ta Mok Lake

Full steam ahead for transformation of railway station with Train Square

Cambodia in the middle of road-construction frenzy

Indonesia

Indonesia embraces best and avoids worst of 'Bali model'

“Jakarta pins hopes on Lake Toba for a new model of sustainable tourism.”

Indonesia offers more aggressive tax perks for electric cars

Germany earmarks 2.5 billion euros for Indonesian infrastructure

“Planned projects cover urban mobility, waste management and water supply.”

Laos

Laos' Four Thousand Islands New Area aiming to draw 15 million visitors per year by 2050

Malaysia

Run-down Kuching Civic Centre to see better days

AirAsia aims to launch 'flying taxis'

“The regional budget airline AirAsia is seeking to launch an app-powered flying-taxi business as soon as next year, according to co-founder and chief executive Tony Fernandes.”

Philippines

Was San Sebastian Basilica designed by Gustave Eiffel?

Singapore

Budget debate: Istana to be restored, Malay Heritage Centre revamped

Thailand

Govt mulls southern bridge spots

This “land bridge” is an alternative to the Thai Canal that has been proposed for decades.

Bangkok canal project wins Asian habitat award

Electric tuk-tuks roll into downtown Bangkok for less obnoxious rides

Vietnam

Vietnam among world's 10 largest aviation markets

Vietnam turns focus to transport system for regional connectivity

“The Vietnamese government is doing its part to improve connectivity among regions nationwide.”

Vietnam's true carbon threat: its kingdom of 50m motorbikes

“CO2-spewing old two-wheelers an obstacle to decarbonization.”

In Ho Chi Minh City, residents wait 2 decades for bridge to be completed