The Southeast Asian region has abundant cultural wealth and natural beauty. Not only Indonesia, but almost all ASEAN countries also have many world cultural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, making them tourist attractions in the Southeast Asian region.
Cultural heritage represents values, beliefs, traditions, lifestyles, and cultural traces passed down from generation to generation until today. That is why UNESCO's cultural heritages in various countries in Southeast Asia hold many cultural, spiritual, and historical values that are still very strong, making it interesting to explore.
Here are some of the world cultural heritage sites in the Southeast Asian region recognized by UNESCO.
Borobudur Temple, Indonesia
Among many tourist destinations in Indonesia, Borobudur Temple is one of the tourist destinations of the world's cultural heritage site. UNESCO designated Borobudur Temple as a world cultural heritage in 1991.
The reason behind the designation of Borobudur Temple as a world cultural heritage is its unique architecture that has characteristics and meaning. In addition, the temple located in Magelang, Central Java, is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, with high educational and religious values.
Imperial City Hue, Vietnam
Imperial City Hue, one of the tourist destinations in Vietnam, has been designated as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. The citadel, which is located in Central Vietnam, was once the Nguyen Dynasty’s seat of government for 140 years.
Imperial City Hue's charm lies in its magnificent architecture which is surrounded by red-eye stone walls about 30 feet high. Many things can be found in this 520-hectare cultural heritage site, starting from the magnificent palace buildings through the tombs of the kings and pagodas to the museums.
Bagan, Myanmar
Myanmar is called the Land of Thousand Pagodas. The name came from an area in Myanmar that has thousands of pagodas and stupas recognized by the world, namely the City of Bagan. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the capital of this Pagan Kingdom had 10,000 temples surrounding the city.
Out of thousands of temples, Ananda Temple is one of the largest and most famous temples in Bagan. The hallmark of Ananda Temple is its symmetrical shape, with whitewashed outer walls, and gilded spires.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Some tourists will take their time to visit the Angkor Wat temple while on vacation in Cambodia. It is a tourist destination that is included in the list of world cultural heritage sites by UNESCO since 1992.
As a world cultural heritage, Angkor Wat cannot be separated from the beauty of its magnificent ancient architecture, which has high historical value. Angkor Wat was built as a representation of Mount Meru, which in Hindu mythology is the place of gods.
Megalithic Jar Sites, Laos
Laos is also one of the countries in Southeast Asia that have cultural heritage sites, the Megalithic Jar Sites, also known as the Plain of Jars. Laos' world cultural heritage site is filled with thousands of giant jars 1—3 meters in height and up to 14 tons in weight.
The giant jars in the Megalithic Jar Sites are relics from the Iron Age, around 1,500-2,000 years ago. The researchers argue that these jars had previously functioned as a cemetery.
Photo: Shutterstock/Adel Newman