The best museums in Asia

Singapore

Commanding a prime waterfront location in Singapore’s colonial district, the Asian Civilisations Museum is a window into Singapore’s cultural identity. Three floors teem with ancient artefacts that trace its past and present through relics of ancient China, the Indian subcontinent, and the Islamic world. From old manuscripts to priceless carved deities, it’s a colourful journey into Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and other ancient faiths that have each influenced the modern metropolis. The standout exhibit is the Tang Shipwreck, which features hundreds of priceless relics from at least a millennia ago, salvaged from the sea. This remarkable collection includes an unprecedented array of Chinese ceramics, gold, silver and jewellery.

Must-see The Tang Shipwreck in The Khoo Teck Puat Gallery for priceless thousand-year-old Chinese relics.

Jakarta, Indonesia

Getting a handle on the history, culture and traditions of a nation as vast and diverse as Indonesia means an inevitable stop at the National Museum in Jakarta. Established over 150 years ago, it’s one of the oldest museums of its kind in Southeast Asia. The monumental collection numbers more than 100,000 artifacts and spans prehistory, the Hindu and Buddhist Kingdoms, the Indonesian sultans, colonial times and WWII occupation. The museum showcases Indonesian artistic culture with comprehensive displays of traditional Batik garments, Dayak puppets, ancient gamelan-style instruments, and ceramics. Free English and foreign language tours are conducted several times a week. 

Must-see The model of the infamous Flores ‘hobbit’ man – an anthological anomaly that mystifies the scientific world to this day.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

For inquisitive kids, the National Science Center (Pusat Sains Negara) should be the very first box to be ticked off in Kuala Lumpur. A stroll around the outdoor dinosaur garden whets the appetite for the kid-pleasing exhibits inside. These range from giant musical instruments to cool climate experiments (including a hurricane simulator) to an aquarium and interactive gadgets galore. Its scope is surprisingly ambitious, showing the workings of gravity, photosynthesis, the food chain, and more in fun ways. Virtually every exhibit has interactive elements with knobs, levers, touchpads and multimedia displays too. A small water park is located on the grounds for those hyperactive kids to cool down before heading home.

Must-see The daily live science shows hosted by an eccentric scientist.

Hanoi, Vietnam 

This unique museum shines a light on the side of Vietnamese society very few travellers get to see. It tells the stories, customs and legends of the 54 recognised ethnic groups in Vietnam. Vibrant displays showcase Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage through old artefacts, photos, and multimedia presentations. The standout feature is the extensive outdoor display of traditional houses of various ethnic groups and a full-size replica of a traditional village. A section of the museum also displays exhibits from other Southeast Asian ethnic groups, showing how the influence of some Vietnamese tribal communities has extended across borders.

Must-see The museum’s traditional water puppet theatre – a guaranteed kid-pleaser.

Hong Kong

Lights, camera, action: For all true cinephiles, the Hong Kong Film Archive is your window into the nostalgia of Hong Kong’s heyday as the Hollywood of the Far East. The Film Archive houses several thousand reels and tapes and a huge collection of quirky film posters, screenplays and scripts. From Bruce Lee action capers and Jackie Chan slapstick comedies to award-winning dramas and stomach-churning horror flicks, there is something for every movie buff. There are regular movie screenings in the cinema and themed exhibitions throughout the year, and the entire archive can be browsed online before a visit. The resource centre is also incredibly extensive and a true gift for serious movie historians. The Film Archive is just a 10-minute walk from Sai Wan Ho MTR Station.

Must-see The private viewing booth, which you can rent to watch long-forgotten clips and trailers of classic movies you’ll never find on Netflix.

Singapore

Expect the unexpected at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum. This iconic lotus-shaped building presents the intersection of art and science in various unconventional ways. It is digital performance art, design and media with a technology-powered educational message. It’s essentially a journey through classical art that comes alive with anime, colourful pop art and virtual reality-powered science discoveries from the past. There are intuitive art and science workshops and a cinema showing experimental films and documentaries. ArtScience Museum has over 20 gallery spaces devoted to rotating exhibitions ranging from reimagined old classics to fully immersive light and sound installations.

Must-see The immersive VR Gallery.

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Also known as the Death Railway Museum, this is arguably Thailand’s most evocative museum facility. In a dignified manner, it retells the harrowing story of prisoners’ fight to survive under extreme conditions while building the Thailand–Burma Railway. It is told through a variety of wartime artefacts and film footage, and uniquely, from the viewpoint of both allied prisoners of war and their Japanese captors. Combine a visit with a sobering stroll on the infamous 300m-long bridge, and see the old WWII-era trains and remembrance gardens. The nearby JEATH Museum also eloquently describes the forced labour conditions experienced building the railway, mainly through a collage of photos and journals donated by POW survivors. 

Must-see The infamous Bridge on the River Kwai.