National Museum (Bangkok, Thailand): From prehistory to recent events, this museum -- the former palace of the brother of King Rama I -- answers many questions about Thai history and culture through the ages. Inside buildings that are themselves works of fine Thai design, you'll find Buddha images, ancient artifacts, royal paraphernalia, and fine arts. Rama's sister also lived here, and her house is decorated in the same style as it was in the late 1700s.
Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts (Hanoi, Vietnam): Proper art museums are few and far between in the region, and this large colonial house has a nice collection of newer works and historic pieces. You'll find nothing too controversial or groundbreaking, but some good examples of lacquer and silk painting, wood-block, and folk and expressive work in oil. If you see anything you like, you're sure to find good copies in any of the city's many galleries.
Cham Museum (Danang, Vietnam): This open-air colonial structure houses the largest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. Not only are relics of this ancient Hindu-inspired culture rare, but the religious artwork itself -- more than 300 pieces of sandstone -- is also voluptuous, captivating, and intense.
National Museum (Phnom Penh, Cambodia): Don't miss this repository for the statues and relief sculpture that have been recovered from the Angkor temples and other ancient sites throughout Cambodia. Organized in a convenient chronology, it's a short course in Khmer art history. Later pieces are particularly expressive.
Tuol Sleng, Museum of Genocide (Phnom Penh, Cambodia): Be warned that a visit here is quite intense -- too much for some. The museum is simply the shell of Cambodia's largest prison from 1975 to 1979, when the entire country was turned into a concentration camp. Originally a high school, Tuol Sleng was the site of horrible atrocities and, though there are some photo exhibits, the main experience of the museum is in wandering the small cells and learning the tragic tale from experienced local guides.
Images of Singapore (Sentosa Island, Singapore): No one has done a better job than this museum in chronicling for the public the horrors of the Pacific theater and Japanese occupation in Southeast Asia. Video and audio displays take you on a chronological journey through Singapore's World War II experience. The grand finale is the Surrender Chambers, life-size wax dioramas of the fateful events. Other dioramas depict traditional cultural festivals and historical figures throughout Singapore's early development.
