ASEAN Glance

Editor | Xia Hailin

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ASEAN Glance

Editor | Xia Hailin

Tourism in Singapore

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and contributor to the Singaporean economy，attracting 10 million tourists annually， over twice Singapore's total population. As English is the dominant one of its four official languages， it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country.

The Orchard Road district， which is dominated by multi-story shopping centers and hotels， can be considered the center of tourism in Singapore. Other popular tourist attractions include the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari， which allows people to explore Asian， African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures，separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats， instead of caging the animals.

Jurong Bird Park is another zoological garden centered on birds， which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible， including a flock of one thousand flamingos.

The tourist island of Sentosa， which attracts 19 million visitors annually， is located in the south of Singapore. Along with a beach-front resort，the island's tourist attractions include Fort Siloso，its historical museum， the Underwater World aquarium and the Tiger Sky Tower. Singapore also features two casinos （integrated resorts）， one the Marina Bay Sands and the other， Resorts World Sentosa （home to Universal Studios Singapore）. The proposal of building Singapore Casinos in these resorts was controversial.

There are various shopping belts in Singapore，Marina Bay， Bugis Street， Chinatown， Geylang Serai， Kampong Gelam & Arab Street， Little India，

Culture of Vietnam

Vietnam's culture has developed over the centuries from indigenous ancient ??ng S?n culture with wet rice agriculture as its economic base. Some elements of the national culture have Chinese origins， drawing on elements of Confucianism and Taoism in its traditional political system and philosophy. Vietnamese society is structured around làng （ancestral villages）； all Vietnamese mark a common ancestral anniversary on the tenth day of the third lunar month. The influences of immigrant peoples - such as the Cantonese， Hakka， Hokkien and Hainan cultures - can also be seen， while the national religion of Buddhism is strongly entwined with popular culture. In recent centuries， the influences of Western cultures，most notably France and the United States， have become evident in Vietnam.

The traditional focuses of Vietnamese culture are humanity （nhan ngh?a） and harmony （hòa）； family and community values are highly regarded. Vietnam reveres a number of key cultural symbols， such as the Vietnamese dragon， which is derived from crocodile and snake imagery； Vietnam's National Father， L?c Long Quan， is depicted as a holy dragon. The l?c - a holy bird representing Vietnam's National Mother， ?u C?- is another prominent symbol， while turtle and horse images are also revered.

In the modern era， the cultural life of Vietnam has been deeply influenced by governmentcontrolled media and cultural programs. For many decades， foreign cultural influences - especially those of Western origin - were shunned. However，since the 1990s， Vietnam has seen a greater exposure to Southeast Asian， European and American culture and media.North Bridge Road， Orchard Road， and The Suburbs.

To get close to nature in the city state， you can visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens， which is 52 hectares large， and includes the National Orchid collection with over 3，000 types of orchids growing. The second option is the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve， a quiet getaway from the stress of modern life. The third option is the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve， an extensive nature reserve which covers much of the Bukit Timah Hill， and is the only remaining place where primary rainforest still exists on the island. The fourth option is the Jurong Bird Park， which includes extensive specimens of exotic bird life from around the world，including a flock of one thousand flamingos.

Pulau Ubin， an island offshore Singapore，is slowly becoming a popular tourist spot. The nature wildlife there is left undisturbed.

River Safari is the latest attraction in Singapore which allows people to get upclose with river animals in major rivers around the world such as the Mississippi，Congo， Murray， Ganges， Mekong， Amazon，Nile and the Yangtze River.

Religion in Indonesia

Indonesia is constitutionally a secular state. A number of different religions are practiced in the country， and their collective influence on the country's political， economic and cultural life is significant. The Indonesian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. However， the government recognizes only six official religions （Islam，Protestantism， Catholicism， Hinduism，Buddhism and Confucianism）. Based on data collected by the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace（ICRP）， there are about 245 non-official religions in Indonesia. Indonesian law requires that every Indonesian citizen hold an identity card that identifies that person with one of these six religions， although citizens may be able

to leave that section blank. Indonesia does not recognize agnosticism or atheism，and blasphemy is illegal. In the 2010 Indonesian census， 87.18 percent of Indonesians identified themselves as Muslim （with Sunnis more than 99 percent， Shias 0.5 percent， Ahmadis 0.2 percent）， 6.96 percent Protestant， 2.91 percent Catholic， 1.69 percent Hindu，0.72 percent Buddhist， 0.05 percent Confucianism， 0.13 percent other， and 0.38 percent unstated or not asked.

Politics of Malaysia

The Politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy， in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. Federal legislative power is vested in the federal parliament and the 13 state assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature， though the executive maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges to the courts.

The Constitution of Malaysia is codified and the system of government is based on the Westminster system. The hierarchy of authority in Malaysia， in accordance to the Federal Constitution，stipulates the three branches（administrative components） of the Malaysian government as consisting of the Executive， Judiciary and Legislative branch. Whereas， the Parliament consists of the Dewan Negara （Upper House / House of Senate） and Dewan Rakyat （Lower House / House of Representatives）.

Malaysia has had a multi-party system since the first direct election of the Federal Legislative Council of the Malaya in 1955 on a first-past-the-post basis. The ruling party since then had always been the Alliance Party （Malay: Parti Perikatan） coalition and from 1973 onwards， its successor， the Barisan Nasional （National Front） coalition.

The Barisan Nasional coalition currently consists of the United Malays National Organisation （UMNO）， Malaysian Chinese Association （MCA）， Malaysian Indian Congress （MIC） and 11 other political parties. The opposition is made up of the People's Justice Party （PKR），Democratic Action Party （DAP） and National Trust Party （AMANAH） and some smaller parties.

SOURCE: Wikipedea