Vietnam's Airlines Expand at Warp Speed, Bangkok Rides the Mega-Wellness Wave & Durian Tourism Ambassadors in Malaysia: June 2026 in Review

"They are not happy with just Vietnam, just Thailand - now they are going after Australia!" The scale of ambition and speed of commercial aggression shown by Vietnamese airlines is a stand-out feature of 2026, and there is no sign of a slowdown. On our monthly round-up of the top travel and tourism talking points in South East Asia and beyond in June, Gary and Hannah look at how airline strategies are shifting in ASEAN, Asia, Australia and the Middle East East - and the new threads tying them together. Plus, the Mekong Tourism Forum in Yangon suggests Myanmar is being welcomed back onto South East Asia's tourism map. On an upbeat note, Love and Tourism are being rephrased in the Philippines, but coming back down to earth, Thailand is building a border wall between itself and Cambodia. Plus, we test the thermal waters of Bangkok's forthcoming  mega-wellness development, and finish with a look at KL's just-opened durian experience centre. Are durians the new ambassadors of ASEAN tourism? All this, and much more...