Bali is getting its groove back, say surfers enjoying the waves in the Indonesian resort island.

According to David Hutchinson, product manager of Sydney-based Surf Travel Company (STC), the Indonesian hotspot has turned the corner towards a brighter future.

"Right now it's booming," Hutchinson said.

"It's running on par to (levels) before the first bombings (2002)."

How’d you like to race through Singapore’s streets… before even setting foot in Singapore?

The Uniquely Singapore Racer lets you do just that. This interactive Flash platform lets site visitors zoom through Marina Centre, competing to finish a race lap in the least time possible… for the chance to win a return trip for two to Singapore!

As Singapore Tourism Board executive Ken Low explains:

Andrew Haig loves beautiful typography, and shows us the best examples from the least likely place: Hoi An, Vietnam. Says Andrew: “A fascinating place to visit, and highly recommended for type-nuts. The mix of Vietnamese, Chinese and French typography is spellbinding.”

• “The Beautiful Signage of Old Vietnam” (One Plus One Equals Three).

Adrian Stover is a Peace Corps volunteer in Cambodia, and he writes about the effort to walk an outsider’s path between colonialism and going native. “It is the effort to not abandon one's cultures completely, and at the same time not to put up barrier against the outside world; therefore, to walk the middle path. The difficulty in this is trying to find a balance between what one can tolerate with respect to one's own culture and system of values, and what one cannot stand the sight of.”

• Khynom Barang - Reflections Of A Foreigner Living in Cambodia (Letters from Southeast Asia)

Kevin Miller Jr. takes pictures of his food at his favorite Ho Chi Minh City vegetarian restaurants. The results are extremely mouthwatering. And I’m a meat-eater at that.

• Best Saigon Vegetarian Restaurants (SaigonNezumi.com)

The Mekong River is overflowing, causing the “worst floods in 100 years” in areas of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

• Thailand – flood warnings have been issued for Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen.
• Cambodia – warnings have been issued for upper Stung Treng, Kratie, and Kampong Cham Provinces.
• Laos - flooding and landslides killed four last week. After flooding in the capital Vientiane, the government has built a levée along the river's northern bank.

(More weather details on specific places can be found at our Southeast Asia Weather page.)