Best Museums & Galleries in Southeast Asia

I visited the National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional) one morning and was genuinely impressed by its scale and cultural depth. The main building features classic Western colonial architecture, while inside, you'll find thousands of artifacts spanning from prehistoric times and Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms to the diverse cultures of islands like Java, Kalimantan, and Papua. The highlight for me was the Hindu stone sculpture section, showcasing statues over a thousand years old, along with ancient archaeological relics excavated across Indonesia. Allocate at least 2–3 hours if you want to explore the entire museum.