This charming Southeast Asian capital city is one of the world's best cities for culture right now
If you ask us, it's about time for Asia's art and cultural scene to get the global spotlight. We're home to some of the world's oldest civilisations, and to balance that, the region is thrumming with youthful energy, driving an exciting calendar of arts festivals, literary events, and underground parties.
If you're eager to dive into Asia's flourishing cultural landscape, then we've sussed out the cities you can start with. Time Out surveyed 18,500 locals worldwide to get their thoughts on the quality and affordability of their city's cultural scene. Our network of art and culture editors then narrowed the list to 20 of the world's finest cultural hubs. We thought outside the box of museums, galleries, and theatres to consider free-wheeling, community-rooted events like pop-up festivals, museum parties, and even raves in caves.
So, the best city in Asia for a large dose of art and culture? Hanoi (No. 9), Vietnam's charming capital with a history stretching back more than 1,000 years. As local writer Joey Gann puts it, "What's charming about modern, youthful Hanoi is that the past is never far away." One minute, you can be in the Old Quarter watching performers on ancient silk-string instruments; the next, you can rock and roll with upcoming local bands at Hanoi Rock City. The city is home to the aforementioned 'rave in a cave' Equation Festival, and blistering fashion talent who are bringing ethnic textiles to the global couture stage.
The kicker? Getting cultured in Hanoi is super easy on your wallet. It's the cheapest city for art and culture on our list, with 82 percent of locals ranking it highly for affordability. Case in point: weekend walking streets filled with street performances and traditional showcases you can enjoy for free.
In a bit of a shocker, Japanese cities like Tokyo and Kyoto didn't crack the top 20. Instead, Beijing comes next at No. 11, standing out for its intriguing mix of Chinese tradition and modern life. Locals particularly love the National Centre for the Performing Arts and Tiananmen Square, so make space in your itinerary for those.
We're glad to see Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, at No. 13. This city has long been wildly creative, with "big name museums and galleries, [as well as] many smaller spaces like Dia.Lo.Gue Artspace, Jakarta Art Hub and M Bloc Space becoming popular venues for various creative communities," says local expert Leyla Rose. She also highlights Jakarta's vibrant music scene, which shines with annual fests like Java Jazz Festival, Djakarta Warehouse Project, and We the Fest. It's the most affordable city for the arts after Hanoi, too.
The final Asian city on the list is Delhi at No. 14. 89 percent of locals rated their city's culture scene highly in our survey, which local writer Shuvajit Payne says is becoming "bigger, better, and more inclusive each year." If there's one thing to check out, it's the newly opened Humayun's Tomb museum, a marvel of Mughal architecture.
So, which is the best city in the world for arts and culture in 2025? Take a wild guess – or find out below.
Paris
Florence
Edinburgh
Mexico City
Sydney
Barcelona
Chicago
Lisbon
Hanoi
Cape Town
Beijing
Tbilisi
Jakarta
Delhi
Medellin
Amsterdam
Marrakech
Vienna
Prague
Abu Dhabi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Dylan Adler brings unhinged musical vomedy to the Fringe
Dylan Adler brings his unique blend of musical comedy and personal storytelling to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August with Haus of Dy-lan, performing at the Pleasance Courtyard's Beside space from 30 July to 24 August (not 11th) at 7.30pm. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Making his Edinburgh debut, Adler offers an hour of high-energy stand-up, original songs and unfiltered anecdotes drawn from his life as a gay, Japanese-Jewish performer growing up in San Francisco. His show is a whirlwind of piano, punchlines, and personal revelations – with the occasional bout of acrobatics thrown in for good measure. Adler, a classically trained pianist turned 'unhinged gay musical comic,' dives headfirst into his own life for comic material. Expect songs, sweat, and sincerity as he unpacks growing up as an identical gay twin, navigating racial identity ('double JAP,' as he puts it), and the very real chaos of therapy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Think theatre kid meets trauma dump – with jazz hands,' Adler jokes. Dylan Adler The show touches on everything from playground bullying (in two languages, no less) to his grandfather's stint training as a kamikaze pilot during WWII – a figure he says he feels connected to 'whenever I feel mentally ill or spiteful of the USA.' Adler's comedy doesn't shy away from the dark stuff – he confronts past sexual trauma, failed relationships and the bizarre mundanity of adult life ('stealing your therapist's toilet paper') with disarming honesty and blistering wit. Whether riffing on heteronormative habits in a gay relationship or screaming at his therapist in song, Adler masterfully blends sharp punchlines with theatrical flair. Already a familiar face stateside, Adler has written and performed for The Late Late Show with James Corden and appeared twice on After Midnight alongside comedy heavyweights Margaret Cho and Atsuko Okatsuka. He also starred in Chelsea Peretti's First Time Female Director and lent his voice to a supervillain role on Disney's Hamster and Gretel. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad No stranger to the stage, Adler has opened for Atsuko Okatsuka on her US and European tours, including stops at London's Eventim Apollo and Glasgow's O2 Academy. His previous shows have earned critical acclaim – his 2022 collaboration Rape Victims Are Horny Too with Kelly Bachman was ranked #2 in Paste Magazine's Best Comedy Albums of the Year, and last year's Haus of Dy-lan wowed audiences at Netflix Is A Joke Festival. Also a gifted composer, Adler co-wrote Good Morning New York, which played Off-Broadway, and received the Alan Menken Scholarship for emerging musical theatre talent. With an hour packed with camp, catharsis and chaos, Haus of Dy-lan promises to be one of the more distinctive and daring debuts at this year's Fringe.
.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26auto%3Dwebp%26quality%3D75%26crop%3D3%3A2%2Csmart%26trim%3D&w=3840&q=100)
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
M&S unveils brand-new ‘dessert sandwich'
It's inspired by the Japanese 'fruit sando' 🍓 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... M&S has unveiled a brand-new 'dessert sandwich' The sandwich is inspired by the Japanese 'fruit sando' The fruit sandwich is a new take on the British dessert classic of strawberries and cream Marks & Spencer has launched a brand-new sandwich, which has a unique, fruity twist. The limited-edition' dessert sandwich' is named the Strawberry & Creme and features Red Diamond strawberries and a thick layer of whipped cream cheese on sweetened bread. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The new sandwich from M&S is inspired by Japanese 'fruit sando', which are otherwise known as fruit sandwiches. M&S unveils a brand-new 'dessert sandwich' and it's already a hit with customers | Facebook - M&S However, strawberries and cream is a British dessert classic, usually enjoyed during the warmer months. Despite the sandwich including sweet foods, the Strawberry & Creme sandwich will actually be found in the savoury section at the M&S' Foodhall. M&S' Strawberry & Creme sandwich has already received praise from the public, including those who have already tried the sandwich, and those who haven't. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad M&S unveiled the brand-new sweet treat to its customers via a Facebook post, showcases an image of the sandwich. In the post, M&S wrote: 'New in the M&S Foodhall – WARNING: this summer stunner is going to be BERRY popular.' What has been the public reaction to M&S' new sweet sandwich? The reaction to M&S' Strawberry & Creme sandwich has been positive from customers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Facebook user said: 'I will definitely try this. Looks delicious.' Another wrote: 'Is it socially acceptable to go to my local store and buy all of them?' Other members of the public have urged M&S to make new variations of the Strawberry & Creme sandwich. Requests included; a gluten-free version, a vegan version, different bread types and different fruits. M&S' Strawberry & Creme sandwich is priced at £2.60 and is available to purchase at M&S Foodhall's across the UK now. If you have a food and drink story to share with us, we'd love to hear from you. You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Is this the best Chinese food in Glasgow? I'm not so sure
Twenty minutes on the treadmill is surely a free pass for noodles and rice, right? I was a fan of this spot's previous incarnation as Salt & Chilli Oriental (also run by Lee), which had a relaxed street food feel and enormous portion sizes that would explain the pre-emptive exercise. The menu was short but sweet and no doubt driven by the city's enduring love affair with all things salt and chilli seasoning that sees restaurants and cafes sprinkle the stuff on everything from hash browns to 'haggis baws'. But Lychee is a different beast, vying to bring the cooler, more sophisticated vibes of its older sister restaurant, first established on Mitchell Street in 2015, to the Southside. While the interiors of the split-level venue on Kilmarnock Road have barely changed, the food offering is now hugely expanded, drawing inspiration from Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisines. On a Wednesday evening, the place is busy with a mix of families, larger groups and couples. We're shown upstairs, where a tight fit between tables is just on the right side of cosy rather than cramped, before ordering a couple of soft drinks. On another occasion, I'd have been drawn to the cocktail section of Singapore Slings or Lychee Cosmos, which sit at a reasonable £8.50 each. There's a selection of salt and chilli dishes available at Lychee, so we're going for a portion of the squid starter (£7.50) to see if they've still got it, as well as Yuk Sung, spicy minced pork and chicken served with little gem lettuce leaves (£8.50). Though we've not requested them, a small bowl of prawn crackers arrives to munch on as we wait. Some early bonus points there. But, oh dear, that squid is looking awful peely-wally against cubes of green pepper and fiery chilli as our server approaches with the starters. Pictured: Starters of Salt and Chilli squid and Yuk Sung (Image: Newsquest) Close up, it's not much better. Whatever has happened between the journey from the kitchen to our table, there's not a hint of crunch left in these chunky strips of battered seafood slick with oil. There's a good hit of salt and chilli from a surface dusting of dry seasoning, but otherwise the spicy, moreish flavour fails to carry through to the rest of the plate. The Yuk Sung is more appealing. Mixed mince is firm and meaty, holding up in a bowl of soupy sauce that's to be spooned onto boats of lettuce leaves and eaten by hand. With the addition of pickled red cabbage, it's fun and fresh, if nothing more. My confidence in Lychee has been shaken slightly by the time the half-finished plates are cleared, but there's a lot of hope reserved for the main dishes. Pictured: Main dishes selected from the Specialities section of the menu at Lychee Oriental (Image: Newsquest) Both selected from the 'Specialities' section of the menu, the chicken claypot (£14.50) and roast duck (£18.50) are served in identical ceramic dishes. They won't win any prizes for presentation, but with this kind of food, looks don't matter all that much. It's all about the big, punchy flavours that emerge as you get stuck in. After a few spoonfuls of each, I'm still searching. Slices of duck are served with oyster sauce and mushrooms, while the claypot chicken, which sounded like the most adventurous of options on the menu, shares its red beancurd base with cloud fungus and Chinese sausage. The latter is my favourite of the pair, the delicate mushroom caps of cloud fungus and slivers of sausage adding intrigue and layers of texture where bland chicken pieces fall short. But there's not an awful lot that differentiates the taste of these two seemingly contrasting dishes aside from a hint of sweet nuttiness from the redbean. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that in a blind taste test they would be all that distinguishable from the sauce in the Yuk Sung starter either. Eaten with side dishes of wok noodles (£4.50) and egg-fried rice (£4.00), this trio could be from any local takeaway I've tried over the years, rather than a sit-down spot that aims to serve 'the very best Chinese food in Glasgow'. I wonder if we would have had more luck choosing from the crowd pleasers, like Hong Kong sweet and sour or crispy lemon chicken while picking out the best bits of mangetout and tofu skin from the leftovers. Read more: We'll remain seated a while after admitting defeat, but with no offer of a dessert menu, decide to forgo any sweets this time round rather than catching a server's attention. They've been incredibly attentive all night, so this feels like a small oversight rather than a real inconvenience, and we're keen to give them the table back as the restaurant starts to fill up. A quick check on social media later indicates that banana fritters could be the star of their sweet selection, so if that's your thing, be sure to hang around for pudding. I'm not sure what prompted chef Jimmy Lee's decision to transform his Salt & Chilli restaurant into a second Lychee branch, but as we leave, I feel a small pang of sorrow for the demise of a failsafe favourite. I suppose you never really do appreciate what you have until it's gone. Menu: It's a tantalising selection of dishes ranging from crowd pleasers like crispy lemon chicken to more adventurous claypot dishes. Plenty to choose from. 4/5 Service: Aside from a slight hiccup with the lack of dessert menu at the end, the team here is amiable and attentive. 4/5 Atmosphere: The upstairs of the restaurant is cosy, but there's not much room as bigger tables start to arrive. We never quite settle in before feeling we should vacate our seats. 3/5 Price: Lack of wow factor means £18.50 for the roast duck feels steep, but overall prices here aren't bad. They also run a set menu and lunch deals if you're watching your budget. 3/5 Food: I fully expected a knockout meal from Lychee Oriental, but found nothing to rave about in any of our dishes. 5/10 Total: 19/30 Lychee Oriental is located at 67 Kilmarnock Road in Glasgow.
