Is Brunei the most boring country in Southeast Asia? The firm and clear answer to this is that yes it is. The reasons for this though are myriad and not just because the country does not allow drinking. With that being said though, that is probably the root cause.
Why then did I come here? Well partly because I had just been doing a company retreat in Kota Kinabalu, but also because I have spent 5 years trying and failing to get here. This time though was at least a success, with me getting to call it country 178!.
Click the link to see my take on what counts as a country.
What the Brunei?
I won’t go full on country facts here, but you can have the following summary!
Brunei, officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, is a tiny yet wealthy nation on the island of Borneo. With a land area of just over 5,700 square kilometers and a population of around 450,000, it’s one of the smallest countries in Southeast Asia. Brunei’s history is steeped in the glory of its past as a powerful Malay sultanate in the 15th and 16th centuries, when it controlled much of Borneo and parts of the Philippines.
Today, Brunei is ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs, who has led the nation since 1967. Thanks to vast oil and gas reserves, Brunei boasts one of the highest GDPs per capita globally. Its wealth funds a generous welfare state, ensuring free education and healthcare for citizens. Despite its affluence, Brunei retains a quiet, conservative charm rooted in its Islamic traditions.
No drinking in Brunei
OK, so I get it they are Islamic and we should respect every religion. Yes, true, but in many other countries, even Iran they allow some drinking, at least for the Christians.
It also creates a huge element of hypocrisy (a common theme) with locals either drinking under cover, or drinking (and whoring) overseas.
I truly cannot imagine what it is like for the domestic helpers from the Philippines, Indonesia and the like.
No sex please, particularly if you are gay…
This point is not just why they are the most boring country in Southeast Asia, but also why they are rather repressive. Essentially social norms mean that there is no sex before marriage and that the sexes should not intermingle. This as is usually the case leads people to be more risky, or to go abroad for their jollies.
They have also made homosexuality punishable by death. After the Sultan and his Sultanas faced a backlash tough he said he would not “really kill them”. The law though did not change. I have met a few Brunei folk outside of the country and by and large they truly like not being home. This is particularly the case for women.
The most boring country in Southeast Asia and the government..
I’ll keep things as apolitical as I can, but Brunei is an absolute monarchy which has some heavy spending royal family members. These guys are rich with oil and are some of the most affluent on earth.
Interestingly though and unlike in say Qatar and Oman the wealth does seem to have distributed that equitably, This means that while there are expat workers, the locals still have to work. This makes for a friendly people, but not a filthy rich one. In many ways this reminded me a little of Tonga.
The people though do seem happy enough and I cannot see a Mary Antoinette happening any time soon. Should there be a crash and things go tots up though and all bets are off…
What to do in the most boring country in Southeast Asia?
I’d love to comically say get out, but even that was not just far form easy, but also expensive. For our night here at least we took a walk in the park, had street food and soaked in the weekend atmosphere.
Thus though will barely get you a day, with this being more than enough time to tick off the most boring country in Southeast Asia as having been “visited”.