{"id":292222,"date":"2025-11-18T08:59:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T08:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/292222\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T08:59:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T08:59:11","slug":"don-khong-named-southeast-asias-top-island-for-cycling-by-national-geographic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/292222\/","title":{"rendered":"Don Khong Named Southeast Asia\u2019s Top Island for Cycling by National Geographic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The UK-based National Geographic Traveler has named Don Khong in Champasack, Laos, one of Southeast Asia\u2019s top islands, highlighting it for cycling.<\/p>\n<p>On 25 October, the magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/travel\/article\/photo-story-temples-and-rice-paddies-mekong-river-laos\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">listed destinations<\/a> for their unique appeal: Koh Chang, Thailand, for beaches; Penang, Malaysia, for food; Cat Ba, Vietnam, for adventure; and Don Khong, Laos, for cycling.<\/p>\n<p>National Geographic described Don Khong as \u201ca peaceful, green environment where visitors can enjoy the scenery and atmosphere while cycling\u201d. The magazine also highlighted the island\u2019s \u201cslower pace of life,\u201d offering travelers a stress-free experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It further emphasized the serene, cultural setting, showcasing both natural beauty and rich local heritage for visitors seeking calm and history.<\/p>\n<p>Don Khong is the largest island in Si Phan Don, a group of islands in the Mekong River located in Khong District, Champasack Province. The name \u201cSi Phan Don\u201d translates to \u201c4,000 islands,\u201d though the number varies seasonally as some sandbars submerge underwater and reappear later.<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time Champasack has earned international recognition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The province was also celebrated as <a href=\"https:\/\/laotiantimes.com\/2025\/07\/04\/vat-phou-spotlighted-on-national-geographic-travel-for-its-angkhor-wat-resemblance\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a hidden gem in Southeast Asia<\/a> for its unique temple, Vat Phou, by National Geographic Traveller back in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The UK-based National Geographic Traveler has named Don Khong in Champasack, Laos, one of Southeast Asia\u2019s top islands,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292223,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-292222","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}