Flight Cuts & Currency Drops, More Indian Tourists Head to Vietnam & Is an ASEAN Jet Fuel Stockpile Realistic?: May 2026 in Review

So, the fifth month of 2026 is complete - and it was another one dominated by the impacts of the US/Israel war in Iran/Lebanon. This week, Gary and Hannah recap May's top 8 travel takeaways from across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia, plus China, India and the UK. En route, we discuss flight route cuts across South East Asia, China, Japan and South Korea, and look at whether plans for an ASEAN reserve stockpile of crude oil would ease future jet fuel shocks. Meanwhile, visitor arrivals slowed in key markets and cratered in Cambodia and currency values fell sharply in Indonesia and Thailand. On a brighter note, carriers in Singapore and Malaysia are seeing growth on routes with Australia and Europe. Plus, we assess the surge of Indian tourists to Vietnam, and address the potential benefits of Xiaohongshu's impressive tourism tie-up in Singapore .