Exploring Brunei Darussalam in 14 hours

I’m planning to tick all countries in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) this year. Who are the members of this association?

• Indonesia 🇮🇩 ✅ (my home country)
• Singapore 🇸🇬 ✅ (visited several times)
• Malaysia 🇲🇾 ✅ (visited several times)
• Vietnam 🇻🇳 ✅ (spent a month)
• Cambodia 🇰🇭 ✅ (visited twice)
• Laos 🇱🇦 ✅ (visited twice)
• Thailand 🇹🇭 ✅ (spent a month)
• Philippines 🇵🇭 ✅ (visited only Manila)
• Brunei Darussalam 🇧🇳 ✅ (you’re reading this post)
• Myanmar 🇲🇲 🔜

There’s news about Timor-Leste becoming the 11th and newest member of ASEAN this October 2025 (source: dw.com). That means I’ll have one more country to visit before completing the full ASEAN list. Let’s think about that once it’s official!

Anyway, going back to the main topic, which is Brunei Darussalam. I’ve never been to this country. It is my 29th country. I flew from Manila to Bandar Seri Begawan, with Cebu Pacific. The flight seems quite popular. I arrived almost midnight and I finally got the stamp in my passport. I was very happy, and it’s very funny to see Jollibee after we took our luggage. It feels like we’re still in the Philippines, but with Arabic words everywhere. I also felt the familiarity in this country once I saw the Malay language in stores or signage.

How to get to the city center from the airport

I noticed ads for the Dart App, Brunei’s local taxi-hailing service. The user experience isn’t as smooth as Grab or Gojek, but it’s much cheaper than a regular taxi. A midnight ride from the airport to the city center (about 15 minutes) costs around $25 BND by taxi, but only $10–12 BND through the Dart app (more than half the price)! Definitely download it to save money.

Where to stay

We stayed at Radisson Blu. It seems Radisson Blu is the only international hotel chain in the city. There are more options, but it’s better to stay near the city center. You can walk to the city center from Radisson, and save money. I walked from the hotel to Brunei Waterfront, then to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, then back to the hotel in one hour. You can usually rely on a chain hotel for consistent standard amenities and services, which makes it a safe choice compared to local boutique stays.

What to do

Honestly, there isn’t much to do in the city itself. I explored the city center, saw Kampung Ayer from the Waterfront, and visited the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. All within an hour, and I wasn’t even rushing! I still took photos, videos, and stopped by a mall for Gong Cha. It’s rare to see tourists, and even rarer to find pedestrians.

Brunei isn’t pedestrian-friendly. Most traffic lights for pedestrians don’t work, so you’ll end up jaywalking. Though it’s still easier than jaywalking in Vietnam!

For food, we grabbed something nearby and didn’t get to try local dishes like ambuyat (sago) or nasi katok (fried chicken with rice and sambal). I was a bit skeptical anyway since Bruneian cuisine overlaps quite a lot with Malaysian and Indonesian food.

Leaving Brunei

It only took 10 minutes by car from Radisson Blu to the airport using the Dart app, costing about $10 BND. One thing that stood out was the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. I was freezing inside the airport and actually had to wear a jacket (which I rarely do in Southeast Asia!).

Fun fact about Brunei Darussalam

1. Alcohol is not allowed, but non-Muslims can bring small amounts from abroad (like Malaysia or Singapore) if they declare it at the airport.
2. Brunei is about 8 times larger than Singapore in land area, but Singapore’s population is 13 times bigger.
3. Half of Brunei is covered by pristine rainforest.
4. It’s one of the richest countries in the world, with most of its wealth coming from oil and gas. The government provides free healthcare and education to citizens.
5. The Sultan of Brunei is the second-richest monarch in the world and owns the world’s largest private car collection. He owns over 7,000 luxury vehicles, including hundreds of Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, and Bentleys.
6. Owning a car is essential in Brunei, as there’s no public transportation.
7. The local ride-hailing app Dart is their version of Uber or Grab. It’s not the most user-friendly, but it’s cheaper than taking a regular taxi.
8. The Brunei Dollar (BND) is 1:1 equivalent to the Singapore Dollar (SGD), and SGD cash is widely accepted across Brunei.

Map

Here is a map of all the places I pinned in Brunei: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1AaA-3viUGJRCkEWoI8JL2aLmoD-FrKU&usp=sharing