Halloween tour planner: 10 of the most haunted places in Southeast Asia
An airport, public parks, a hotel, a former hospital, a castle – there’s no shortage of ghostly haunts in a region rife with superstition. What are you waiting for?
Superstition runs strong in many Asian cultures. Tales of the supernatural feature heavily in myths and folklore, and the region is dotted with spots believed to be haunted. Halloween is the perfect excuse to go ghost-hunting and explore the haunted houses and hotels, jinxed film locations and abandoned buildings believed to be inhabited by the dead. Here are some of the top places to delve into East Asia’s dark side.
Thailand
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok: built on a former graveyard, the airport is said to be inhabited by a ghost called Poo Ming.
Airport workers claim a string of sightings of Ming – the cemetery’s former caretaker – and other unworldly beings wandering throughout the terminals. Soon after the airport opened in 2006, a nine-week exorcism involving 99 monks took place, with shrines strategically placed to keep malign spirits at bay. They are still there today.
Mae Nak Shrine, Bangkok: the legend of Mae Nak is one of Thailand’s most famous. The hair-raising tale is believed to have originated in the 19th century, and spawned Phi Mak Phra Khanong (2013), the highest grossing Thai film in history.
Soon after young lovers Nak and Mak wed, he is conscripted, leaving his pregnant wife behind. Nak dies in labour and is buried with their unborn child. Mak arrives home to what he believes is his family, but is really Nak’s unappeased spirit returned to Earth with her son. Upon discovering the truth, he flees, with Nak’s ghost following and killing everyone in her path. Mak finds refuge in the Mhabautr Temple, where his deceased wife’s spirit is captured in a vase and tossed into a nearby canal.
Getting there: the Mae Nak shrine (Sukhumvit 77, Khwaeng Suan Luang) can be found at the edge of Wat Mhabautr, where offerings are commonly left. Learn more about the story with the Love Beyond Death of Mae Nak Phra Khanong ghost tour.