Author: ABR Team

Boremei, the stingray, holds the record for being the largest freshwater stingray ever caught in Cambodia, Indochina. It was caught accidentally on June 13, 2022 after getting caught on the fishing hook of a local fisherman south of Stung Treng, northeastern Cambodia. The female stingray was nearly 4 metres long from snout to tail and weighed slightly under 300 kg. Once tagged, the fish was released back into the Mekong River, as confirmed on February 2, 2024.

Co Dinh chromite mine in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, holds the record for being the largest chromite mine in Indochina. Discovered by the French in 1927 and started to be exploited in 1930, the mine has been exploited by Vietnam since 1956. This is the only mine in Vietnam and the largest mine in Southeast Asia, with reserves of 22-25 million tons of chromite ore (chromium oxide mineral).

Tu Do Stadium in Vietnam holds the record for being the first stadium with velodrome for bicycle and motorcycle racing in Indochina. The French built and named it Stade Olympique de Hué around 1935. Later, the Nguyen Dynasty changed the name to Bao Long Stadium. After the August Revolution, its name was changed to Tu Do Stadium. It is the first and only stadium in Vietnam and Indochina that has a velodrome for track cycling and board track racing, as confirmed on February 2, 2024.

Hai Au Aviation of Vietnam holds the record for being the first seaplane airline in Indochina. Established in 2011, it is a member of the Thien Minh Group – a leading travel and hospitality group in Southeast Asia. With the first commercial flight from Noi Bai International Airport to Halong bay launched in September 2014, Hai Au Aviation has been offering daily schedule flights to the UNESCO World Heritage site Halong bay as well as sightseeing flights around the bay.

Preah Thong Neang Neak statue in Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia, holds the record for being the tallest copper statue in Indochina. It symbolises the birth of Khmer land, culture, traditions and civilisation of Cambodia. It is 21 metres tall on a pedestal 6.34 metres high and weighs 60 tonnes, as confirmed on February 2, 2024.

Kompong Kdei, also known as Dragon Bridge, in Cambodia, holds the record for being the oldest and longest corbeled stone-arch bridge in Indochina and Southeast Asia. The nearly 1,000 years old bridge is 85 metres long and 14 metres high. The bridge has 22 spans, all built of laterite without any binder. It is a corbeled stone-arch bridge with laterite pillars. It was built in the 12th century during the reign of King Jayavarman VII.

The Truong Son Mountain range, also known as the Annamite Range, extends from the upstream region of the Ca River in Laos, bordering the Nghe An province of Vietnam, to the southernmost point of Central Vietnam. It holds the record for being the longest mountain range in Indochina. At more than 1,100 km long, it is one of the largest mountain massifs in the world and is considered the “backbone” of the Indochina peninsula.

Nha Trang Observatory in Nha Trang City, Vietnam, holds the record for being the first astronomical observatory in Indochina. Opened in 2017, it is equipped with a 500 mm Ritchey-Chrétien (f/8) reflector optical telescope. The observatory features a dome-shaped cosmic projection house with a capacity of 60 seats, equipped with six high-resolution projectors, and a space gallery with an area of 200 square metres. It is used for research on optical astrophysics, disseminating knowledge about space science to the community, and supporting training, teaching, and research cooperation.

Professor Duong Quang Trung of Hoi An, Vietnam, holds the record for being the first professor to be honoured 3 times at the IEEE GLOBECOM conference. Working at Queen’s University Belfast, UK, in the position of Reader Professor, he has been awarded the Best Paper Awards 3 times at the IEEE GLOBECOM conference, the first time in 2016 in Washington DC, USA, the second time in 2019 in Hawaii, USA, and the third time in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as confirmed on January 24, 2024.

Saigon University of Technology of Vietnam holds the record for being the first university to develop a smart ink that detects spoiled food in Indochina. A group of students, including Le Cao Tri and Pham Ngoc Lan Vi from the university developed an alternate method to check for spoiled food in packaging besides using litmus paper. They were the first to use butterfly pea flowers to make ink that is completely natural and safe for food and humans, as confirmed on January 24, 2024.