East and Southeast Asia receive significant amounts of official development assistance, or ODA. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development classifies the following 11 countries as belonging to this region: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Most countries in the region are surrounded by the ocean. Major river systems such as the Mekong and Red Rivers sprawl across the land. The region is rich in natural and human-made wonders such as the rice terraces in the Philippines, the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the Hạ Long Bay in Vietnam.
Despite the cultural richness and beautiful landscapes, the region is plagued by the troubled waters of civil unrest and human rights issues that are not commonly known worldwide.