How people study in urban South East Asia

Updated on 5 August 2026 with new data and photos.

The background

I am interested in how people study and what challenges they face while focussing/studying. In my travels I drop in on cafes, campuses, and places where learners hang out and observe what’s on the screen, and sometimes talk to people.

Some quick observations

Overall, learners say they take AI or other shortcuts because assignments are seen as an irritation, something they must do to move forward. They will actually do seeminging tedious tasks, like reading a physical book or talking to people, if they find the topic interesting.

Video explainers on YouTube are popular across disciplines, though younger audiences find synthetic AI videos “strange.” Learners know how to disable ads and they like speeding up videos. In Thailand and Vietnam, the auto-translated subtitle is helpful.

Since late 2022, ChatGPT and Gemini (and similar tools) have held a permanent place on browser tabs. By 2026, Claude is getting more popular.

WhatsApp and other messaging apps work as an “alternative LMS” or backchannel where learners participate in peer support, share notes and remind each other of upcoming classes/deadlines. Students prefer messaging apps over school-provided ones (MS Teams) for various reasons, including privacy, the ability to post copyrighted content, and general comfort with the app.

Even when a school provides videos or highly interactive content, learners ask for notes on WhatsApp or Reddit.

Canva has become more popular for presentations and design, while Google Docs continues to be widely used. Notion is popular, especially in Singapore. Anki (a spaced repetition flashcard app) is also popular, even though it is an expensive app for iPhone and iPad users.

Phone is a constant distraction. While watching a longish video tutorial. People steal a quick look on the mobile. If the topic is un-interesting, they spend more time on the mobile while still listening to the lecture.

Across Bangkok and Singapore, it is common to see students pairing iPads with laptops to tackle technical coursework, a setup they claim aids in better comprehension. Meanwhile, Japanese learners seem to favor more analogue methods, sticking to textbooks and highlighters.

I got talking to this student who comes regularly to Singapore’s airport to study. He uses Remarkable tablet for brainstorming. Downloading notes as PDF for highlighting and annotation, and for input on Notebook LM is also becoming the norm. This is one reason I urge educators to provide content outside of the learning management systems as scraping content from them is tedious.

A student at a polytechnic in Singapore showing me his hand made notes. He is using the Notability app on iPad.

Below, a bookshop cafe near an university in Saigon, Vietnam. I spend time at these cafe over the weekend, and I often chat with the students and younger  professionals about their life and study.

Malaysian students at a Starbucks. They had several computers and iPads. They bought their own multi plugs. Malaysia is permissive having students in their space, even if they just buy one drink and stay put.

Here, two of my friends in Saigon are looking at employment data regarding tech jobs in Vietnam. The person on the left works in the tech industry, while the person on the right was a student then. The more experienced friend is sharing her insights, illustrating how Vietnamese people learn from one another through informal interactions in cafes. One of the many benefits of these “third places.”

Another Vietnamese student showing me the AI apps she uses most
https://youtube.com/shorts/vVnt92lbCFg?si=c6svWc8d-_Zm_8u1

Japanese learners pairing a colored cellophane sheet with a specific marker. By overlaying the sheet, students can effectively mask their handwritten notes for self-testing, revealing the content only once the film is removed. Anki is popular in Japan, there is a pen that simulates the cellophane removing technique when paried with an app.

The survey

In February 2026, I wanted to collect some concrete data on learning habits. I requested some educator and student friends in Vietnam,Cambodia and Thailand to survey learners around them. Here is the form that we used. Thanks to all who participanted in the survey and set aside time to chat with me.

https://forms.gle/UcVLoBi27cpWHgt49

And the results of the survey below:

Student Learning Habits Survey

Overview

Total respondents:  94
Countries:  Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia
Student levels:  University (86%), Polytechnic (13%), High school (1%)

Q1. What are you studying for?

Q2. Hours spent studying outside class each week

Mean: 9.4 hours  ·  Median: 6 hours. Most students (68%) study 10 hours or fewer per week outside class.

Q3. When are you most productive for focused study?

Q4. Where do you study?  (multiple responses allowed)

Q5. Which learning tools do you use?  (multiple responses allowed)

Q6. What Gen AI platforms do you use?  (multiple responses allowed)

Q7. Could you study effectively without tech like YouTube or ChatGPT?

Q8. Time management satisfaction  (scale 1–5)

Q9. Concentration ability during study sessions  (scale 1–10)

Q10. Study habit challenges  (multiple responses allowed)

Second survey conducted in May 2026 on where students discover new things

In May 2026, I looked into how students and young professionals learn about new technical developments, specifically generative AI tips and tricks. I used Gemini to create ths graphic.