# List of firsts in Southeast Asia

The following is a list of firsts in Southeast Asia.

## Architecture

The following are the first buildings of their type:
* First philatelic museum in Southeast Asia - Singapore Philatelic Museum ( Singapore, 19 August 1995)

## Education

* First university in Asia - University of Santo Tomas ( Philippines, 1611)
* First English medium school in Southeast Asia - Penang Free School ( Malaysia, 1816)
* First Asian and Southeast Asian to be admitted to Harvard University - Fe del Mundo ( Philippines, 1936)

## Energy

* First wind power farm in the region - Bangui Wind Farm ( Philippines, 20 June 2005)
* First nuclear power plant in the region - Bataan Nuclear Power Plant ( Philippines,1976)

## Exploration

* First Southeast Asian in space - Phạm Tuân ( Vietnam, 6 June 1980)^

## Entertainment and media
### Film
#### Awards

* First Southeast Asian film to win Palme d'Or at Cannes - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives ( Thailand, 2013)
* First Southeast Asian to win Best Actress at Cannes - Jaclyn Jose ( Philippines, 2016)
* First Southeast Asian to win Best Director at Cannes - Brillante Mendoza ( Philippines, 2009)
* First Southeast Asian to win Volpi Cup for Best Actor at Venice Film Festival - John Arcilla ( Philippines, 2021)

### Journalism

* First newspaper published in Southeast Asia - The Prince of Wales Island Gazette ( Malaysia, 1806)
* First commercial television broadcast - Alto Broadcasting System ( Philippines, 23 October 1953)
* First Southeast Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize - Carlos Rómulo ( Philippines, 1942)

### Theater arts

* First Southeast Asian to win a Tony for Best Actress - Lea Salonga ( Philippines, 1991)

### Music

* First Southeast Asian to win a Grammy - Larry Ramos ( Philippines, 1963)
* First Southeast Asian act to be nominated at the Billboard Music Awards - SB19 ( Philippines, 2021)
* First Southeast Asian act to top a Billboard Chart - SB19, Hot Trending Songs Chart ( Philippines, 2021)

## Finance and commerce

* First bank in Southeast Asia - El Banco Español Filipino de Isabel II (now Bank of the Philippine Islands) ( Philippines, 1 August 1851)
* First beer brewery in Southeast Asia - La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel ( Philippines, 29 September 1890)

## Literature

* First Southeast Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature - Viet Thanh Nguyen ( Vietnam, 2016)

## Politics and government

* First President of UN General Assembly from Asia and Southeast Asia - Carlos P. Rómulo ( Philippines, 1949)
* First elected female President in Asia and Southeast Asia - Maria Corazon Aquino ( Philippines, 1986)
* First recipient of Nobel Peace Prize from Southeast Asia - Technically: Lê Đức Thọ ( Vietnam, 1973), Officially: Aung San Suu Kyi ( Myanmar, 1991)

## Science and technology

* First submarine assembled in Southeast Asia: KRI Alugoro (405) ( Indonesia, 2021)

## Sports
### Olympic Games

* First Southeast Asian to win a medal at the Olympics - Teófilo Yldefonso, swimming bronze ( Philippines, 8 August 1928)
* First Southeast Asian Olympic champion - Susi Susanti, badminton gold ( Indonesia, 4 August 1992)
* First Southeast Asian country to participate at the Summer Olympics - The Philippines, 5 July 1924
* First Southeast Asian country to participate at the Winter Olympics - The Philippines, 3 February 1972
* First Southeast Asian to win a gold medal at the men's gymnastics of the Olympics - Carlos Yulo ( Philippines, 3 August 2024)

### World Championships

* First male Artistic Gymnastics World Champion from Southeast Asia - Carlos Yulo, floor exercise ( Philippines, 2019)

### Others

* First professional basketball league in Asia and Southeast Asia - Philippine Basketball Association ( Philippines, 9 April 1975)
* First Southeast Asian country to host the Asian Games - The Philippines, 1 May 1954
* First Southeast Asian country to host the Youth Olympic Games - Singapore, 14 August 2010

## Transportation

* First airport in Asia - Don Mueng International Airport ( Thailand, 1914)
* First Rapid transit system in Southeast Asia - Manila Light Rail Transit ( Philippines, 1984)