FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Across East Asia lie dozens of haunts favored by spooks, spivs and journalists – drinking holes known for their discreet bartenders and shady customers who like to trade information. At the height of the Cold War the Continental Hotel in Saigon was perhaps the best known.

Others, like the Crown Royal in Bangkok are still a venue for the shadowy world of secrets and intrigue while in Hong Kong the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) has long been associated with Chinese–Western brinkmanship.

Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat.