Palin arrives in Vietnam at a time when it is reintroducing itself to the global stage, via a process called Đổi mới ("new thinking"). He also observes a local cricket match in the capital of Hanoi, although the BBC is not allowed to film because, due to the fact it took place on land owned by the Vietnamese military, it was deemed a security risk. In a series of still photographs shown in the absence of film, it is revealed that the camera is an Eclair XTR. Palin also observes the Hanoi Hilton, a prison for Americans during the Vietnam War. Catching a train going south to Saigon, he makes a stop in Huế and the Forbidden Purple City, an old imperial palace. In Da Nang, Palin relaxes at China Beach and meets up with a 16-year-old who shows him what is known as the Gateway to Heaven. In Saigon, he tours the Củ Chi tunnels which the Vietnamese military used during all the conflicts within their borders. In nearby Tay Ninh, he visits a Caodaist cathedral. Then he takes a ferry down to the end of the Mekong River. In the Philippines, Palin notices how congested traffic is in the capital of Manila. He then chats with some women who are going abroad to work in order to support their families. Palin then takes the opportunity to observe the Banaue Rice Terraces. However, when he gets there, a dense fog prevents him from seeing the terraces, causing frustrated and disbelieving laughter. In Baguio, he witnesses two unique procedures (assisting in one of them) known as "psychic surgery". In the southern part of the country, Palin gets some scuba diving lessons and has a meal underwater. In Zamboanga, he attends a cockfight and also judges the Miss La Bella Pacifica beauty pageant. Afterwards, he drives a jeepney down the streets of the city, waiting for a ferry to take him to Borneo.

Palin and his guide approach a Machiguenga village where the feast of St. John the Baptist is going on. Palin observes men's and women's intervillage football matches. Then he samples a drink made from the yucca plant. Back on the Urubamba, Palin eventually makes it to the northern town of Iquitos. Here, there is a barrio that contains many shops. Palin visits one where a lady is making cigarettes. He then takes his first puff of a cigarette in a long while. After a little wait, Palin realises a dream by catching a boat on to the Amazon River. Bogotá, Colombia, is described by Palin as "trading one jungle for another." With a guide, he discovers why the Colombian capital is one of the most dangerous places on earth. He learns that most of the trouble stems from the drug trafficking in the country. He then travels down Bullet Street, arguably the most violent street in the city. Here, rocks are thrown at the car Palin and his guide are travelling in. He then offers to take him to lunch; however, his guide declines, stating that the restaurant he is going to is owned by the father of a drug trafficker. Palin, however, continues, and is granted an interview (in Spanish) with horse breeder and close friend of Pablo Escobar, Don Fabio Ochoa, who at one point was the father of 3 men on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Continuing north, he visits an emerald mine and some of the workers there. Then, it is on to Cartagena, where he hops on a party bus, celebrating the end of his nine weeks on the South American continent.