Seria

Food Culture and Fragments

Seria is a town located in the Belait District of Brunei. Situated about 65 kilometres west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan, it operates within the Asia/Brunei timezone and uses the BND currency.

Sizzling woks in mangrove shadows.

Salt-air markets bordering the South China Sea.

As a designated centre for the country's oil and gas industry—where oil was first struck in 1929—the present-day economy of Seria remains deeply tied to resource extraction. Daily commerce moves alongside industrial infrastructure, shaped by an administrative history that once saw the British Malayan Petroleum Company operate the area almost like a state within a state. The surrounding landscape features tidal mudflats, sandflats, and beach forests where residents navigate a regional marketplace defined by decades of petroleum production.

Stalls of the oil town trading beneath humid canopies.

Quiet tables where Malay and English are spoken daily.

Seria, officially known as Seria Town or Pekan Seria, is a town located within the Belait District of Brunei. Situated about 65 kilometres west of the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan, the town functions as a central hub for the nation's oil and gas industry.

The origin of petroleum

The economic identity of Seria was established in 1929 when oil was first struck by the British Malayan Petroleum Company near the Seria River. Commercial oil production subsequently began in 1931, followed by the first export in 1932. The rapid financial expansion of the oil field quickly transformed state finances, with royalties from Seria's oil accounting for 47 percent of state revenue by 1935.

Surrounded by extraction and wetlands

Geographically, Seria is positioned within a mangrove swamp and directly surrounded by an active oil field, alongside a narrow 5,000-hectare coast meeting the South China Sea. During the early development of the petroleum sector in the 1950s, the oil company operated virtually as a state within a state, driving local economic activities while maintaining a conservative status quo under British colonial policy.

Present-day industrial landmarks

Modern reminders of this extraction-driven economy remain visible throughout the town. The Billionth Barrel Monument was constructed in 1991 to commemorate the production milestone achieved by the Seria oil field. Additionally, the Seria Energy Lab operates as an interactive museum run by Brunei Shell Petroleum, reflecting the ongoing industrial heritage of the area.