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South East Asia is a vast region with gorgeous landscapes and everlasting impressions. Wandering her many cities and countries – looking for adventure, pleasure, luck, love, business or plain relaxation – you can see travelers from all over the world flocking to our favorite region.
Of course, somehow we all have our favorite countries here to travel to over and over again. The usual suspects come to mind: Thailand, Malaysia even China.
But how about the smaller or not-so-known ones?
Today is the day of truth. What is your favorite country in South East Asia?
The one you love to travel to again and again. Of which you carry fond memories wherever you go. Your first backpacking experience, the first trip without your parents or with that special someone. Where you had the best days of your life. Or found the love which seemed to be lost.
The one you adore and tell all your friends about it; trying to sway and persuade them to go and check out for themselves.
Today is your day!
Fancy the beaches of the Philippines? Or the jungles and pagodas of Myanmar? The serenity of Brunei? Or the baguettes with duck liver pastry in Vietnam? The unspoiled nature of Papua? Or the roughness of East Timor? You can even vote for Australia, which – following Wikipedia – is culturally a part of South East Asia.
There can only be one. Yours.
Are you still reading? What are you waiting for? 
The poll is in the left sidebar of the blog. Vote for your favorite country in South East Asia. Watch the results pour in over the next few days and learn if other travelers out there share your taste or if you discovered a little best-kept secret for yourself.
It’s a bit tricky to cover this huge region, by just putting up the countries. Someone might fancy Bali but not the rest of Indonesia, Borneo but not Peninsula Malaysia, some may say to put Hong Kong and China in one line is a sacrilege. You are all right! I hope we can differentiate those issues in one of the next polls. Please forgive any obvious mistakes or make yourself heard in the comment form.
Please use the comment form below this post as well, if you want to justify your choice or to convince other readers why your chosen country rocks the boat!
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From now on I’m planning to publish a new poll question every 7-10 days or so. The results will stay for a longer while, as there is a poll archive attached. If you have a recommendation on what questions you want to vote in the future; as usual I’m always open for suggestions and requests.
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- If Asia were a Woman…
- Nomad’s Snippets – Credit Card Secrets, Political Compass and new Poll
- Top 10 popular Foods of Asia explained
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I’d have to say that Cambodia left lasting memories for me. The humorous people, Ankor Wat and best of all, our own private island for three days off the coast of Sihanoukville… Hard to believe what these people went through just 30 years ago.
My vote goes to Laos.
Why, because the people, the ultimate in relaxation, food, safety, and just the pure feeling the country still has. It has scary adventurous parts too like having someone with an AK 47 stopping your bus in the middle of nowhere. Finally the really beautiful untouched(so far) landscapes.
If you would like to know more contact me at Bootsnall.com or better yet check out our trips so you can see for yourself.
http://www.bootsnall.com/adventures/c-93/bootsnall-exclusive.html
The Pacific country of West Papua from its snow covered lime stone peak to its vivid marine environments is a much better place to see its echidna and kangaroo than the southern flat mainland.
Wish I was better traveled…everywhere I have been in Asia is now part of China (guess they always were). Hong Kong and Macau are great, if you have lots of money. Ha
And, of course, it’s debatable that Taiwan has always been part of China as a province, and is not really a country at all. Depends on your politics I suppose.
If Bali is a country, I believe many travelers would choose it
I have to vote with Hayden – Laos it is. Natural and cultural beauty, not too westernized, and as the cliche goes, what Thailand used to be like 30 years ago.
I voted Thailand – specifically, Kanchanaburi is the place I think of when I dream of easy, cheap living, glorious food and lovely people. Perhaps I should travel more :p
Laos is a close second but getting there and around the country is just more of a challenge. That slow boat down the Mekong has scarred me for life (or was it just that wooden seat up my a*se?)
Laos for sure. Quite a special place, really worth a trip. And then Burma.
I was happy to see both the second and first place countries as they are, so far. I lived in Thailand two years and like it fine, but I live in the Philippines now and find it a better place for a Westerner to ‘live Eastern’. Nice poll.
Hi Dave,
Thanks for putting out some words for the Philippines and I think you made the right decision to settle here.
As for the others reading this post, I’m a Filipino and though I would naturally root for my own country, I can objectively say the Philippines has as many exciting places to offer as Thailand or Indonesia–without the crowds.
We still have miles and miles of deserted white sand beaches, just waiting to be discovered. Our country’s lack of tourist-friendly transport and infrastructure has preserved most of these yet-to-be-discovered gems.
The Philippines is not a tourist-friendly country in terms of getting around the islands. But the people are warm and welcoming. If you are more of traveller than a tourist, then it would be worth your time to discover my country.
I vote Malaysia.
My hometown is in Malaysia and I only been to China, Singapore and Thailand. Comparatively, I vote because a lot of freedom to do whatever you like and most importantly lower living cost (other than KL).
Loved this thread… I had to vote for the Philippines since my wife is from Mindanao, but it is by far the most beautiful place outside of Maui and Colorado that I have ever been…
Good Luck!
I have to vote for Thailand – especially North and North Western Thailand!
MMM in order of the ones i like the most
Thailand
Cambodia
Nepal
Bali (yea i know its not a country but its so diferent from the rest of Indonesia)
India
Burma
Thailand is my perennial favorite. The people, the food, the temples, the markets, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the cheapness, the ease of getting around, the proximity to other countries.
The worst? Hard to say, but perhaps China…Don’t get me wrong, I like it, but I don’t find much interesting there. The worst elements of communism and capitalism combined.
Honorable mentions:
Taiwan for its untouristedness and friendly people
Laos for its laid-backness
Brunei for its quirkiness
Malaysia for it variety
Cambodia for Angkor
Hong Kong for its cemeteries
Great call on HK; I lived there and worked as a Photographer and loved the cemeteries.
Singaopre for its Orchard Road
Wow – thanks for the manifold reasons for your favorite countries! It’s nice to see a very diverse taste – that’s how it should be.
hands up 4 the Philippines!
but I reckon THAILAND,VIETNAM and MALAYSIA is good as well!!
Philippines hands down.
Lao PDR
Myanmar
Vietnam
Singapore
as runners up.
I agree with Gerry and Dave.
Philippines FIRST …. then Thailand. I love them both
me, too, ryan…your indonesia…full of beautiful syt…the only reason i retire early…
would it be nice just to stay 2 to 3 months in each of the above countries?..i have lived in each of the SE asian countries for 2 to 3 months each…but i still find Indonesia the most attractive to live…Chris, what is your next destination? may i guess… Philippines or Laos.. my next country is either Goa or Sri Lanka…
ola robert,chris in india ,to find beautiful indian girl and some info for income google,for good reader chris the only one for it HEHE
in order of where i liked the best for food/travel/people/photography
Thailand
Nepal
Cambodia
Bali
India
Countries where i have loved to live
Thailand
Cambodia
Nepal
Can’t stand the philippines, the people – there is so much garbage there. Its not a safe country for a westerner to visit IMO.
robert, you are spot on! Moving around every couple of months is something I liked to do also. Even though it’s maybe more than 2-3 months, I enjoy staying a bit longer. Actually I planned for a couple of month in Palawan after India. Still figuring out, if that’s possible regarding infrastructure etc. Some place I have on my mind doesn’t even have an ATM within 12 hours bus ride, so don’t know yet, if that’s realistic. Maybe another place in the Philippines then.
Oh, and I love Laos! It’s a nice country, but for staying longer, I definitely would need an ocean. As a born land rat, I’m now completely addicted to my daily swim in the sea.
Richard Reitmann, wow – you have some interesting countries listed there, where you lived already! How is living in Nepal or Cambodia? Care to elaborate a bit in another comment? I’m also open for Guest Writers, if you are interested?
Love living in Cambodia :-)
I lived in Nepal in the middle 80′s when we were running bicyle trips from Lhasa to Kathnamdu and its still one of my favorite places but hands down Thailand is the ultimate winner, ( 22 years there !!)
Cambodia is like Nepal in that is is on the edge and dirty and poor yet still the people make the country great!!
Spent 8 months on a bicycle in India/Sri Lanka and that was a trip that has a very high place in the best year of my life.
Would love to write for ya as long as i can get some pics up as well
U can see them at
forgot the url Phuket
Richard Reitmann, really interesting! Thanks for the added info. I’ve sent you an e-mail.
@Jim -
Well, funny you’d say that there is a lot of garbage in the Philippines. I have a lot of Australian friends who visited and ended up living in that country. Maybe you should step outside the girly bars for a change mate. From what I can surmise from your words, you are not an extremely smart person nor a well-traveled one either. >
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@Chris -
I think Palawan is an excellent choice (Puerto Princesa is pretty well equipped I think). Or Boracay? I think I’d recommend Bohol… It has nice beaches and tons of places to visit (and dive sites)… And the people there are sooooooo friendly! There is a quite sizable expat community there too composed of mostly Europeans. Boracay is another place you may wanna consider as well – it is pretty well-stocked with tons to do, huge expat community (mostly Westerners, mind you Jim) and I think they are starting to have direct flights to Puerto Princesa (Palawan) at the Caticlan Airport as well as Cebu, Clark, and Manila. At the bigger airport in Kalibo, they have direct flights to Taiwan now and occasionally Korea, China and Russia. They are currently building the International Terminal. In the next few years, there will be direct international flights in Bohol, and across the channel, Cebu has direct links to Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.
Ryan, yep that were my thoughts also. Bohol I know quite well already, so I will probably want to try a new destination. Boracay is nice amenity-wise, but quite small, so maybe too small for a few months. I visited a couple of times for a week and after the week was over, I mainly hat itchy feet already. So yeah, maybe Palawan or Dumaguete, or Cagayan de Oro or maybe even Puerto Galera could be an interesting destination…..still working on it…
Dumaguete is an interesting place. Never been there but the diving in Apo Island was said to be superb. I dunno about Puerto Galera- too kitschy I think- never tried going there (but I am a snob). I would soooo envy you if youd live in Palawan! Maaannn, that place is just paradise.Oh hey, have you heard of this place – Caramoan Peninsula in Camarines Sur? I’ve seen the photos and it looks like Little Palawan with nice coves and beaches, it has a decent wakeboarding complex nearby (biggest in SEA I heard), and there are surf spots, and close to the annual whale watching in Donsol. Two volcanoes are also nearby. Im thinking of a trip there around Easter this year.
Caramoan Peninsula in Camarines Sur? Never heard of it, Ryan! But sounds very interesting. You really have a lot of great ideas! So another place for me to check out. Wish I had faster internet here to check some Flickr pictures. It’s too darn slow here to do that…so have to cope with Wikipedia for now then…
Ugh… I really wanna go to Caramoan Peninsula and Batanes … check out their official website….(www.caramoanislands.com)
Oh yeah, I also have another wishful thinking list
1) Tawi-Tawi (the southernmost islands of Mindanao) apparently has super-stunning white sand islets that could totally sh*t on any beach in the world (including within the Philippines)… sigh.. only if it would be safe to travel over there…http://beach.fujikawa.com/2007/10/langit.html
2) Sulu (http://beach.fujikawa.com/2007/11/donut-hole.html)… another hotbed of Muslim insurgency.
3) Zamboanga Peninsula – no-go for tourists as well. sigh…
Tie between 4:
Thailand
Indonesia
China
Japan
I never knew that China and Japan are parts of Southeast Asia. I always thought that they are East Asia, but then again some people still thinks that the world is flat and you can drive from Sydney to Perth in a day.
Hong Kong is not a country; nor is it in South East Asia… why is it even on the list?
Favourite SEA country probably Thailand because it has great food and exotic culture.
I do love to travel.
I’ve been to these South East Asian countries:
THAILAND- loved the buddhist temples, Phuket and Chiang Mai
INDONESIA- enjoyed beaches of Bali, was amazed by the Borubodur
MALAYSIA – it is truly Asia
but above all these, I was really really touched by the HOSPITALITY of the people of the PHILIPPINES
Good that this thread is still going strong here. Sure Ryan and Daniel, some of these islands aren’t technically SouthEast Asia, maybe should’ve rephrased the question to ‘Asia’ and ‘destinations’ instead of countries. Too late now.
Sherwin, I could agree with most of what you said, except Malaysia – for me it’s NOT truly Asia (what they suggest in their Ads), but that’s a different story.
I’m a Filipino, and of course I have to vote for the Philippines..
Aside fom that I love to go to Indonesia and Laos. Nature tripping..
It depends on what you are looking for:
1) Singapore: business, work, financial services, healthcare (almost all hospitals are JCI accredited! Probably the highest concentration anywhere on Earth), education, safety (Among lowest 5 in the world for crime rates), clean streets; shopping for computers; English speakers; crowded public places
2) Malaysia: Lowest costs of moderately quality goods and services; cheapest immigration programme; English speakers; street robbery & parangs; corrupted police; dirty streets
3) Thailand: Night life, prostitution; spa; cosmetic surgery; gay scene; transgender scene; Buddhist temples; traffic jam
4) Australia: human rights; relaxing mood; English speakers; parks; cultural scene; retirement villages; education; expensive hotels; clean streets; quietness at night
Drawback; Moslems trying to eliminate fun., BORING
Not to mention GREAT beaches, great food, Great scenery and a wiode variety of places to visit along with shopping that equals Sinapore
I’d choose Thailand overall. But the obstacle is its visa rules. It’s time the Thai govt offered something similar to MM2H of Malaysia. Requires foreigners to deposit US$30-50k in a fixed deposit or govt bond. Allow them to withdraw half for medical or housing purposes. Grant them and their dependants 10y visa.
Good points here, Sunny and Richard Reitmann. Now, I just wish that Indonesia would adopt the visa rules of the Philippines or Malaysia – and better yet – with the costs of visas for Singapore. Meaning: Zero Dollars. Or ASEAN would decide, that Visas are complete bureaucracy BS and a waste of valuable government resources, that hinder the development of tourism. So remove them all for everyone. Haha, would that be a cool word! Okay, everyone can dream on….
The Philippines also offers a long-term visa programme which requires US$75,000 investment in the Philippines (which may include stocks). The Indonesian government should offer such a programme for long-term residents too. But I’d suggest that the amount be reduced to US$30,000 to 50,000. With US$40,000 investment, one could get a permanent VISA in South America. Perhaps more nomads should email the governments of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines to make this suggestion. Write directly to the Prime Minister/President or Minister in-charge of Tourism.
A good programme should be:
1) US$30-50,000 in investment. Choice in Fixed Deposit, stocks, life insurance endowment, unit trusts/mutual funds or residential property registered in the country.
2) May withdraw investment and remitted out any time.
3) May use up to half for medical or education for self, spouse, parents or children
4) Income earned outside the country tax-exempt.
5) Investment returns that exceed the minimum deposit may be withdrawn annually.
6) Permanent VISA for applicant, children, parents and spouse
7) May buy car and real estate of any price
8) May bring in items for personal use without tax
9) Easy renewal of VISA stamp whenever a new passport is issued. Endorsement VISA cert with new passport number can be issued from any embassy within 3 days of application, and the cert may be stapled onto the passport.
10) Permanent Resident status after 5-10 years in programme.
I have to say Vietnam. There are many beautiful beaches, landscapes, and temples. Besides, the people are friendly, hospitable, and nice. The food is also fresh and delicious.
Flying to Kalibo Ati-atihan this weekend and then in Albay/Sorsogon first week of March. Just came from Puerto Princesa couple of weeks back.
Regarding visa rules, I think there is a pending bill in the Philippine Congress currently being discussed now and this new rule would make visa entry even easier to the country.
Heh, I think anyone who says that other countries have beautiful beaches obviously haven’t seen the thousands of stunning beaches in the Philippines.
Think about it. There are so many islands in the Philippines. I doubt any country in Southeast Asia-even Thailand that also has a few famous island resorts-can match the Philippines in terms of the variety of beaches. Perhaps Greece with more than 2000 islands could, but’s it’s in Europe, a much more costly place for nomads. So, the only problems for the Philippines for nomads would be safety, access to remote places, retirement facilities and VISA rules. Chris had explained to us that it does have a wide wireless internet access infrastructure, so communication isn’t a problem. But perhaps it should develop a wider network of domestic and regional airlines that should, preferably, be linked to regional leaders like AirAsia.com and Tigerairways.com .
Its government should increase defence budget significantly after weathering the financial crisis and, with the co-operation of foreign powers, uproot the terrorists once and for all, at all costs, like what the Sri Lankan government just did. Following that, more defence budget could be channelled into the police force to ensure that investors, tourists and local talents feel safe there.
Retirement villages like those in Australia and New Zealand could be developed by tender in a few key locations where the climate is moderate (15-25 degrees Celcius round the year) and there is no threats of natural disasters. This will attract the ageing population from the Western World and developed Asian world such as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. Nursing and medical schools should be doubled in number and student enrolment capacity to provide qualified healthcare workers for such facilities. I am sure that many retirees who are receiving pension or annuity income would be pleased to settle down in a retirement house near the beaches at much lower costs in the Philippines if all these are in place.
Lastly, it should lower the bar for foreigners who wish to settle down there. Perhaps US$30-50k of investment should be required instead of the present US$75k under SIRV. It should think beyond the initial investment. When you attract more foreigners to obtain the SIRV, there will be more of them going to the Philippines to spend money in the Philippines economy. This spending equates to extended long-term tourism and the economic benefits should far surpass what that of the initial investment amount.
@ Sunny, check this out -Regarding proposed new visa rules: Philippine Immigration and Naturalization Act (Pina) of 2009 -
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100111-246740/DFA-seeks-revisions-to-immigration-bill
For aviation: ASEAN starting this year is set to fully liberalise the industry with even the crappy Philippine airline Cebu Pacific set to commence the first direct flights from Manila to Phnom Penh.
Safety wise, you could go walking in a busy shopping area in Hong Kong and gets sprayed acid. Those who rant about safety in the Philippines never fully realise the size of the country. Manila for example is over 1,000 kilometers away from Maguindanao where that horrid massacre happened last year yet suddenly people were canceling tours in Manila! What the country needs is good PR. Thailand spends millions and millions of dollars to sell their country and even with Malaysia with no so much sites to offer gets more tourists than us and these same countries have the same ‘problem’ as the uninformed traveler would say about the Philippines! Southern Thailand suffers from a festering rebellion but that dint stop people from visiting Phuket, BKK and Chiang Mai – these places had bomb attacks in the past couple of years! Who wouldn’t forget the Bangkok Airport Seige? That dint stop Thailand from getting 13 million tourists compared to the Philippines’ 3 Million even if the latter has far superior beaches, and more diverse culture. Malaysia has a problem with extremism as well – Jemaah Islamiyah have strong Malaysian and Indonesian ties but that dint stop people from visiting Malaysia nor Bali.
This is because for so long, and everyone loves to make the Philippines the whipping boy, it is just convenient for people to trash the country. Even Nat Geo recognised that the Philippines have a really bad PR problem in its description of the country when it listed it as one of the Top 25 Best New Destinations of 2010. With infrastructure, international airports all over the country are being built as we speak, and more hotels too. However, I personally dread the coming of more tourists here, believe it or not. Too much and too many will make us look like another Thailand, and Thailand with its mass tourism and accompanying environmental destruction is not an example that Philippine tourism should ever imitate.
Sunny, while I agree with you, that the Philippines have some of the most diverse and beautiful beach islands on the planet; I just want to add the fact, that there is one country in Asia with more islands and diverse beaches: Indonesia. Just because you asked.
Let the numbers speak for themselves: Philippines 7.107 islands, Indonesia over 15.000. Both countries have in a way similar issues attracting tourists, where in Pinas most foreign tourists probably concentrate on Boracay, in Indonesia it is Bali (with close to 70% of all tourist income generated).
In a way, it is a mixed bag, that both governments so far were pretty slow or incapable in developing other tourist destinations in their respective countries better, bad for the country’s economy, good for nature and travelers, who prefer unspoiled nature and destinations off the beaten track.
Still, I would see it rather as a blessing for both countries, although there is less development like in – let’s say – Thailand, the obvious mistakes are so far avoided also. So yeah, go out there and visit the beautiful beaches of the Philippines and Indonesia, before mass tourism catches up with you.
Oh, careless me to miss out Indonesia! Indeed, Indonesia has more islands. You are quite right to mention that both Indonesia and the Philippines are more unspoiled than the islands and beaches of Thailand. Looking at the sheer number of islands in both countries, it’d take decades for all the islands to be spoiled by tourism. After 3G internet access has 100% coverage in both countries, I think it’d be perfect for nomads to travel around both. It’d be cheaper, internet-connected, unspoiled and offer more choices. With Retirement VISA requiring US$50k from the Philippines, it’s a step ahead of Indonesia in attracting long-term tourists-nomads. Indonesia’s economist President should catch up with the Philippines and Malaysia. Philippines, however, will continue to be favoured for two reasons. It’s safer and English is more widely spoken. With natural disasters and terrorist attacks so widely reported in Indonesia, I doubt Indonesia is desirable except for a few places like Bali.
“The usual suspects come to mind: Thailand, Malaysia even China.”
wait a minute. China is not even in southeast asia!
China is in NORTH east asia, or (in UN’s language) simply “east asia”
The Philippines
Brunei (surprise!)
Thailand
Indonesia (Bali would make second place, but let down by other parts of Indonesia I have visited)
Taiwan
Vietnam (…yet to try Laos and Cambodia)
Hong Kong
I guess I am not a real “Nomad” as I still manage businesses to support my lifestyle, however I have lived in SEA (mostly), the US and Europe for the past 25+ years.
I have a Philippines SVEG visa as I employ 10+ Filipinos which gives me a “residency” without “investing” in the bonds and securities. When I move to Bali I will get KITAS but I dont think it should be necessary as I go back to the Phil and Brunei every 6 to 8 weeks.
KiwiNomad, sounds like a great plan, commuting between those 2 countries. I’m planning a similar thing, maybe just fleeing from the raining season….switching to areas below the equator around mid year and above the equator around end of year should help. So back in May to Bali and maybe over New Year again to Pinas….let’s see……hehehe.
I’ll be in Thailand in April with a friend. After the months through I’d like to move on to Cambodia, alone. In all honesty, I’ve never made it out of Canada and I am feeling abit timid about venturing off on my own while being unfamiliarized with whats around me.
Any advice? Safety Concerns? Places to avoid? Anything is much appreciated;)
It’s off-topic, sorry fellas. I should be able to participate in this poll… soon enough, seeing as it has been going on for years. =D>
Connor, with a bit of common sense there are not many places to avoid in Thailand, Cambodia or other locations in Asia. Of course, shady venues at night far off the beaten track you should avoid anywhere, but you will be safe, don’t sweat it. And yeah, I wouldn’t jump around the unexploded ordnance in Cambodia or Vietnam. Most locations from the Lonely Planet and internet forums in Thailand or elsewhere (i.e. Angkor Wat) are more than safe and you will have a ball of a time, leaving Canada for the first time. Have a great trip!
vote of Malaysia. >
Thailand – Koh Tao
Indonesia – Gili Islands
Philippines – hundreds of pristine beaches
Vietnam – Phu Quoc
South east asia is probably the best region of the world
I love philippines because i find the people very hospitable and easy to communicate in english…the different islands offers alot of unique traits…
philippines for hospitably of filipinos
Going to Cambodia in Sept..
Yahoo! Tho I wish I can go to Philippines soon… I miss nice and unspoilt beaches.. 
My favorite country in SEA is Vietnam…I’ve been there last year..The people. the food, the landscapes are extraordianry nice.
I’ll be there again in September..Can’t wait !!!