• Lester V. Ledesma is a photographer and has been traveling across Southeast Asia for almost 30 years.
• He says places like Bali have struggled with overtourism, while Myanmar has faced political turmoil.
• But there are three cities — Siem Reap, Ipoh, and Hanoi — that he feels have improved over the years.

I've spent nearly 30 years traveling around Southeast Asia, long enough to witness just how much the region has transformed.

Over the years, I've watched destinations rise and fall. Some began as exotic tourism gems, but now struggle with overtourism — Bali is a good example of this.

Other cities, like Bangkok, remain perennial tourist magnets, managing to thrive thanks to careful resource management. Then there are the places that showed great promise when they opened to the world — I'm looking at you, Myanmar — only to become no-go zones due to political turmoil.

Nonetheless, there are a few special spots in Southeast Asia that I often revisit. Like well-made coconut wine, these three seem to get better as the years go by.

1. Siem Reap, Cambodia

When I first visited Siem Reap in 2003, it was something of a cowboy town, with more bicycles than cars. "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," starring Angelina Jolie, had been released a few years earlier, with scenes filmed at Angkor Wat, but the city still wasn't a common feature on the average bucket list.

Back then, its main landmark was Psar Chas — the old market — and the soon-to-be-renamed Pub Street was still just a jumble of guesthouses and restaurants that serviced mostly budget travelers.

Marijuana-laced "happy pizza" was a common item on menus, and there were even places that delivered straight to your room.

Two decades later, the hippie backpacker vibe has been greatly diminished, replaced by a more cosmopolitan collection of chic boutique hotels standing beside wine bars, hipster cafés, and restaurants boasting cuisine from all over the world.

These days, Siem Reap is basking in the glow of a post-COVID era facelift that widened the main roads and beautified the city's parks. To the east, the recently built Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport — which opened in October 2023 — has replaced the smaller landing strip that stood close to the city.

Despite more tourists, Angkor's UNESCO World Heritage sites are also managed better with an online booking app that lets you buy entrance passes without having to join the long lines. There's also more effective crowd control, especially in popular spots like Angkor Wat and the Bayon.

Clearly marked walkways and "no entry" signs help keep visitors from getting lost. Angkor may no longer offer the "lost jungle ruin" experience of decades past, but stricter regulations help ensure the preservation.

2. Ipoh, Malaysia

I remember when Lonely Planet's "Southeast Asia on a Shoestring" edition described Ipoh — a city in Malaysia about 120 miles north of Kuala Lumpur — as "so seedy you're unlikely to linger." Decades ago, I walked through the old quarter of this city and found little more than crumbling shophouses set alongside grand-but-aging colonial-era buildings.

Still reeling from the collapse of its industry in the '80s, this once-affluent tin mining community didn't seem to be doing too well. In fact, it had a hint of seediness that kept me from lingering too long.

Thankfully, much has improved since then. Renewed interest in local heritage sparked an urban revival that restored the city's venerable old structures. Colorful street murals added a quirky charm, making Ipoh an essential stopover for travelers in Malaysia on the Malacca-Kuala Lumpur-Penang route.

Nowadays, the city's rediscovered nostalgia is everywhere on display, from stylish B&Bs like the Sekeping Kong Heng — built on top of a still-operating vintage coffeeshop — to the ever-busy Concubine Lane where antique shophouses play host to numerous craft and souvenir stores.

And one of Malaysia's oldest bars — the 94-year-old Sinhalese Bar — still keeps its after-work crowd despite being surrounded by newfangled, IG-friendly espresso bars and watering holes. Ipoh's growing tourism industry has so far remained manageable, and I'm thankful that this picturesque heritage city has kept its soul.

3. Hanoi, Vietnam

When I first visited in 2007, I struggled to like Hanoi. At that point, it had not yet become a mainstream tourist destination.

Sure, it had interesting neighborhoods and a vibrant street scene, but I found locals in Vietnam's capital to be cold and indifferent toward outsiders. At times, it felt like everyone — taxi drivers, market vendors, even public toilet attendants — was just waiting to make a quick buck off me.

Maybe my not-so-great first impression had something to do with Vietnam's tough postwar years, when the country had to fend for itself.

But fast-forward 18 years, and the city feels completely different.

Hanoi has not lost any of its timeless character, and its ancient corner temples and ornate French colonial-era mansions still proudly display their patina.

Motorbikes continue to zoom recklessly, and conical hat-wearing vendors still roam the streets with their merchandise on their shoulders. But today's Hanoi seems to have put on a friendlier face.

Since my first visit, the city has upgraded its infrastructure and services to a more international standard. A new metro now provides a direct connection to the countryside, while price-regulated taxis and regular buses now transport travelers from the airport.

Young Hanoians come across to me as more welcoming, offering more smiles and fewer scowls. In fact, during recent trips, I've had random folks help me navigate fish-out-of-water situations. Like when a local customer scolded a noodle vendor who was trying to rip me off. There was also a friendly couple at a dessert stall who proudly taught me how to order ca phe in Vietnamese.

Friendly interactions like these — a quick translation, a helpful tip, or even a friendly chat — now color my view of the storied and beautiful city.

• I'm an American spending my retirement living in different countries around the world with my wife.
• We've lived in about 50 countries, and Vietnam, Italy, and Malaysia are some of our favorites.
• Our favorite place to live is Croatia, as it's beautiful and there's so much to see there.

My wife and I are Americans who have been fully nomadic since 2019. In the past few years, we've visited about 50 countries.

We have stayed in some places for as little as a few days and others for several months, but our "sweet spot" is four to six weeks, which gives us time to absorb the flavor of the local culture.

Of all the many questions we get asked about our full-time nomadic lifestyle, the most common is probably, "What's your favorite country?"

As simple as that query is, it's also one of the most challenging because we love so many and consider several of them "home."

However, if I had to choose, here are a few of my favorite countries we've lived in — plus our top pick.

Vietnam felt like an affordable expat heaven

We spent 17 months traveling around Southeast Asian countries and fell in love with many places in the region, including Vietnam.

The second time we visited Vietnam, we stayed for all of our 90-day maximum visa period. We felt we got the most bang for our buck in the amazing city of Da Nang.

It seems popular among fellow expats, likely because it's affordable and close (about 30 minutes away) to the ancient city of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site with incredible preserved history and charming canals.

As expats, Da Nang was also a great city for transitioning into Southeast Asian culture, since it still has many Western-style offerings, like grocery stores with offerings that remind us of home.

The country's fairly inexpensive cost of living made it easy for us to comfortably live, explore, and eat well during our stay.

We had so much affordable and incredible food (and fresh fish) in Vietnam. I loved frequent bahn mi sandwiches for less than a dollar, and pho soup breakfasts for not much more.

My wife and I never had a dull day in the country since it also has many beautiful landscapes, rivers, and beaches. And with the convenience of our affordable $45 a month scooter rental, nothing felt too far away.

Italy is magnificent and filled with history

It's easy to see why Italy is on many bucket lists, and we've now lived there twice.

The country is filled with historic architecture, churches, and museums, which have been incredible to explore.

One of our first stays was in the small medieval town of Tivoli, about 20 minutes east of Rome, where we lived in a 500-year-old apartment. That blew my mind, as it's about double the age of the United States.

The ancient town was founded hundreds of years before Rome, too, and it was my first gut punch of recognizing how little of the world I had seen.

Eight months later, we were on the island of Sicily for six weeks. It carried the same sense of ancient history, with the stunning, centuries-old Temple of Apollo prominently in its town square.

And, of course, we enjoyed Italy's world-famous culinary scene and incredible wine offerings. While in Sicily, we regularly visited the local street market to stock up on fresh fish and $2 bottles of delicious wine.

We appreciate the medical tourism in Malaysia

Over the years, one of our biggest incentives to visit Malaysia has been its affordable yet high-quality medical services.

As full-time travelers, it's been our go-to place for medical tests and scans. After all, Malaysia's medical tourism market is pretty huge.

We've had positive experiences with high-quality clinics in the country that have been more affordable than what we've encountered in the US and most other countries we've lived in.

During our time in Malaysia, we've gotten full-body exams, blood tests, and head-to-toe scans for only a few hundred dollars.

We've easily paid for all our medical expenses here out of pocket without navigating complicated insurance policies and red tape, which is almost unheard of in the US.

Plus, it's worth mentioning that Malaysia has impressive skylines, mountains, and rainforests worth exploring, too.

Croatia is still our favorite country we've lived in

Although we've spent time in about 50 countries, Croatia still tops them all.

We spent almost two months there in 2019, and have been back three more times since. When we first moved to Croatia, we didn't know much about it. However, we quickly fell in love.

Fortunately, English is widely spoken here, so communicating with locals was easy. Plus, we were able to eat tons of fresh seafood while in the area.

During one stretch, we lived in affordable waterfront lodging about 20 minutes north of Split, one of our favorite cities.

Its focal point is the downtown waterfront Diocletian Palace, which has residential and commercial units built into the walls. Its charm and history felt intoxicating.

We loved regularly walking several miles along the city's promenade and enjoying the changing view of the water, ships, and sandy beaches.

A few years later, we toured Croatia's northern region, starting from the Istrian Peninsula and heading south while stopping at half a dozen islands along the way.

Even this excursion barely made a dent in how much beauty there is to see in the country, since it has 49 inhabited islands and hundreds of others.

We look forward to one day going back.