When it comes to personal interactions having nothing to do with business transactions, I get ignored by most. In Vietnam, I would get unwanted attention from men, eyeballing my wallet or camera. Since Vietnam is notorious for pickpockets, I was very selective about when I would use my camera and always maintained a defensive posture. I kept my guard up nearly full time. In Thailand, I’m not very concerned about being robbed. Of course, the only place where I was actually robbed (unsuccessfully) was in Mongolia. As for women, in Vietnam, I found the women to be traditional and shy, yet assertive enough that many wanted to maintain contact by email. Bar none, Vietnamese women are the most sincerely friendliest women I’ve ever met anywhere. I was pleasantly surprised by how innocent they are, especially after how I’d seen Vietnamese women portrayed in movies. Thailand, on the other hand, has very liberal women, but so many that I’ve met expect money and gifts in some form, simply for knowing them. The dating culture here is a phenomenon unique in the world. Mongolian women, fiercely independent, couldn’t have cared less about me. I did a little social “experiment,” where I would walk down the street and say “hello” to all the women to try to get a reaction, any reaction. Maybe 20% would respond. The rest ignored me completely! Bogy, my friend in the Mongolian videos, can vouch for this. The other countries I’ve visited are wealthy and modernized enough that I view them as being variations of what we have in the US. The bottom line in SE Asia, once again, even on a personal level, is that Westerners are seen as walking banks. It is no surprise that many of the most attractive, best educated Thai girls I’ve met have foreign boyfriends.

Awesome question! Definitely a topic worthy of more than a comment!