Where would you recommend travelling in south east asia for first time traveller?

Malaysia was my first taste of SE A. KL was total chaos. Bring it on.

Singapore is great. I lived there for 8 years (aged 8-16) as a child and have been back for a holiday with my husband and family. As a developed country, it is half way between here and the poorer countries of Asia. It will obviously be more expensive but you will get some of the foods, culture, smells, and excitement of Asia. It is a fantastic base to start from and you can travel up through Malaysia and Thailand. There is masses of different types and styles of accommodation and eateries which will suit any budget. My kids were aged 3,5,7 when we went and loved it and we are saving up to go again.

Phillipines,Singapore,Malaysia and Thailand .those countries
you wouldn,t find any language problem.

My first choice would be Malaysia, Its very inexpensive, the people are really friendly & 99% speak English, very little crime and a beautiful country all round. Second would be Singapore though this is a LOT more expensive.Third, Thailand though this has a bit more hassle for tourists & is becoming more Americanised.

For first time traveler, I recommend you to go to Singapore, Malaysia and The Philippines as English is widely spoken in this three countries and getting around those three countries is easier and faster than the other countries. Singapore is a very safe and clean country. Malaysia is a vibrant and nice to visit country, but a bit chaotic compared to Singapore. The Philippines is a budget and friendly country for you to visit. South East Asia is my homeland and welcome here.

it depends on your interests and what u wanna do there and how much time u have.

1, m'sia & s'pore are rich with diversified cultures coz they are multicultural countries, even more in m'sia. 90% of the population speak english. u can sample variety of delicious food from all over asia, experience diversified festivals, walk among people of different facial features and skin tone in their own traditional costumes (and they live in harmony), visit the different colourful worship places esp in m'sia. of course s'pore is more modern, well organised and generally things cost 2.5 times more than m'sia. s'pore is the most expensive country in south east asia (SEA) but it very cosmopolitant that will amaze you and haven for shopping. fyi, m'sia offers a lot more like beautiful beaches and islands, adventurous rainforests, flora & fauna and all the typical exotic tropical atmosphere.

2. thailand, philippines and indonesia are beautiful countries. people are much friendlier than those in m'sia & s'pore and things are even cheaper than m'sia!! these countries are famous for their own rich culture, beautiful beaches and islands, lush rainforest and friendly people. not many speak english but most can understand what u r trying to say.

3. vietnam, cambodia, laos, myanmar are the "exotic" countries of SEA. they opened up their doors not too long ago and now becoming very popular destinations among other SEA & int'l tourists. if you want to experience the untouched nature, cultures and sights, these are the countries to go for. u can sample exotic food like fried insects, dogs, cats and many others there (that 's not their staple diet, ok). food is cheap and tasty there. these countries are 'adventourous' & cheap but dont expect too much for service and facilities, and travelling from one place to another can be a big hassle unless u hire a car and driver or stay at int'l class hotel with organised tours. not to mention in some parts of the country, road accessibility is limited, i would recommend these countries for those adventurous type.

4. there's nothing to see in brunei and timor leste is not safe to visit due to internal turmoil there.

5. most airlines land in either s'pore or bangkok, thailand. and very few land in kuala lumpur, m'sia. fyi, in SEA, bangkok has the best connection to the world and also within SEA.
if you like city environment, take flight to s'pore, explore the island, then off to kuala lumpur, m'sia.
if u like culture, sightseeing, beaches, fly to s'pore or m'sia n do s'pore, m'sia, thailand or indonesia (if u have the time).
if u r the adventurous type, take a flight to bangkok, explore thailand and off to cambodia, vietnam and laos.

just refer lonely planet for more details.

Philippines
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/

For the first time I would go to Thailand!

Thailand knows how to do tourism right!

Hotel prices and transportation is cheap.

Thailand is "Tourist Friendly" they want you happy enough to tell your friends to visit and for you to return again!

No visa required for many countries like UK, US, Germany, Canada, NZ, OZ and many EU countries.

From Thailand you can easily use cheap land transportation to get to Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia.

I'm in the Philippines for holidays and I am enjoying it here. I will be going to Singapore next week before flying back to Canada.

for first timers to SEA, i think the countries that maybe easy for you to find your way around are: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Philipines.
For all 4 countries, english is widely used and transportation means are also easily accessible.
Take for example, Singapore, its a very metropolitan city, country.... everywhere u go, u'll realised tat the country is very clean, people are able to speak english (coz english is the 1st language in s'pore) and lots of wonderful food (fusion of different cultures & races). and its also a place friendly for travellers with kids. however, out of the 4 countries listed above, s'pore is the most expensive.

out of the 4 countries above, philipines is the cheapest.
Thailand, Malaysia & Philipines all got very wonderful beaches, lots of nature reserves but u hardly can find these in s'pore.