Long Overdue Southeast Asia Trip

My parents are Vietnamese refugees and came to the states around 1975? The history of their immigration is so important, yet I have forgotten the details. I'm a first generation Vietnamese American, and I mostly associate myself as American. More like a citizen of the world as of late since I have no pride in being American anymore. I'm actually ashamed of it.

Anyway, Vietnam has been on my list of countries to visit for over a decade. Since I first started traveling without my family. I never made it a priority to visit for many reasons. The reason I do want to visit (now) is so I can finally get a glimpse of where my parents and my ancestors lived, and how they lived. Also, because my brother is there now so it would be nice to see him!

I'll be traveling alone. I traveled solo for the first time to Costa Rica and Cuba in the past 10 months, however this Southeast Asia trip is daunting. It's not just 1 country/language/culture. I'm most concerned about theft, but I have a solution ready.

Countries: 4; Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia
Total days: 21, in November 2017
Route:

I have to finish planning for the trip, which is a nightmare. Being a natural planner helps a ton although I'd rather not plan where I'm staying. But then what happens when you've got your 30 lbs backpack on, the sun's setting, and you don't yet have a bed for the night? I don't want to be SOL and end up paying for some pest-infested hostel or over-paying for a 5-star hotel...

✌💛😁  Christine Ann