Day: October 24, 2025

• After traveling the world solo, Andre Neveling realized that nowhere compares to Southeast Asia.
• Phuket, Luang Prabang, and Ho Chi Minh City are his favorite cities for traveling on his own.
• On a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, he found it boring — a surprise after how lively the city used to feel.

My first trip to Southeast Asia in 2010 was a revelation. As a young South African, my global travels were just beginning, but the vibrant cultures of Thailand and Malaysia left a lasting impression.

That journey sparked a desire to see the world, and 15 years and 38 countries later, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: Nowhere else offers the same exotic, compelling diversity as Southeast Asia. I returned to this part of the world again and again, often on my own, and eventually, last year, made Thailand home.

Through years of solo travel, I’ve learned that every country has its highlights, but some destinations become lifelong loves while others lose their spark. Based on my experiences, here are three cities I recommend to fellow travelers, and one that, sadly, I now suggest skipping.

Phuket, Thailand: My go-to for serenity and excitement

Bangkok may claim the title of the world’s most visited city, but Phuket offers the most quintessential Thai experience. It was the first Asian destination I visited, and it left a lasting impression that ultimately led me to call it home.

Despite its reputation as a tourist magnet, I’ve never tired of it. For a solo traveler, Phuket’s variety is what makes it special. You can find peace in the sleepy jungle villages of Kamala, dive into the electric nightlife of Patong, wander the colorful Sino-Portuguese shophouses of Phuket Old Town, or island-hop to nearby Koh Phi Phi.

Over the years, Phuket became my sanctuary. During times when I needed a reset — including the tail end of the pandemic, when my mental health was in shambles — it was my solo go-to. I found peace and serenity here without sacrificing Thai culture, cuisine, or entertainment.

Luang Prabang, Laos: A spiritual respite

Luang Prabang had long been on my bucket list, and when I finally visited, it exceeded all my expectations. This UNESCO World Heritage town, where the intersection of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers meet, offers a perfect balance of spiritual serenity, natural beauty, and cultural richness.

As a solo traveler, I found a much-needed break from my manic city life. The town’s café scene makes it an ideal spot for digital nomads to work and connect. One of my most memorable moments was taking a slow boat on the Mekong.

During my 2018 visit, I woke before dawn to witness the sacred Alms Giving Ceremony. Hundreds of saffron-robed monks silently processed through the streets as locals and visitors donated food. The ritual is believed to generate positive karma for this and future lives.

My highlight, though, was swimming in the turquoise waters of Kuang Si Falls, a series of cascading pools deep in the jungle and one of the most stunning natural sites I’ve ever seen.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Bustling energy and unexpected perks

Vietnam is rapidly gaining popularity as a travel destination, even surpassing Thailand for the first time this year in attracting the lucrative Chinese tourism market. Its southern capital, Ho Chi Minh City, is a chaotic, charming metropolis that won my heart instantly.

In a city this lively, I’ve never felt alone. On my first visit, I joined a street food walking tour that included stalls where I got to cook my own dishes. I even learned to make bánh xèo — a savory crepe filled with shrimp or pork and bean sprouts, then wrapped with fresh herbs.

The city also offered practical perks for long-term travelers. Vietnamese medical clinics operate at a high standard for a fraction of Western prices. I had dental work, saw specialists, and even got Botox there. It was all affordable and excellent.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A city that lost its spark

When I first visited Kuala Lumpur, as part of my first trip to Southeast Asia, I fell in love with its gritty yet luxurious energy. I explored the city alone on foot, shopped, and partied so hard I almost missed my flight. So when I returned in 2023, I was shocked. The KL I knew felt like a shell of its former self.

Lately, Malaysia has been leaning more conservative, tightening rules around concerts and nightlife in line with cultural and religious values. Some international shows have been canceled, and bars face stricter limits on serving alcohol and late-night hours.

I respect local customs, but I wasn’t prepared for how much things had changed. After five years living in the Middle East, I actually found Kuala Lumpur to feel more restrictive than Dubai or Abu Dhabi — something I never expected.

The gay clubs I remembered were gone. I found one remaining drag bar, but the atmosphere was subdued. Venturing out alone, I felt bored and disconnected, as if I were on a different continent.

I’m grateful I experienced the city when I did, but today it feels like a hollow echo of its vibrant past — one I don’t plan to revisit anytime soon.

Do you have a story to share about living in Asia? Contact the editor at akarplus@businessinsider.com.

• Justin Hotard became Nokia’s president and CEO in April.
• The former Intel executive said AI is in the middle of a “super cycle.”
• “I think this is a secular growth trend for many years,” he said.

Nokia CEO Justin Hotard says AI investments are unlikely to slow down because the technology is in the middle of a “super cycle.”

Hotard spoke to CNBC on Thursday and was asked about the outlook for AI investments.

“I think this is a secular growth trend for many years,” Hotard said. “The reason I say that is if you look at what we are doing in AI today, we are largely using LLMs for language-based applications.”

“Autonomous vehicles are still in the early days of penetration. Augmented and virtual reality, smart glasses. Very low penetration. Robotics. Very low penetration. There’s so many applications to come that I think we are very much in the early days,” he continued.

Hotard took over as Nokia’s president and CEO in April. Before Nokia, he was the executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s Data Center & AI Group.

Hotard told CNBC on Thursday that AI had created a “tremendous demand around the network buildout.” He added that people take a short-term view when describing AI as a bubble.

“Yes, we had a bubble in the internet, but even if you look at that over a two, or three, or five-year period, you see that bubble burst, and then you see tremendous growth well above where the bubble was,” he said.

“It’s hard for me to predict what exactly will happen in AI on a quarter or one-year basis, but I think the long-term prospects are massive,” he added.

Representatives for Hotard at Nokia did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Meta’s former president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said in an interview with CNBC on October 15 that AI has “certainly got some pretty prominent features of what looks like a bubble.”

Clegg was the UK’s deputy prime minister from 2010 to 2015. He joined Meta in 2018 and left the social media giant in January.

“There’s just an absolute sort of spasm of almost daily, hourly, dealmaking. Of course, you have got to kind of think, ‘Oh wow, this could be headed for a correction,” Clegg said of investments in AI.

Tech companies have been pouring billions of dollars into their AI investments. In September, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company would spend at least $600 billion on US data centers and infrastructure through 2028.

Zuckerberg told the “Access” podcast in an episode that aired on September 18 that while an AI bubble is “quite possible,” he would rather err on the side of caution and over-invest instead of under-invest.

“If we end up misspending a couple of hundred billion dollars, I think that that is going to be very unfortunate, obviously. But what I’d say is I actually think the risk is higher on the other side,” he said.

• Ford is doubling down on its F-150 pickup trucks and planning to increase production by 50,000 units in 2026.
• It’s adding 1,000 new jobs and moving over some EV workers to achieve this target.
• This comes after one of its major aluminum-producing plants saw a massive fire in September.

Ford is ramping up production of its top-selling pickup truck, the F-150 series, and moving staff over from its EV unit to keep manufacturing rolling.

The auto company said in a press release on Thursday that it will increase the production of its best-selling trucks, the F-150 and F-Series Super Duty series, by more than 50,000 units in 2026.

“We are adding up to 1,000 new jobs to increase F-Series production to recover lost volume and fulfill strong customer demand,” Ford’s CEO, James Farley, said in a Thursday earnings call.

The increased output also aims to recover production losses from a fire at a plant belonging to the Atlanta-based Novelis, one of Ford’s major aluminum suppliers.

The fire broke out in Novelis’ Oswego plant in September. Ford’s finance chief said in the earnings call that the fire could cost Ford up to $2 billion in adjusted profits for the fourth quarter of 2025.

The increased focus on the gas and hybrid F-150 pickup trucks means that Ford will halt the production of its electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning.

“F-150 Lightning assembly at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will remain paused as Ford prioritizes gas and hybrid F-Series trucks, which are more profitable for Ford and use less aluminum,” the press release said.

It added that all hourly employees from Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, would be moved over to the Dearborn Truck Plant to work on boosting output for the F-150 trucks.

The company reported third-quarter revenue of $50.5 billion, a 9% increase from the same period a year ago. Its stock price has risen about 11.6% in the past year.

This is not the first time Ford’s EV unit has taken hits as the company looks to slash costs. At the end of 2024, Ford paused F-150 Lightning production for seven weeks to cut costs.

Representatives for Ford did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.