I am from Alabama, my wife is Chinese and I lived in Asia for many years. My children grew up in Hong Kong.
Every where is crowded in Asia. But I’d start with Bangkok. It has its seedy areas but lots that isn’t. It is also reasonably priced. If you go to Ching Mai in North Thailand there is a lot of neat stuff including the Bridge Over the River Quai.
That’s where the red temple and white temple are, right? (Chang Mai)