I was looking at the wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Asia and in places like Thailand and Phillipines it says "Prostitution illegal" but "buying sex" legal. Does that mean that the client buying sex can never be charged but the provider selling sex can be charged with a crime? I did want to visit Thailand but didn't want to do anything illegal. Also some places have "Prostitution legal" but "Brothels illegal" and is this similar that you can't operate a brothel but can sell sex legally?

Just because something is illegal on the books doesn't mean those engaging in it are prosecuted.  

 
The whole idea in some countries is to crack down on organized crime (think pimping and all the abuse that goes with it) as well as public display of prostitution which can cause lot of nuisance to general public.  Think about it.. If you are on family vacation in Thailand and all of a sudden you start getting solicited by hookers on the streets.  This can really hurt their economy as tourism is a huge part of their GDP.  At the same time they don't want to dissuade the folks who want to come to their country for sex travel.  

 
It's a fine line some folks have to walk.  

 
That's why they have laws that might seem odd to you at first glance but make sense when you think a bit deeper.

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Thailand is nice (hot but nice) and the people generally friendly. I would not worry about the legality as you are. This link might help you decide. Kind of a history and evolution of the legal status. BTW, while not certain to pass, or even be presented for a vote as I understand, legalization is under consideration.  

 
One of the things that seems clear, Thai culture is fine with sex work and most of the legal debate is on two fronts: external views of the country and safety of the sex workers.

What do you mean by "don't expect too much". Do you mean in terms of service from the SWs?

When I first started in Canada outcall was legal, incall was not, and solicitation was illegal, as was living off the avails of prostitution. Essentially they were targeting street prostitution and agencies running incall, as well as pimps/forced prostitution.

 
Technically if I did an incall visit and bought my mom some groceries we were both criminals, but the risk simply wasn’t there.  

 
When they changed the laws it became legal to sell sex but illegal to advertise or purchase.  Now they were focusing on the sites like backpage and such, and operating under the premise that all sex workers were exploited and couldn’t be held accountable. So the survival sex workers were safe but their clients were a target, along with the pimps and agencies.  

 
Again an independent provider and her clients were not putting themselves at risk.  It was however much harder to advertise as sites shut down, or restructured with strict restrictions. Many reputable agencies managed to keep running, although I knew an owner who was incarcerated briefly on a couple occasions. Even the massage parlors that were raided often opened again shortly after.  

 
All this to say that there are likely three categories of sex work in foreign countries:
1) what is technically legal
2) what one can actually partake in risk-free
3) what activities would risk prosecution, which, in Asia, could potentially carry more serious consequences then what we would see in the US.  

 
I would definitely suggest one does their homework thoroughly prior to partaking in the local delights.  

In some countries Sex/Prostitution are legal.

That's pretty well known.

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Indeed

Does that mean if you go to Phillipines and get a provider in a massage parlor that you can't be criminally charged?

In Indonesia there are no laws regarding prostitution. So can a client be charged?

That is not what it means. Probably 8 years or so ago I saw a news story about a bunch of young Korean guys that went to Cebu and ended up being arrested and (though with blurred faces) front page of one of the news papers. I think the story included their names as well. But they were being stupid, loud and largely offending other people in the hotel.  

 
Discretion matters.

Here is the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Indonesia

 
In one regard, given Indonesia is a Muslem country, the legal treatment might well be worse than it being specifically about the sex. There was also a fairly recent, post pandemic, law passed about unmarried people sharing a room. Cause a bit of consternation about the implications for tourist. The government did issue a statement aimed at calming people down but didn't actually say the law would never be applied to tourists. But I here tell that Bali remains a good sex vacation destination, though perhaps not as well known as places like Thailand, Philippines, DR, or many South and Central American destinations.

I am not talking about creating a ruckus but legally can you be charged if you are just a client in the Phillipines?

Yes. That was my point. Prostitution is illegal there.

So what is the point of "Buying sex is legal" in phillipines if the client can be charged?

I have not idea as I didn't create that wiki page. I suspect it is probably confusion -- from the perspective that lacking any specific law about buying/paying for sex the writers assume legality.

 
Though with a little digging I found https://www.roughguides.com/philippines/travel-advice/#prostitution-and-sex-tourism
"While it’s illegal to sell or procure sex, the trade still operates under the guise of entertainment: sex workers are employed as singers, dancers, waitresses or “guest relations officers” in clubs and bars where they are expected to leave with any client who pays a fee. Then there’s what are euphemistically dubbed “freelancers”, prostitutes that independently cruise bars looking for paying customers."

 
So it would seem this site thinks buying sex is illegal. Plus, even if the law is mute on paying for sex specifically the Phillipines has a number of morality based laws that could be applied.

Here are a couple of pages saying that buying sex is not illegal in Phillipines:
https://www.nswp.org/country/the-philippines
https://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6e/entry-3895.html

I was wondering if going to Philippines for this hobby is safe since if prosecuted it would be difficult to explain to friends and family.

In general you'll be fine if you are sensible about it. You can get outcall to your hotel and the staff doesn't really care, they will generally check her ID at the front desk and treat her like a regular guest. Call your room and ask it you want to come down or have someone escort her up -- most hotels will have keycard elevator access if you're staying in a decent place.

 
I'm just saying it is something you can be charged for and the claims that buying sex is legal and you cannot be charged is pure BS. But as is the case in a lot of places, while illegal it is widely tolerated. Most understand that many in their country have limited employment options and getting foreigners to pay is good for them.

 
If you're planning on a trip -- though given your comments it might be problematic -- you can also join in a number of the dateing sites. A lot of the women there are happy to meet with a foreigner that will treat them well and give them money.  Depends on what you're looking for. That would be more like a SB arrangement while you're there rather than a more direct P4P arrangement but not much different.