Hoya padangensis is native to Indonesia, specifically from Java and Sumatra. It was formally described in 1916. The name "padangensis" refers to Padang, a city on the west coast of Sumatra, indicating its place of discovery or prevalence.
It grows as a climbing epiphyte in the wet tropical biome, thriving in the humid, warm conditions of the Indonesian rainforests, where it typically climbs on trees.