[Before: Pattaya never sleeps! After: Everyone in bed by 11 pm: Resort is dead say Thais]

44 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Not just Patti in trouble is it take a look on webcamtaxi to find out what this sham government has done to tourism through greed and lunatic laws????  

Lunatic laws like the licencing of dart boards and banning of bar games like Connect Four and Jenga. Powercrazy madmen running the Country. 

http://www.thailandroad.com/blog/connect-four-banned-in-thailand/

[Urine tests on road]

Take the opportunity to run a simple health check:

If ants gather:- diabetes.
If you pee on your feet:- prostate. 

if it smells like a barbecue:- cholesterol. 

if, when you shake it & your wrist hurts:- osteoarthritis. 

if you return to your room with your member hanging outside your pants:- Alzheimer

[Thailand to host World Ganja Festival 2020]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand to host World Ganja Festival 2020

What a proud feather in Thailand's cap. Now the International Hub of Ganja.

They should invite Snoop Dogg as guest speaker to talk of it's relaxative "medicinal" qualities.

[visa exempt exit and reentry]

10 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Nothing more than your passport, 20k baht in cash, hotel booking for first night and a cheap exit ticket.

And wear long trousers, so they say.

[Pangasius fillets?]

Some years back I was exporting Pangasius fish (basa) out of Vietnam into Eastern Europe. I visited the farms and the factories. Couldn't see much wrong with them but I was given to believe they are full of chemicals (antibiotics and antifungals) and the fish in the ponds are reportedly fed factory waste offcuts. Anyone remember mad cow disease. 

I am guessing some farmed fish is OK but the stuff that comes out of the Mekong would be risky to eat. Problem is one ever knows where it comes from. 

The fish cooks well, it is cheap, stays reasonably firm but has little flavour. As for me I wouldn't touch it and nor would my Vietnamese wife. Eat it at your own risk. Beware is often misnamed as Dory.

This video is dated and I think farms and factories have improved a lot since then. But for me the health risks are not worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6N2SX51d7w

 

[Bees Left Something for Pooh Bear.]

15 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

should i be like Pooh Bear and climb up and stick my nose in it?

I am sure you would prefer sweeter things to stick your nose in. But a change might be nice.

[Pattaya’s New Slogan]

On 9/8/2019 at 7:50 PM, newnative said:

      Cute slogan but maybe someone more attractive on the billboard next time.

That's a bit unfair! The boys in Boyztown might find him very attractive.

[Pattaya’s New Slogan]

19 hours ago, Oink said:

If you look carefully you can see that he is sat in a first class Thai Airways seat. Obviously off on his holidays somewhere.

He is an Article 44 Prayut political appointee. He needs to get about on behalf of the PM. Or he may even be a very mobile bagman for government and provincial politicians. 

[Vietnam is a big rip off]

On 8/18/2019 at 2:52 PM, AlexRich said:

Taxi drivers are the worst scammers in Vietnam. They’ll go the longest possible way, use rigged meters or no meters at all. Another one to look out for is the money swap. The high and low denomination notes look similar in colour ... they will pretend that you gave them the wrong notes ... so count the notes into their hand to prevent this.

 

But to be honest if you travel around the world you will be scammed in some way or another ... it’s unavoidable. So do plenty of homework before you travel and you’ll avoid the worst examples.

<snip> I use taxis almost every day in Vietnam and have done for 12 years find them a very honest lot. Maybe an odd one occasionally tries it on.

Look like a sucker, behave like a sucker and you will be sucked.

[Vietnam is a big rip off]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I always use the bus, wherever I am.

Vietnam has an android app for each city, showing routes and bus in real time.

5,000VND (25c) for all local trips, 20,000VND for out of town trips.

 

Never encountered a taxi driver that wasn't a low life criminal, in any city of the world.

Yay! Buses in Hanoi and HCMC are great, clean, new and cheap. Compared to the filthy dirty smoke spewing rattletraps they call buses in BKK.

I ride taxis in Hanoi all the time and never have a problem. Same for motorbike taxis. Can't speak for HCMC.

 

[Does Anything you Buy in Thailand Actually Last?]

I have bought a few things in Thailand and some have worked extremely well; others haven't.

The one thing in common is that the warranty usually runs out at about 6 am in the morning.

 

[Thailand VS Vietnam? Which one will be better in 5yrs?]

2 hours ago, ThePioneer said:

 

It seems that your comprehension level is not really up to scale, so let me help you a little.

 

A motorcycle has a motor attached, so it is included in motor vehicles,

 

The World health organisation hasn't released figures for 2018 yet, so maybe you can share the link then.

 

The figures in the WHO article are for 2016

 

26.4 is about 19% less than 32.7, so a far cry from your 64%, and it is per 100.000 of the population, not by motor vehicle

 

 

Believe and interpret what you want Newbie. You are an nothing more than an apprentice troll merchant. 

[Thailand VS Vietnam? Which one will be better in 5yrs?]

3 minutes ago, ThePioneer said:

Yes sure, people who don't have a motor vehicle usually don't die in traffic accidents.

 

Thailand 60 deaths per 100.000 motor vehicles

 

Vietnam 55 deaths per 100.000

 

Hardly a 64% difference, but if it suits your agenda, why not post some false news.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

 

And even by population 32 vs 24 is also hardly a 64% difference

You confine your comparison to motor vehicles only. Why don't you include motor cycles, they cause deaths also. I know it suits your agenda. 

The facts are:

For 2018 the road toll death rate per 100,000 in Thailand was 32.7. That was a long way ahead of Vietnam at 26.7.

Taken from the World Health Organisation report.

[Thailand VS Vietnam? Which one will be better in 5yrs?]

1 hour ago, thecyclist said:

Yes, that is the way a lot of locals cross a road, a very risky and scary option.I live in a medium-sized city in Vietnam now, and hardly an hour goes by without hearing an ambulance siren. 9000 road fatalities per year in Vietnam, significantly lower than Thailand, but still frighteningly high. 

The constant, most of the time completely unnecessary, beep beep is a pain in the neck. 

So in both countries the traffic is in different ways a mess. What's different is that when you fly into rage over some maniac cutting you off in a dangerous way, the Vietnamese just smile at you, while a lot of Thais well  rage and swear back at you, something which can easily get physically. It's all about face in Thailand, and being yelled at by a farang khee nok is about as great as a loss of face can get. 

Vietnam has 30% more people (roughly) than Thailand and 64% less road deaths (than Thailand). Go figure.

[Thailand VS Vietnam? Which one will be better in 5yrs?]

5 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

Yeah thats like nothing? 

Doesn't include stocks, dividens, salary, rental income etc

I have lived in Vietnam for 12 years and have a 5 year marriage visa exemption and have lived at the same address for the last 5 years. I have never had to pay off shore dividends earned, offshore pension or bank interest earned in Vietnam.

BTW how long have you lived in Vietnam? Or do you live in Googleland?

[Thailand VS Vietnam? Which one will be better in 5yrs?]

59 minutes ago, Beggar said:

You just have destroyed my dream :-((( but I am grateful for this. So I would need at least 2 countries to avoid to stay too many days in Vietnam. What also worries my is the Agent Orange that the US used there during the war. A lot of food might be/is not very healthy because of this. 

 Here are a few home facts about Vietnam from someone who knows. 

1. There is NO tax on income earned overseas. How would they know what you earn overseas? There is tax on income earned in Vietnam. 

2. There are very good western health services in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. I have used them.

3. So called "Agent Orange" is made from the same dioxins which are heavily used throughout Thailand. 

4. I have had a reasonable size 1 year term deposit account in Vietnam for 12 years. Originally it paid 14%. My last one was 7.2%. Never had to pay tax on any of that income. Yesterday I went to renew it and they gave me another option of buying a bank bond which pays 9% yearly. Go get that sort of deal in Thailand.

[Thailand Food Obsessives]

It's been here before but worth repeating.

[Thailand, the world's new dumping ground for hazardous waste.]

This is a story appearing today in one of Australia's leading news sources. It is about the transition of hazardous waste going to China and now instead coming into Thailand. To quote one Thai lady who is trying to bring notice to this increasing pollution problem:

"There are increasing numbers of Chinese factories located in these provinces of Thailand, operating recycling of plastic, e-waste and certain types of hazardous waste,"

It is to be expected other international news sources will pick up on this story and give it wider publicity.

It is reported that .....China, the USA, the UK, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Australia are exporting a huge amount of e-waste to Thailand."

Even villages and their drinking water are being contaminated by toxic levels of iron, manganese, lead, nickel and in some cases arsenic and cadmium.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-16/recycled-tech-from-western-nations-destroying-thai-villages/11274578

 

Thailand seems hell bent on self destruction all in the interests of greed.

 

[Entering Thailand by air several times per year for short visits]

17 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

You are very likely to be questioned again if you continue this pattern. You may be denied entry. 

 

You can reduce the risk of denied entry by :-

1. having a return ticket to Cambodia

2. having clear evidence of your living in Cambodia

3. having a very clear purpose with evidence for your trip to Thailand

4. carrying 20,000 Baht or equivalent currency

5. having a Thai with status on speed dial.

6. having a multi-entry or single-entry tourist visa.

 

Even these precautions may not work and you could still be denied. 

 

You can completely eliminate the risk of denied entry by

1. Purchasing a Thai Elite visa (500,000 Baht)

or

2. Obtaining a non-immigrant visa from the UK (perhaps on the grounds of retirement)

 

If you keep coming on visa exempts, sooner or later, there'll be an issue. There is an unofficial limit.

I have a friend coming in on Visa Exempt about 4 times a year for about 12 years. He usually stays 10 days. He has only been asked twice as to the purpose of his visit. I think a lot is to do with age as he is 76 and unlikely to be seeking employment or residency and has clear evidence he lives in Vietnam.

Medical visits with a Doctors Certificate can help if that can be arranged. He is registered as a patient at a private hospital. It only needs a single visit for a checkup to get registered. The hospital card is very handy evidence to show the IO.

[fast track Suvanabum]

Yes still working when I last used it some months back. The attendant walked with me to the immigration counter and the IO gave me a big smile; then he gave the attendant a big smile and a thank you nod as he handed over a fistful of banknotes.

[No alcohol sales all day today: Jail for lawbreakers]

I wonder does that police chief who receives 600,000 baht annually from a certain beverage company get his commission reduced proportionally on alcohol free days.

[DMK Crackdown?]

International travellers should avoid using Air Asia and other airlines working out of Don Muang. When their sales drop and the hip pocket hurts they will use the envelope to reduce pressure on inbound travellers. Money solves everything in Thailand.

[Relocating to Vietnam ?]

25 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

There are Circle K and Family Mart everywhere.

Nothing special about 7-11 franchise.

Much of the stuff written here is claptrap and the opinions of holiday blowins. I have lived in Vietnam almost 13 years. Never been hit by a motorbike, I rent a large 4 bedroom, three bathroom villa in a provincial city near Hanoi for US$500/month. I have a 5 year marriage visa exemption for US$70, no other money and no paperwork except a residency certificate. Cost of living compared to Thailand about 50 to 60% less. 

I work in the travel industry in Vietnam and spend 30% of my time in Thailand. I am a position to compare both. I enjoy my time in Thailand but always pleased to get home.

[Relocating to Vietnam ?]

6 hours ago, sanemax said:

Her one red big painted  toenail looks very appealing , as my papa always said to me " You can tell what kind of Woman She is , by her big toenail" 

She is about as Vietnamese as I am. Illegal Cambodian hooker jumped the border more like it.

Here are two photos of a Vietnamese woman to help you recognise one when you see one. 

[Three monks dead as lay driver drops off to sleep and hits a tree]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Three monks dead as lay driver drops off to sleep and hits a tree

Another bad day on Thai roads. Also today 5 teachers were killed and 8 injured in another incident of a van hitting a tree. Again it was claimed the driver fell asleep. Taking a nap while driving seems to be coming more popular on Thai roads.