Monkey business: Thai women 5th most beautiful in ASEAN

American finance website Insider Monkey ranked Thai women as the fifth most beautiful in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region while Vietnam was crowned queen of the rankings.

Insider Monkey launched the Top Country/Region with Most Beautiful Women in Asia report on May 31 including 20 leading countries rated by the website’s team.

The top 20 countries/regions: South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, The Philippines, Iran, Malaysia, India, China, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Bhutan, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Laos.

The website stated that the growth in the beauty industry in each country is one of the most important aspects affecting the ranking. The booming beauty businesses in South Korea and the amount of investment in beauty treatments by South Korean women led the country to win the top spot this year.

Focusing on ASEAN countries, the winner of the ranking was Vietnam. The website disclosed that Vietnamese women are known globally for their beauty, with naturally soft skin and elegant personalities.

Moreover, the price of beauty surgery and treatment in Vietnam is also affordable, allowing women in the country to enhance their appearance. The average price of nose surgery is about US$1,000 (about 37,000 baht), and breast augmentation is about US$2,000 (74,000 baht).

Thai women were listed in the top five. The website survey reported that Thailand is one of the top countries with the highest number of women with hourglass figures.

The beauty industry in Thailand is expected to generate over US$6.7 billion, or about 246 billion baht, in 2024, and it is expected to grow by 5.11% between 2024 and 2028.

Despite Burmese and Laotian women being ranked at the bottom of the list, women from both countries are known for their natural beauty.

In a related report, Thai architecture scooped second place in the Best Architecture in Asia ranking recently launched by Insider Monkey. Jim Thompson House in Bangkok and the Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya were mentioned as iconic examples of Thai architecture in this ranking.