Thai taxi driver wins hearts after sharing desserts with Australian tourists

An Australian couple shared a video of a friendly service from a Thai taxi driver, who warmly welcomed them despite a language barrier and treated them to traditional Thai desserts during their journey.

The video was shared on January 9 via the couple’s TikTok account, TikTok user @whatamidoing.retired. In the caption, the couple wrote…

“We met the kindest taxi driver, shared traditional royal Thai desserts with us, bought fried bananas from a roadside lady, and we exchanged a koala from Australia.”

In the clip, the Thai taxi driver can be seen communicating with the couple primarily through Google Translate. Despite the lack of a common language, the driver went above and beyond to make his passengers feel welcome.

At one point, he handed the couple a plastic box filled with traditional Thai desserts and used the translation app to deliver a message on his phone that read…

“Here is a gift from Thai people to tourists. Try it, and tell me what you think.”

Thai taxi shares dessert with Australian couple
Photo via TikTok/ @whatamidoing.retired

The dessert box contained several classic Thai sweets, including Thong Yip, Thong Yod, Met Khanun, and Foi Thong. These desserts are made using egg yolk and beans, giving them their distinctive bright yellow colour and association with good fortune in Thai culture.

When the taxi became stuck in a traffic jam, the driver bought a bag of fried banana fritters from a street vendor for the Australian couple. This popular snack is commonly sold at busy intersections across Thailand, particularly in Bangkok.

Thai taxi driver praised for his hospitality
Photo via TikTok/ @whatamidoing.retired

Later in the journey, the driver again used Google Translate to show a heartfelt message on his phone, thanking the couple for visiting Thailand and wishing them a wonderful and memorable trip.

Touched by the gesture, the Australian couple presented the driver with a small koala hair clip as a souvenir from their home country. The driver accepted the gift with a traditional wai, bowing politely in gratitude.

The video quickly gained traction among Thai social media users and spread further after being reposted by TravelNews and other media pages. Many Thai netizens praised the taxi driver for his kindness and strong service-minded attitude, while others welcomed the couple to Thailand and wished them an enjoyable stay.

Thai taxi and Australian couple exchange gifts
Photo via TikTok/ @whatamidoing.retired
@whatamidoing.retired

We met the kindest taxi driver shared traditional royal Thai desserts with us, bought fried banana from a roadside lady, and we exchanged a koala from Australia. #thailand #positiveenergy #shortstory #tiktoktrend #fyp

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.