Thai Life
Thailand guides, travel tips, cultural insights, and essential local information—discover everything you need to know about living, visiting, and experiencing the Land of Smiles. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Thailand guides.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Tale of two cities – Hua Hin vs Pattaya
by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun Property buyers looking to buy a seaside villa or condo in a coastal town in Thailand, relatively close to Bangkok, confront one question – should I buy a property in Hua Hin or Pattaya? And rightly so, because these two choices have similar aspects. Both have kilometres of coastline, good beaches, and are just a couple of…
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King Bhumibol Adulyadej – an enduring legacy
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (December 5, 1927 – October 13, 2016) was Thailand’s monarch for just over 70 years. At the time of his passing in 2016, King Bhumibol was world’s longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Amongst his many other gifts, he was was revered as a calming and compassionate influence overseeing Thailand’s stormy political history in the…
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Phuket’s Surf House team head to South Korea for Flowboarding Worlds
PHOTO: Making waves in flow boarding around the region – SurfHouse Phuket The Surf House brand in Thailand is synonymous with being exceptional in the world of competitive Flowboarding. And 2019 has been a stellar year for competitors who have been broadly supported by SurfHouse over many years. Bringing home the gold from Flow Tour Asia 2019 held in Chong Qing, China is…
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Stricter controls and paperwork putting brakes on residential property market
The honorary president of the Thai Housing Business Association, Atip Bijanonda, is tipping the local residential market may fall by up to 10% this year starved of economic confidence, the global economic slowdown and the loan-to-value limits. But he also believes the situation is far from the situation leading up to the 1997 economic collapse. The Greater Bangkok residential market…
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Helsinki to Singapore, by bike
PHOTO: Aurelie and Marco, now heading south through Thailand Aurelie and Marco are 36 years old, married, and passionate about cycling. She’s French and he’s half English/half İtalian. Together they have decided to live their lifelong dream; to cycle across the globe. Their chosen path is taking them from Helsinki to Singapore. The pair arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday and…
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“Broadway in Bangkok, unplugged” – Musical theatre comes to Bangkok in November
PHOTO: Daniel Koek and cast. Daniel played the lead role of Jean Valjean in the original production of Les Misérables at the Queens Theatre Two of the brightest international musical superstars, are returning to Thailand next month to perform in a new show called Broadway in Bangkok…unplugged. If you missed Big Mango Production’s last amazing concert in January, then here…
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Property Perfect launch promotion to boost flagging condo sales
Thailand’s property market will grow only 3 – 5% this year and the condo market is likely to end up 25% down – the executive director of Property Perfect claims it’s the the most severe situation in 10 years. The Nation reports that Wongsakorn Prasitwipat is primarily blaming the loan-to-value measures imposed by the government on Thai banks last April, along…
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Bangkok land prices plateau, new tax on the way
Land prices in the Thai capital are forecast to plateau, or even drop this year. This would be the first time in more than ten years that Bangkok’s land prices have levelled off. So what is causing the sudden surge in land becoming available? Property and real estate consultants say the changes can be blamed on the general economic slowdown…
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14% of condos around Bangkok are empty – good time to buy
Looking for a condo around Bangkok? Now might the right time to take the plunge with the head of the Appraisal and Estate Agents Foundation saying some areas have between 8-14% vacancy rates, some areas of Bangkok up to 17.5%. Dr Sophon Pornchokchai made the remarks at a news conference yesterday. “Adding developer price wars, plus inducements to purchase, this…
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Jeans for sale, yours for 200,000 baht
PHOTO: www.menshealth.com Social media in Thailand was thrown into a tizzy yesterday when Facebook user Sarn N Tong posted a pair of Levi’s jeans for sale – for the grand sum of 200,000 baht. The Thai-language daily Matichon reports that the same man has already sold another pair of jeans for 150,000 baht. As part of its report, the newspaper…
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Prachin Buri roadside flower seller gives yesterday’s earnings to Thai flood victims
PHOTOS: INN News A roadside flower seller in Prachin Buri, just to the north east of Bangkok, is giving all his earnings from yesterday to help flood victims in Thailand’s north east provinces. INN News reports that he was wearing a sign… “All earnings from today will be given to flood victims”. Flower sellers are often seen at red lights…
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Nepali climber pushing for record 14 peak record attempt
PHOTO: Don Bowie “This is not about me… it is to show what the human body can do. To establish a paradigm shift in perception of human potential.” by Paavan Mathema The current record for climbing the world’s 14 tallest peaks is almost eight years. Now Nepali climber, Nirmal Purja, who served in the British special forces, has set a…
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Historic discovery of earliest sound films shot in Thailand
PHOTO: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation / University of South Carolina “Film historian Dome Sukhawong discovered the films in 2018, in the University of South Carolina archives.” Four films made nearly 100 years ago are believed to be the first sound films recorded in Thailand. The films were screened at the Thai Film Archive for the first time on Monday. Film…
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Muay Thai gains momentum in Nepal
“Muay Thai fighters are so strong, they can knock down a tree with a single kick.” Gymkhana, with the help of Nepal National Muay Thai Association, organised the first semi-professional competition and plans more in the future. While still a child Rahul Moktan heard his father talking about the Thai sport of Muay Thai, which has since paved his way…
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Australian newspaper reports on Thai minister’s criminal drug past
The Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow has had his accounts about his role in a 3.2 kilogram heroin-smuggling ring challenged by an Australian newspaper. The events back in 1993 landed Thammanat in a Sydney jail for four years. Thammanat Prompow is the Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province in Thialand’s north. The article by the respected Sydney Morning Herald, “From…
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Wyndham adds two more hotels for Phuket’s south
PHOTOS: Artists impressions of the new Wyndham Nai Harn Resort Phuket Global hotel group Wyndham has announced two more Phuket pipeline hotels. The announcement follows a long list of new developments and openings over the next few years on the island. First for Wyndham, is a 353 key property named the Wyndham Nai Harn Resort Phuket at the popular southern west-coast…
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Thai school girls – longer skirts, bigger blouses
The Thai Education Ministry is telling teenage female students to dress “appropriately” and stop wearing dresses that are too skimpy. The Ministry has made amendments to the Child Protection Act to codify the length of dresses and the tightness of blouses, rather than leaving it up to school boards to come up with their own guidelines (you can imagine those…
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Changing Thailand’s helmet culture
by Patrick Mattimore On a recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I was struck by an interesting phenomenon traveling from the airport to my hotel. I saw perhaps more than a thousand motorcycle riders and passengers, and only one person was not wearing a helmet. Yet, the entire two weeks I spent in that city, I didn’t see…
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Hua Hin property market stabilises
The condominium market in Hua Hin is returning to a “balanced state” thanks to a slow down in the launch of local developments in the coastal town. This follows the opening of many developments in 2011 and 2012, causing demand to fall behind the supply. Knight Frank Thailand’s director of research Risinee Sarikaputra says that in the middle of 2019, the…
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Taylor Swift ลอก แพ็คเกจอัลบั้ม BTS – ARMYs เชื่อ
ARMYs เชื่อ Taylor Swift-Love ลอก แพ็คเกจอัลบั้ม ของ BTS : K-POP “ ไม่ว่าเทเลอร์จะรู้จัก K-Pop หรือไม่ดูเหมือนว่าเธอจะได้รับอิทธิพลจากบรรจุภัณฑ์ของบีทีเอส” BTS เทเลอร์ สวิฟต์ – หลังจากกรณี “Taylor Swift” เทเลอร์ สวิฟต์ นักร้องสาวชื่อดัง อดีตเจ้าหญิงเพลงครันทรี พบปัญหาข้อพิพาทที่ 6 อัลบั้มก่อนหน้าของเธอถูกขายลิขสิทธิ์ไปให้ สกูเตอร์ บรอน(Scooter Braun) ไม้เบื่อไม้เมาของเธอ แต่เทเลอร์ก็กำลังจะแก้เผ็ดกลับด้วยการอัดเพลงใหม่ 6 อัลบั้มก่อนหน้าทั้งหมด เพื่อดึงลิขสิทธิ์เพลงที่เธอแต่งกลับมา พร้อม ๆ กันนี้ เทเลอร์ สวิฟต์ ได้ออกอัลบั้มที่ 7 “Lover” ภายใต้แพ็คเกจอัลบั้มที่สวยหวานฟรุ้งฟริ้ง มีซิงเกิลนำอย่าง you need to calm down Koreaboo รายงานว่า เมื่อเช้าเน็ตเกาหลีบางรายได้เห็น แพ็คเกจอัลบั้ม Lover ของเทเลอร์ ก็เกิดประเด็นขึ้นทันที ชาวเน็ตเกาหลีบอกว่า “Limited Lover Box…
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Digital technology is drastically reshaping Thai media
“…journalism has never died despite the disruption. It’s just that media organisations and reporters are unable to survive because they cannot adjust to changes.” The Thaiger is a news and information portal, just one of a growing number of ‘disruptive media’ replacing traditional media and news outlets. It would be a very brave businessperson (with deep pockets) in the 2019…
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BTS, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift and Ariande Grande – winners at 2019 VMAS
In the pop music world you’re on top if you win at the 2019 VMAs, the annual MTV Video Music Awards show. The annual award show has had its ‘moments’ – with Madonna’s onstage kiss with Britney Spears in 2003 and and Kanye West storming the stage in 2009 to tell Taylor Swift that her award should have gone to Beyonce. This year…
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Asia’s trash couture – Thailand and China’s recycling supermodels
“He inspires others to challenge the norm, to break the mold, and to explore new and exciting possibilities.” Apichet “Madaew’” Atirattana grew up among the rice fields in Thailand’s Isaan region. Growing up as a teenager anywhere is a challenge. But deciding to take your village trash and turning it into high-fashion was always going to turn heads. That’s what…
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MS Siam Tower opens on Rama III
The first premium office building at the corner of Rama III & Industrial Ring roads with an investment value of 2.6 billion baht. Thunsrisiam has announced the official opening of “MS Siam Tower”. The Board of Thunsrisiama and guests held the Grand Opening last Friday in the front of the office building before embarking on a walking tour on the…
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“No stimulus for property sector” – Thai finance minister
The Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana told a seminar in Bangkok yesterday that the government’s stimulus packages were for the ‘grass roots economy’ and the property sector can cope on its own, without any government assistance. He was speaking at a property seminar hosted by the Krungthep Turakit newspaper yesterday. He said that that the real estate sector could readily adjust…
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Official complaint filed with the DSI over The Peaks Residences Condominium in Phuket
PHOTO: Inspections at the property in March this year – Kritsada Mueanhawong Bangkok MP Sira Jenjaka has gone ahead and filed a long list of formal complaints over The Peaks Residences Condominium project being built in the hills above Kata Noi in Phuket. The Palang Pracharat MP has also claimed to have had death threats made against him over his…
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Hong Kong’s protests have been good for Bangkok’s luxury condo market
High end Hong Kong investment is turning away from the Chinese business hub and looking outside for new investment opportunities. Thailand’s high-end luxury condo market has been one of the beneficiaries. Keerin Chutumstid, from the Bangkok-based Magnolia Quality Development, says about 40% of the condos in a 52 storey Bangkok luxury tower development that opened last week have already been sold…
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Thai Government seeks public opinion on civil same-sex union bill
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times The Thai justice minister is insisting that draft legislation for civil partnerships of same-sex couples won’t be rushed and that the department is waiting for public feedback on the proposal. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin says the process will take time as it requires “careful deliberation to prevent any misunderstanding”. Somsak made the comments yesterday whilst chairing…
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Palang Pracharath MP chastises Karon Police for not offering protection during condo visit
VIDEO & SCREENGRAB: M Today The Palang Pracharath member of parliament from Bangkok, Sira Jenjaka, had an argument with Lt Col Pratuang Polmana, Deputy Superintendent of Karon Police during his inspection to the controversial Peak Condominium in the Karon area of Phuket. MP Sira was surveying the construction site of the project and the sales office, which also serves as…
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Phuket’s lifeguards say goodbye to a champion of local beach safety
PHOTOS: Phuket Lifeguard Service A commemoration ceremony has been held for Prathaiyuth Chuayuan, a local Phuketian who helped drive Phuket’s first beach lifeguard services. He passed away on Friday morning after a heart attack. He first experienced chest pains whilst delivering his daughter to school in Phuket Town on Friday morning, drove himself immediately to the Vachira Hospital nearby but…
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