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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    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...

  • Buying a condo in Thailand: 4 things to know

    Buying a condo in Thailand: 4 things to know

    As condos are increasingly becoming buyers’ favourite investments, their potential to yield a profit can be potentially quite high. From low maintenance costs to the ability to use the property for residential or investment purposes, condos can offer great value and accessibility. Here, we have 4 things that potential buyers should know before investing in a condominium. As always, The…

  • A guide to finding the best real estate agent for your property

    A guide to finding the best real estate agent for your property

    Finding a real estate agent to help you sell your property is an important decision. And, it is apparent after a quick search on the internet, that there are many who offer world-class services. But, how do you know which agent follows through on their services offered? Or which agent makes the process the least stressful? Such things as a…

  • How to make the most out of a smaller living space

    How to make the most out of a smaller living space

    As condominium and apartment living are on the rise, their cozy atmospheres can also bring a bit of difficulty organising. But, before you decide to renovate or find another place that could be more expensive, take a look at our quick, DIY guide to maximise your living space. 1. Separate Your Living Space Instead of relying on walls that are…

  • Prayut to propose to CCSA to reopen theatres, allow filmmaking

    Prayut to propose to CCSA to reopen theatres, allow filmmaking

    Fans of the silver screen may have some good news coming soon, as Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has agreed to pass on a proposal from the Creative Industry and Artist Network to reopen theatres and to allow filmmaking to proceed again. The prime minister met with representatives of the network which acts as a lobbying force on behalf of…

  • Parents must decide by September 24 if they want their children to get Pfizer vaccine

    Parents must decide by September 24 if they want their children to get Pfizer vaccine

    Before schools reopen, parents will have to decide if they want their children inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine. They have until September 24 to make up their minds, says the Education Ministry. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration provided the vaccination timeline yesterday. 12 to 17 year olds will have access to the Pfizer vaccine if they wish to get…

  • Thailand to overhaul reopening plans for pilot areas, one system policy to be adopted

    Thailand to overhaul reopening plans for pilot areas, one system policy to be adopted

    Thailand is overhauling their reopening plans to simplify and unify current protocols. The new idea is to adopt a “One SOP, One System policy, with SOP standing for standard operating procedure. The new plan will toss out mandatory quarantine and sealed routes for pilot areas sometime this year. They will also slash Covid tests costs in half, in some instances.…

  • Bangkok police arrest 12 year old and others at Din Daeng intersection for violating curfew

    Bangkok police arrest 12 year old and others at Din Daeng intersection for violating curfew

    Bangkok police continue to wield the merciless hammer of law and order. They brought it down last night on a 12 year old, arresting the child for allegedly violating curfew at the Din Daeng intersection. The minor was riding his bike to observe a protest, says a group of lawyers and activists. At least 11 other people were also arrested.…

  • Lisa of Blackpink set video records, 50 million views in 12 hours

    Lisa of Blackpink set video records, 50 million views in 12 hours

    Lisa, the Thai native member of the K-Pop mega-group Blackpink just released her debut solo music video to record-breaking numbers. The track was released on YouTube hours ago, racking up 10 million views in just 2 hours, while continuing to be viewed in record numbers. The singer hails from Buri Ram, and her debut single as a solo artist is…

  • Real estate trends across Thailand’s resort markets

    Real estate trends across Thailand’s resort markets

    Where are property investors looking in Thailand at the moment? How has Covid impacted the resort property markets of Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Koh Samui? Tim Newton speaks to Brennan Campbell, CEO of Thai proptech group FazWaz, in this rundown of current and future trends in Thailand’s most popular resort destinations. And there’s a few surprises too.  

  • Happy birthday to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Thailand’s Queen Mother

    Happy birthday to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Thailand’s Queen Mother

    Today is the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit who was married to Rama 9, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Following the Coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, her son, and his marriage to the new Queen Suthida, Queen Sirikit was bestowed the title of Queen Mother. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit is the daughter of His Highness Prince Chandaburi Suranath…

  • Government submits proposal to allow department store restaurants to sell food online

    Government submits proposal to allow department store restaurants to sell food online

    Department store restaurants may be allowed to sell food online through a proposal that will be submitted to the CCSA today for approval, says deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul, today. The spokeswoman says the CCSA’s operation centre decided on July 22 that the Ministry of Public Health should decide on criteria to allow department store restaurants to sell their food…

  • Today is Asanha Bucha Day (Wednesday is also a public holiday)

    Today is Asanha Bucha Day (Wednesday is also a public holiday)

    Asanha Bucha Day is a special Buddhist holiday in Thailand marking the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago. The exact date of the holiday is determined by the waxing moon and the lunar months, but is usually held in July or August each year. In 2021 it falls on…

  • Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure

    Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure

    While the science may be on the fence, herbal extracts are still growing in popularity as a Covid treatment. krachai khao, AKA fingerroot is providing generous returns for growers in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province. Sales are also booming for the extract of the green chiretta plant AKA fah talai jone, which is used in “traditional” medicine and is…

  • Monk uses electric cart on morning alms, other monks reportedly not thrilled

    Monk uses electric cart on morning alms, other monks reportedly not thrilled

    A monk in the central Thai province of Ang Thong is being chastised by his higher-ups for using an electric cart to expedite his morning alms. The higher-ups have called his actions “inappropriate”. Wanchai Dhammatharo of Ang Thong City’s Wat Channimitr has been ordered by the chief of the Ang Thong Provincial Office of Buddhism, Sakdanai Woradetch, and Sakdani’s team…

  • Bangkok Book Festival returns, online

    Bangkok Book Festival returns, online

    The “Bangkok Book Festival” is returning this Friday, after making prior appearances in 2015 and 2016. The theme will be “The magic of Paper” as the 3rd non-annual festival seems to invoke a mood of wonder and “knowledge” of paper. The intention is to inspire readers and promote reading through 6 activities. Activities such as talks and books for sale.…

  • UPDATE: Beauty pageant scandal leads to Covid cluster, participants face potential prosecution

    UPDATE: Beauty pageant scandal leads to Covid cluster, participants face potential prosecution

    The beauty pageant women who participated in “Miss Grand Samut Sakhon” last month are possibly facing criminal charges for not wearing masks, say police. This, coming after a 22 person cluster arose after the show. 13 of the contestants’ tests positive for Covid, as well as 9 “others”, say police. Piya Tawichai, deputy commissioner of the metropolitan police told the…

  • Entertainment and nightlife reps submit petition for aid, reopening

    Entertainment and nightlife reps submit petition for aid, reopening

    At 10 o’clock this morning a rally of owners, staff, musicians and entertainment sector workers gathered at the House of Representatives to submit a petition for support after long-term Covid-19 closures or permission to reopen August 1. Dozens of representatives from the entertainment industry took part in the demonstration after 3 continuous months of shuttered businesses due to the pandemic…

  • Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions

    Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions

    After a year and a half of closures and lockdowns and restrictions and regulations that often start and even end with the nightlife and entertainment industry, some bar and restaurant owners are sick of it and growing defiant. Citing the lack of government assistance and the sporadic and last-minute closure decisions that through livelihoods into chaos, some owners are urging…

  • Man finds 4 metre python in his garage

    Man finds 4 metre python in his garage

    Yesterday, a dream (nightmare) came true for a Pattaya man when he found a python that weighed 30 kilograms in his garage. At 1 am rescue were workers were dispatched to the man’s garage, a second-hand car shop/house in Nongprue. The rescue workers and local media got to the scene to find a 4 metre (or 13 feet/about 2 Michael…

  • Man gets marriage certificate tattooed on his forearm, ink presumably permanent

    Man gets marriage certificate tattooed on his forearm, ink presumably permanent

    Yesterday, a Facebook post went viral after a man took his declaration of love one step further and had had his marriage certificate tattooed on his arm. On Monday, Om-Aim Daraployphan shared several pictures of her husband’s arm tat/proof of marriage on Facebook. The tattoo is bordered with green and pink flowers and takes up the majority of the man’s…

  • 121 arrested in raid of “restaurant” clubs violating Covid-19 rules

    121 arrested in raid of “restaurant” clubs violating Covid-19 rules

    A raid around Pattaya at the earliest hours of this morning brought over a hundred arrests for violating Covid-19 measures, drinking, gathering, and smoking shisha. The raid of 2 venues that attempted to skirt the national bar and club closure laws by operating as an alleged restaurant took place between midnight and 2 am. The so-called restaurants had been operating…

  • Elephant that broke into Hua Hin kitchen now in memes and ads

    Elephant that broke into Hua Hin kitchen now in memes and ads

    Andy Warhol said, “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” But in today’s world, you haven’t arrived until you’ve become a meme. The elephant that broke the wall into a Hua Hin home’s kitchen on Sunday to snack may have gotten a taste of fame (and a taste of rice too, reportedly) when its video went viral…

  • 4 marijuana strains to be become National Heritages, possibly help effects of Covid

    4 marijuana strains to be become National Heritages, possibly help effects of Covid

    It will generate economic benefits for the country Thailand’s Health Minister, and noted non-fan of “unwashed farangs“, Anutin Charnvirakul, declared yesterday that 4 cannabis strains in Thailand will be registered as National Heritages. The move is done to promote research related to medical marijuana and combatting the effects of Covid-19. Anutin says the Medical Plant Research Institute through the Department…

  • Thai Lion predicts football matches, other abilities currently unknown

    Thai Lion predicts football matches, other abilities currently unknown

    Step aside Aslan, there’s a new mythical lion in town. A Thai zoo up in the northern province of Khon Kaen is claiming they have a lion that can predict the Euro 2020 football matches. The lion, a 5 year old white lion named “Boy”, has supposedly correctly predicted 4 Euro 2020 matches. The lion lives and does his sports…

  • Dozens of python eggs found underneath home

    Dozens of python eggs found underneath home

    A homeowner in Phitsanulok, a northern Thai province, had a surprise that many would see as far from lucky, yesterday. 45 python eggs were discovered underneath their home. A discovery the owners interpret as a sign of good luck. The Phitsanulok emergency rescue team had been brought to the area after a homeowner had found sizeable amounts of snakeskins behind…

  • Almost 8 million register for stimulus scheme, app briefly goes down

    Almost 8 million register for stimulus scheme, app briefly goes down

    Almost 8 million Thai people have registered for the 50:50 copayment in the scheme in just an hour. The application opened at 6 am today. There was a short “disruption” in the “Pao Tang” app as a result However, the disruption was short-lived and the app was available soon after going down. Currently, around 23 million people qualify to get…

  • Thai PM not happy with soccer gambling

    Thai PM not happy with soccer gambling

    Prayut Chan-o-cha, has voiced his concern that there has been an uptick in illegal gambling by Thai people throughout the UEFA European Soccer Championship (AKA Euro 2020). The PM told the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and “relevant agencies” to tighten the scrutiny of illegal gambling, with an emphasis on online gambling. He also asked…

  • Thai airports to use machines more, humans less

    Thai airports to use machines more, humans less

    A self-check-in service that includes luggage loading services, is coming to Thai airports. The Airports of Thailand has decided to bring the service to Suvarnabhumi airport to minimize physical interactions between passengers and staff, thus helping curb the spread of Covid-19. 180 self-check-in machines will be beta tested this month, before taking more permanent residence next month. Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, the…

  • Recent poll shows most Thai residents pin high hopes on first dose

    Recent poll shows most Thai residents pin high hopes on first dose

    According to a recent Super poll, nearly 90% of respondents say they want every Thai citizen to receive the first dose to fight Covid-19, but are less concerned when the second dose is given. Furthermore, almost 80% of respondents believe they can resume their pre-Covid-19 life as soon as Thais get their first dose. The director of the Super Poll…

  • Thai company negotiates to import world’s first pet vaccine from Russia

    Thai company negotiates to import world’s first pet vaccine from Russia

    Pet owners of Thailand can rejoice that their pets may soon be able to get vaccinated from Covid-19. Supreme Pharmatech, a Thai based company, has entered into negotiations with Carnivac-Cov, a Russian manufacturer to secure what Russian media said will initially be 10,000 doses. It was not said when the vaccines are set to arrive or how much they will…