BangkokBaksida

You just don't get it, do you? The point is: Who gets to decide what is "misinformation"? You? Your fellow pro-vaxxers? How can we get to the truth when we are only allowed to hear one side of an argument?

What gives YOU the right to decide what I should see? Instead of reporting something that YOU consider to be verifiably blatant misinformation, why not rebut it? That's what a man of principle would do. For example, I'm an anti-COVID-vaxxer, but I am not afraid of anything you pro-vaxxers might say, even though I disagree with most of it. And I would never dream of reporting your misinformation, as I believe in freedom of speech.

Thanks very much. That's very clear.

I am in Ho Chi Minh City now, facing the same problem as the OP. I just tried to do the eVisa at the link given by PoorSucker and the website told me that I am not eligible to apply for it - and that I have to apply directly at the consulate - which is closed now. So for now it appears that I will have to wait until the consulate opens again. (Maybe that's why I can't apply for it here - because the consulate is closed due to our total lockdown here? Or maybe there is another reason.)

I thought I remembered reading some time ago that they make a distinction between money that was earned in the current year and money that was earned in a previous year and if you transfer money that was earned in a previous year it is not taxable, or something like that. But if I understand you correctly, they don't even care about that - and the money will in any case not be taxable? Thanks very much for sharing your time and knowledge.

I would be using the 800k in a Thai bank option, Ubonjoe.

I am planning to retire in Thailand as soon as I am able to enter the country. I intend to have a certain amount of money transferred into the country every month to cover my living expenses. Will that money be taxable by the Thai authorities? If so, at what rate? And even if it might be taxable by law (which is my question), how does it work in practice? Will immigration ask me any questions about this money during my annual visa renewals? Or are they satisfied to know that I am able to support myself? Thanks.

So you judge videos by the platform they are on rather than their actual content? Does that seem reasonable to you?

So you only watch YouTube - the site that censors everything that goes against the official narrative?

Thanks very much for that advice. Practical and useful. I had considered Mexico because I had heard that they aren't forcing people to get vaccinated, so it's an option for me. That being said, I have never been there and I wouldn't know where to go there - not to mention the potential culture shock. I have been living in Asia for the past 30 years, so maybe Bali would be an option for me. I will investigate it. Thanks again very much.

There would be even more articles and videos recommending that people not get vaccinated, but they get censored. And that's a big part of my argument: We should be allowed to hear both sides of the argument because when most people hear only one side, like you do, then they come to the desired, but wrong, conclusion.

Thanks very much for taking the time to address my concerns.

Great. I am much relieved to have a workable plan now. Thanks very much!

First of all, thanks everyone for your willingness to help me in my hour of need. So, if I understand correctly, I can get an ordinary two-month tourist visa at the Thai Consulate here in Ho Chi Minh City; enter Thailand on that visa; go to the Immigration Office (immediately?) and transfer from my tourist visa to a 90-day "Non-O Retirement Visa" (for which I already have THB 2.5 million in my Thai bank account, although only THB 800,000 is required); then, within the last 30 days of that 90 day visa, I can extend it for a year, renewable annually. And with this option I won't be required to get an annual health insurance policy - although I will need a $100,000 insurance policy for COVID for the duration of my tourist visa? Is that all correct? And to answer Mike Teavee's question: I am actually "from" the US. But I renounced my US citizenship some years ago and now I am a naturalized citizen of Belize. As a result, I need a visa to go just about everywhere (including Thailand). That's an inconvenience, but it's the price I pay for being free. And while I love the America of my youth, I am not so enamoured by what it has become and is becoming. Anyway, that's a topic for another thread, another day.

I lived in Thailand from 1995-2015. For the past six years I have been living and working in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City). I would now like to return to Thailand to retire. What are my visa options for doing that? (Note that I qualify for neither visa-free entry into Thailand, nor visa on arrival.) So I will have to get some kind of visa from the Thai consulate here in Ho Chi Minh City before going to Thailand. Also note that I still have my bank account in Thailand from my time working there - and that account has well over THB 800,000 in it - if that matters/helps.) My understanding is that I could enter Thailand on a tourist visa and then in Thailand convert that visa to another visa that would allow me to stay for retirement? I also understand that there is an option to get the "retirement" visa in advance, before entering Thailand. I further understand that there is a difference between these two options regarding the need for getting insurance, but I don't know in which case the applicant would need the insurance and in which case not. So maybe someone can address that issue as well. I am obviously aware of the difficulties of entering Thailand at the moment (not to mention the impossibility of leaving Vietnam now - actually we haven't even been able to leave our homes for the past two weeks - even to go shopping - as we are under total lockdown here.) So I would hope to implement this plan as soon as it is feasible, hopefully around Dec/Jan/Feb. Any advice would be appreciated. Also please let me know if there is anything else that I need to consider, aside from the things that I asked/mentioned. Thanks very much in advance.