thecyclist

14 hours ago, Peter Crow said:

Alas, their population seems to expanding...

Maybe just concentrating in certain locations, as more and more of them hear about the easy prey in places like Pattaya and Phuket, in the form of bejewelled Indians and dumb farangs.

19 hours ago, anchadian said:

Only one word to describe this group, 'Cowards'.

One word does not do justice here. Let's add despicable, sc.m of the earth, s.bhuman... but also soooo Thai.

9 hours ago, Mike1985 said:

I crossed the border at Nong Khai 6 days ago after having one visa exempt entry and was told that if I did not apply for a visa before coming back into Thailand I would be refused entry. However the immigration guy on the counter did seem to be in a very bad mood.

So did you get a visa, or did you go back on VE using a less surly IP?

All African except for one Vietnamese. How did the Vietnamese manage to get caught in the net that was obviously cast for the African ladies?

9 hours ago, Peter Crow said:

As for soi dogs, castrate the ladyboys, so they don't reproduce..

They often pay 100 grand to be castrated. You are doing them a favor.

19 hours ago, WHansen said:

Put it back to how it was.

Visas are cheap and easy to obtain if you have nothing to hide. I didn't have a problem with spending £30/35 and half hour online to obtain a 60 day SETV.

The only problem with the Thai e-visa, unlike the Cambodian and Vietnamese ones, is that it requires hotel bookings and an onward flight booking. The Cambodian one takes 5 minutes, the Vietnamese 15 min, and absolutely no documents and paperwork other than your passport are required.

20 hours ago, blaze master said:

Im sure all those who voted for him are extremely happy.

Question is for how long. Thais tend to be very fickle.

On 3/19/2026 at 12:11 PM, DrJack54 said:

So you obtained extension Dec.

Means in Thailand for 3 months.

Now asking about extension to current 60 day visa exempt stay.

So how long were you out of Thailand.

Seems you are trying for ~ 6 months back to back

The calendar year won't reset for the extension.

Don't like your chances.

Actually, calender year does reset. Worked for me in Rayong. They told me the same in Jomtien/Pattaya.

Why is the video in Thai? Trying to tell Thais how bad their country is.?

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

The OP plan nothing to do with that.

He outlined travel to Saigon, apply for an METV eVisa and return to Thailand enter visa exempt and after the visa is issued at some point exit and reenter Thailand to activate the visa

Granted, very different cases.

Nevertheless, both are examples of agencies telling you that everything is above board/legit /safe, and it turns out to be not the case.

Agencies want to make money, and, especially IN LOS, tend to be less than straightforward.

36 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Both are fakery.

Guess so, but the degree of fakery matters, certainly in terms of the legal consequences (if caught)

Never done it, just speculating :The bank proof part shouldn't be a problem, as it has been done for ages for retirement visas by lots of agencies for "retirees" that don't have the required 800k.

But the work contract side sounds risky, can't see how they could possibly get you one that doesn't involve some fakery. They probably could get you one in Thailand, but that would automatically disqualify from the DTV and require a work permit.

17 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

Officially, you must remain within the jurisdiction of the embassy while they are processing the application. Pretend you dropped your passport off at the embassy like the old days. That's still how the embassy sees it.

Regional embassies do in-fact call people in for interviews or request every page of your passport with proof of the current date in order to check that you have not traveled when they feel the need.

That is becoming more difficult with the increasing number of automated gates and stamp less entries, as embassies are not connected to the immigration system of the country they are located in. Your passport alone doesn't tell them anymore where you are.

22 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

This thread suggests your plan possible. Not ideal in my book.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1366999-retirement-extension-nah-i%E2%80%99m-dtv-now/

Not legit and not possible not always the same. Reminds me of the late 80s,early 90s when it was common among long stayers to have agencies send your passport to embassies abroad, while you stayed on your old visa or VE in Thailand. Once your passport arrives with the new visa (often a one year multiple entry non immigrant from the UK or the US), you exit on your old visa, reenter to activate your new visa, and were good to go. That worked so well for lots of folks for years that people came to think that it must be legit. The only dicey part was the being without a passport for a week or two.

Then one day out of the blue, folks got stopped/arrested, turned out it was illegal after all. But authorities were so overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who had been doing it (probably also because Thai immigration /embassies were in on it ) that that the Thai government said if you get a new passport p) they would forfeit fines, blacklisting, deportations)

18 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Yes this is a common practice - and some do one day here and one day at another. So do you suggest seeing them in the government hospital is best?

18 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Yes this is a common practice - and some do one day here and one day at another. So do you suggest seeing them in the government hospital is best?

Not necessarily. I have been frequenting a doctor in a private clinic in Ban Chang, Rayong for years. She was good and cheap, very thorough. Later found out that she also works at the provincial hospital in Rayong. Don't think I would have saved much money by seeing her in the hospital instead of her clinic. Certainly much more time consuming in government hospitals.

Curious why you don't pack it in a disposable cardboard box?

You can assemble your bike in the airport, throw the box away. And when it's time to go home, have a bicycle shop box it up for you. Costs me 400 Baht at Bang Na bike shop. Hassle free, saves time and money.

On 3/15/2026 at 10:59 AM, WHansen said:

It appears from later reports that the gentleman refused to pay for a planned 'massage' after discovering she was in fact a ladyboy.

I agree though, some seem to be into some weird stuff.

discovering she was in fact a ladyboy

You need adiscovery process here, really. That specimen is so obviously a dude, the only discovery needed here, is whether pre or post op.

Probably easier to steal new clothes in a Big C or Tesco. Go into a fitting room with 3 shirts, put one on, put your shirt(best a XXL on top) , make a big show of returning the other 2 shirts, and walk out.

This is not a confession, just the basics of smart shoplifting.

The Brits are way ahead this year left the Russians in the dust.

Has been awfully quiet around the Ruskis.

Probably keeping a low profile, lest they be send to the southern front.

21 minutes ago, lch said:

Great, I hope the auto gates are not corrupt! 😁🤑😁

They appreciate a small tip.

17 hours ago, SamSpade said:

I was going to say, once you've been to HCM, Hanoi & Da Nang how many places do you need to get through before you get to PQ?

Is there a list of their more visitable places before I book my next trip to VN?

Vung Tau, Halong Bay, Quy Nhon, Mui Ne....

2 hours ago, Purdey said:

President Graham announced on X that he would get all of Iran's oil. Yummy.

He forgot to mention that without boots on the ground, it would be extremely difficult.

Huge loudspeakers from the sky blasting Lindsey's voice into the Iranians ' ears 24/7, and they will voluntarily hand over their oil to make it stop.

I have been close smashing my TV after 5 min of Lindsey.

If that doesn't work, go nuclear and have them listen to Ted Cruz.

5 hours ago, Wingate said:

Last week Trump said that he was going to pick the new leader of Iran, and that he had a list of acceptable candidates.

I have to be honest; I did not have Mojtaba Khamenei on my Bingo Card.

To be honest, I didn't even who Mojtaba was, but he has an interesting name, like a new hi-so Cocktail. When it sounds good, it could be good.

On 3/8/2026 at 12:59 AM, Scouse123 said:

I found it hard work in Hanoi with people and the honesty stakes!!!

I am in Danang next month before Phu Quoc and was going to visit Hoi An; now I will research again, I think!

Danang is not Hoi An, although they are close. I loved Danang, and found the people there much more honest. Also, my visit was 9 years ago, so things might have changed.

Hoi An is a lovely place, and even if you still get overcharged, you should visit, it's a small town, you can see all the sights in a day or two.