bakerman

That seems to sum it up very well. In order to get a visa I would realistically go to Hanoi for a couple of days, and from there there's no benefit to going via Bangkok. I think I'll go via Chiang Mai. Yes, I've flown that route a few times (but thanks to you and cnx355 for mentioning it). Overall Da Nang / Hanoi / Chiang Mai / Hua Hin / Local taxi still involves a lot more messing about and waiting in airports than Da Nang / Bangkok / long distance taxi, besides being quite a bit more expensive. More important to avoid problems with immigration though.

Yeah, did about 3 months on visa exempt plus extensions ending in August, then basically out for 6 weeks, back for 1 week, then out again for what will be another 6 weeks. Seems like it would be a bit cautious to go via Chiang Mai but not paranoid exactly. Do you agree that it’s less risky via Chiang Mai (or with a visa)?

Yeah, but there’s no consulate in Da Nang and last time I looked at the eVisa I was put off by all the information they wanted.

Over the last few years I have been spending about 5 to 5 1/2 months a year in Thailand. This year I have clocked up just short of 5 months across three trips, with the last exit a couple of weeks ago. All three entries (one was last year) were visa exempt. I will be entering the country again in December. I was expecting to be in Hanoi and thought I'd fly to Chiang Mai. I was just going to do another visa exempt entry as 75 days is enough. I'm now going to be in Da Nang instead of Hanoi, plus I have friends that are going to be in Hua Hin, so I'm going to head down there to join them instead of going to Chiang Mai. With the change of plans, it would make much more sense to fly from Da Nang to Bangkok and then get a taxi down to Hua Hin. The thing is, I hear you are a lot more likely to have a problem with immigration if you enter via Bangkok. I'm not sure how much of a risk that is with my travel / visa history. I'm not retirement age and it's obvious from my passport that I don't spend any time in my home country. I have income from rental property that I can demonstrate but I don't really want to have to go into that. If they let me in I would still end up with less than 6 months this year. I could go via Chiang Mai but that means three flights. Is it worth the trouble to do that, or would it just be paranoid?