Deciphering Thai Addresses

[Hurricane51]

I'm having trouble with Thai addresses. OK, maybe only Bangkok addresses.

I understand the form of main road, then soi, then subsoi, as in:

Sukhumvit 44/1.

But how do I find 16/1 Sukhumvit ? It's definitely NOT the same as Sukhumvit 16/1.

Can someone point me to a tutorial on this? I did a search on ThaiVisa, but it didn't seem to provide any help.

[lingling]

I'm having trouble with Thai addresses. OK, maybe only Bangkok addresses.

I understand the form of main road, then soi, then subsoi, as in:

Sukhumvit 44/1.

But how do I find 16/1 Sukhumvit ? It's definitely NOT the same as Sukhumvit 16/1.

Can someone point me to a tutorial on this? I did a search on ThaiVisa, but it didn't seem to provide any help.

<house number> <street> <soi> - e.g. 12/3 Sukhumvit Soi 4 is house 12/3 on soi 4. The house numbers are issued as houses are built, and split off from the main plot. In this case, 12/3 would be the third splitoff from plot #12. In some european countries a similar numbering system is used to number land plots, but they are not used in addresses as it makes it very difficult to find a particular address. Here they use it as the address so the mailman must be good at memorizing addresses or he won't be able to deliver mail.

They (the BMA) have proposed to change the address system to one where houses on a street would be numbered in sequential order, but never actually did it.

[chanchao]

Also note how Thais don't usually rely too much on the house number, if they ask it at all.. More often than not, when asking where a property is located, the answer will come as something like "Soi Wat-Somethingoranotherrambam-Temple, past Auntie Oy's Noodle shop, the blue gate with the White Isuzu in front. Honk if you're in the soi, then I'll come out and open the gate".

You'd think with such challenges in the numbering system they'd be real good at drawing maps, given how often they need to do it everytime they have the furniture shop deliver a matress or suchlike, but map drawing skills are actually WORSE than coming up with a sensible and consistent house numbering system.

Edited May 21, 2007 by chanchao

[chanchao]

But there is hope. Next year Nokia will start to cram GPS's in most of their phones, so then all you'd need to do is SMS someone the GPS coordinates.

Edited May 21, 2007 by chanchao

[sukanyacondo]

Ha ha ha ha so thats why so much post goes missing?????

[lingling]

Ha ha ha ha so thats why so much post goes missing?????

That, combined with poor reading skills and inconsistent address format and a pinch of dishonest postal workers. If an envelope/package has anything besides the address on it they will happily interpret that as an address. And if the address on a letter is "12/3 soi something", they'll happily deliver it to "1/23 soi something else".

[Hurricane51]

But there is hope. Next year Nokia will start to cram GPS's in most of their phones, so then all you'd need to do is SMS someone the GPS coordinates.

So, apparently I'm the only one who can't stand cell phones (no matter what they stuff in them)?? Please don't let me go into ALL the reasons, but if I had to pick one thing is because...I don't care about YOUR f**cking life!

End of rant.

Well, that address thing helped me by giving me the theoretical answer, but I'm afraind it's not going to help me with the practical. But, hey, TIT.

[chanchao]

So, apparently I'm the only one who can't stand cell phones (no matter what they stuff in them)?? Please don't let me go into ALL the reasons, but if I had to pick one thing is because...I don't care about YOUR f**cking life!

Huh, what other reasons could there possibly be?

Don't hold back.

[jdinasia]

But there is hope. Next year Nokia will start to cram GPS's in most of their phones, so then all you'd need to do is SMS someone the GPS coordinates.

So, apparently I'm the only one who can't stand cell phones (no matter what they stuff in them)?? Please don't let me go into ALL the reasons, but if I had to pick one thing is because...I don't care about YOUR f**cking life!

End of rant.

Well, that address thing helped me by giving me the theoretical answer, but I'm afraind it's not going to help me with the practical. But, hey, TIT.

Give a full address and maybe we can help you understand better

[Hurricane51]

But there is hope. Next year Nokia will start to cram GPS's in most of their phones, so then all you'd need to do is SMS someone the GPS coordinates.

So, apparently I'm the only one who can't stand cell phones (no matter what they stuff in them)?? Please don't let me go into ALL the reasons, but if I had to pick one thing is because...I don't care about YOUR f**cking life!

End of rant.

Well, that address thing helped me by giving me the theoretical answer, but I'm afraind it's not going to help me with the practical. But, hey, TIT.

Give a full address and maybe we can help you understand better

16/1 Sukhumvit 44/1 or 59/1 Sukhumvit Road.

I've looked for the second one, walking up and down Sukhumvit until I reached a SINGLE business that had "163" on their window. Even the office buildings don't have the address posted anywhere.

I never found the address, nor the business.

[PeaceBlondie]

I've got a question. I've given my mailing address and gotten great results; the mail actually arrives! The last parts are T. Su--- A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. So the tambon, amphur and changwat are named. It's the first line, with the street address, that confuses me (although the mail still arrives). Let's say the first line is 139/6 Moo 8. What's that mean? The second line is the nearest main road.

[jdinasia]

The first one would be in Suk soi 44/1 .. on the left side in the first block (soi 44/1 would be on the right hand side of the road heading out)

The second one by chance does it happen to be a school ? if so it is a partial address.

Look here

http://www.asb.th.edu/about_the_school/sukhumvit.html

[lingling]

I've got a question. I've given my mailing address and gotten great results; the mail actually arrives! The last parts are T. Su--- A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. So the tambon, amphur and changwat are named. It's the first line, with the street address, that confuses me (although the mail still arrives). Let's say the first line is 139/6 Moo 8. What's that mean? The second line is the nearest main road.

139/6 is the house number, moo 8 is "village 8", basically what part/subsection of the village your house is in. (and as mentioned before the house numbers are issued in the order the houses are built, and if split off from a plot/house that already has a number then it will get that number [slash] sequential-order-it-was-split-out-in. So 139/6 is the sixth split-out from plot #139 in village #8.

[jdinasia]

I've got a question. I've given my mailing address and gotten great results; the mail actually arrives! The last parts are T. Su--- A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. So the tambon, amphur and changwat are named. It's the first line, with the street address, that confuses me (although the mail still arrives). Let's say the first line is 139/6 Moo 8. What's that mean? The second line is the nearest main road.

139/6 would be the house# if an apartment then the/6 would be the unit #

Moo 8 would be the mooban (section of the village/town/city/areas off the main road

[chanchao]

Yes, and note that the road name isn't even essential for mail to make it to your place; The combination of the house number, moo number and tambon is enough to uniquely identity an address up-country.

So something like:

123/45 Moo 6 Tambon Pa Daed

Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai

is a perfectly clear address; road name or village name or compound name aren't even required. (By all means add it if known, of course)

Actually finding it is another matter entirely.