Can you actually identify if a woman is from Thailand, the Philippines,Vietnam, Singapore or Cambodia?

[ASEAN NOW News]

With decades of many ethnic backgrounds and intercultural marriages, SE Asian women can blend into most cultures.

 

 

Some say that most Southeast Asian women really look the same physically.

 

Even one Filipina said it’s hard for me to tell fellow Southeast Asians apart based on simply looks alone.

I tried, but many times, I failed.

 

If you forced me to take a guess when I was younger, I would think that the Vietnamese would probably be the easiest to isolate from the group in terms of physical appearance, because they are probably the most likely to have generic Chinese-looking features.

 

Perhaps a fair complexion and slanted eyes, because of their historical ties with China, based on my very, very limited knowledge of Asian history.

 

As a personal example, we went on a trip to Singapore once and a good number of the Singaporeans with possibly Malay ancestry that we saw, looked a lot like many Filipinos in the Philippines.

 

In some cases, there were even Singaporeans with Indian heritage that look like some of my Filipino relatives, that if I had seen them in the Philippines, I would think they were just another Filipino.

 

Expat’s reaction

 

According to one expat living in Thailand. there are stereotypical appearances by nationality, and if a woman happened to look a lot like the stereotype it would be possible to guess, but Southeast Asians vary a lot in appearance too.

 

I think locals in the region are more familiar with those stereotypical appearances, but that almost relates to a different question.

 

A lot of Thais—where this writer lives, have close connections with Chinese ancestry, and if they look a lot like they are Chinese, whether they are or not, then picking out a nationality wouldn’t work.

 

His wife and her mother are completely Thai, not Chinese at all, and my wife could probably pass for Chinese, and her mother Japanese.

 

Thais alone span a range of different looks, more or less regionally based within Thailand, but again genetic mixing and random variation would vary what people from different areas look like.

 

Central Thais tend to look more Chinese, Isaan-region Thais look relatively completely different, overlapping some with an appearance typical for Cambodians or women from Laos, and the far South and far North vary in two different ways.

 

Sometimes the writers wife will say she can tell where people are from by appearance but more often, she can’t do it. Once they speak in their own language it’s easy.

 

Deeper Observation

 

Finally, another Filipina female said all it takes is deeper observation.

 

Our features are different, our behaviour (brought about by our differing cultures and environment) are different as well.

 

Just like there is a difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean women, and difference between French, English, German, Russian, Swedish women.

 

Believe it or not, the most well-travelled people can tell the difference.

 

So, this writer suggests that you do the same. Travel, observe and learn. It is not that hard, it’s even very enjoyable.

 

With various ethnic groups, religions and inter marriages of the past few centuries, it is sometimes hard to recognize where people originated from.

 

Do you think you could recognize the difference?

 

We have posted a few photos randomely selected from Google today of women from across SE Asia.

 

Do you think you could recognize the difference and tell us what country they come from?

 

We will post the correct answers in the comments tomorrow.

 

No.1

 

No.2

 

No.3

 

No.4

 

No.5

 

General notes:

 

Ethnic groups.

 

Indonesia is clearly dominated by the Javanese and Sundanese ethnic groups, with hundreds of ethnic minorities inhabited the archipelago, including Madurese, Minangkabau, Bugis, Balinese, Dayak, Batak, and Malays.

 

While Malaysia is split between more than half Malays and one-quarter Chinese, and Indian minority in the West Malaysia however Dayaks make up the majority in Sarawak and Kadazan-dusun makes up the majority in Sabah which are in the East Malaysia.

 

The Malays are the majority in West Malaysia and Brunei, while they are forming a significant minority in Indonesia, Southern Thailand, East Malaysia, and Singapore.

 

In city-state Singapore, Chinese are the majority, yet the city is a multicultural melting pot with Malays, Indians and Eurasian also called the island their home.

 

The Chams form a significant minority in Central and South Vietnam, also in Central Cambodia.

 

While the Khmers are the majority in Cambodia and form a significant minority in Southern Vietnam and Thailand, the Hmong people are the minority in Vietnam, China, and Laos.

 

Within the Philippines, the Tagalog, Visayan (mainly Cebuanos, Warays and Hiligaynons), Ilocano, Bicolano, Moro (mainly Tausug, Maranao, and Maguindanao) and Central Luzon (mainly Kapampangan and Pangasinan) groups are significant.

 

Thailand is a country of some 70 ethnic groups, including at least 24 groups of ethnolinguistically Tai peoples, mainly the Siamese, Lao, and Yuan; 22 groups of Austroasiatic peoples, with substantial populations of Northern Khmer and Kuy; 11 groups of Sino-Tibetan peoples ('hill tribes'), with the largest in population being the Karen. Other ethnic groups include longstanding immigrant communities such as the Chinese and Indians.

 

 

[ezzra]

I can identify each group BETTER without their clothes on...

[RandolphGB]

Why have you chosen a dark-skinned rural girl for Cambodia? This is really narrow-minded and disrespectful to the country. 

[Skallywag]

Identify her by asking her would be a solution!  555

Listen to her when she is speaking her native language can work as well

[2umich]

No.5 is most natural and beautiful.

[tonray]

7 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Why have you chosen a dark-skinned rural girl for Cambodia? This is really narrow-minded and disrespectful to the country. 

Why ? Do you consider dark skinned rural people as inferior to others ?

[Admiral Hornblower]

Does it really matter which country they hail from? They are all beautiful women in their own right - don't categorize them.

[tonray]

#1: Thai 

#2: Malaysia

#3: Indonesia

#4: Philippines

#5: Cambodia

Edited September 2, 2021 by tonray

[Damrongsak]

My wife is of Vietnamese ancestry.  In Myanmar and Indonesia, locals would try to speak to her in their native language.  Filipinos in the U.S.  approach her and ask if she's one of them. 

 

I once lost track of my wife in a smallish grocery store in New Mexico.  It was full of Indians, mostly Navajos I think.  I had a heck of a time finding her. 

[ripstanley]

All Thai

 

[thaibeachlovers]

9 hours ago, ASEAN NOW News said:

Central Thais tend to look more Chinese, Isaan-region Thais look relatively completely different,

Issan women look completely different from northern Thai women. The ( ? Chinese ) genes of women in Chiang Mai makes them far more attractive in my eyes.

My wife was from a region close to Laos and she looked different to both northern and Issan women.

Malay women look completely different to Singaporean and Thai women.

Filipinas are really different from other SEA women. I worked with many.

I might have a problem telling Japanese and Sth Korean women apart though.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Admiral Hornblower said:

Does it really matter which country they hail from? They are all beautiful women in their own right - don't categorize them.

Sure, just like all men are handsome in their own right.

[HeijoshinCool]

.

 

Yes, I can....

 

#1 My ex-gf

 

#2 my wife

 

#3 the girl I'm thinking about while making love to my wife

 

#4 my mia noi

 

#5 my housekeeper

 

.

[thaibeachlovers]

IMO, #3 is hardly representative of ordinary Thai women that I've seen in real life. More like one of those soap stars.

Edited September 2, 2021 by thaibeachlovers

[bluebluewater]

Stand them on their head and they all look alike . . . . . . 

[Damrongsak]

"... Just like there is a difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean women, and difference between French, English, German, Russian, Swedish women...."

 

Indeed.

 

[Maybole]

When we lived in Scotland my wife (Lanna Thai) was regularly approached by Philipinas and Chinese who tried to talk to her in their own language.

[Albert Zweistein]

The ones from Phillipines, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia don't have sick buffalo's.

[Albert Zweistein]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO, #3 is hardly representative of ordinary Thai women that I've seen in real life. More like one of those soap stars.

All lady boys ?

[Meat Pie 47]

Try adding Malaysia

[tonray]

9 hours ago, Maybole said:

When we lived in Scotland my wife (Lanna Thai) was regularly approached by Philipinas and Chinese who tried to talk to her in their own language.

Likely because they couldn't understand "Glaswegian"

[metisdead]

A post with derogatory trolling generalizations toward people who live in Issan has been removed. 

[chicowoodduck]

This must be a trick question....at my age I cannot even identify myself in the mirror on a good morning let alone some Asian lady?????????????????

[Speedhump]

19 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Issan women look completely different from northern Thai women. The ( ? Chinese ) genes of women in Chiang Mai makes them far more attractive in my eyes.

My wife was from a region close to Laos and she looked different to both northern and Issan women.

Malay women look completely different to Singaporean and Thai women.

Filipinas are really different from other SEA women. I worked with many.

I might have a problem telling Japanese and Sth Korean women apart though.

Singaporean is a mix of Chinese and Malay in very varying degrees. I'm really not sure you can say they have a generic look. 

 

Generally I can make a good fist of guessing, except as someone else says, Korean and Japanese can be impossible, and SE China/NW India is generally impossible. ????

All beautiful though, from the shortest, darkest Isaan pretty to the tallest, palest Harbin lovely. 

[StevieAus]

18 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

"... Just like there is a difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean women, and difference between French, English, German, Russian, Swedish women...."

 

Indeed.

 

You win the post of the day award for that one .

Still laughing.

 

[jomtienisgood]

On 9/2/2021 at 10:56 AM, Skallywag said:

Identify her by asking her would be a solution!  555

Listen to her when she is speaking her native language can work as well

Ask ID Card.......Only way to be 100% certain as in Th even katoey cannot change their gender on card....

[crazykopite]

YES

[Deli]

If she sits on the floor and eats Somtam, it's cleary a Thai ????

[Jorgendk]

My wife say many start to look the same, now many have been altered by a surgent.
Big streight nose, etc.

 

[Jorgendk]

20 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

"... Just like there is a difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean women, and difference between French, English, German, Russian, Swedish women...."

 

Indeed.

 

I am sure i will not go to Pennsylvania then.