Right lads, so here’s one for the stats ledger. What percentage of farangs in Thailand actually end up marryin’ a proper Thai bird who’s got her act together, runs a biz, maybe owns a restaurant, a coffee shop or two, proper go-getter, yeah?
 

And how many end up with the ones who whack on two stone three months after the honeymoon and just sit around doom scrollin’ Face and The Gram all day, textin’ their mates on LINE, and neckin’ Leo down their gob before noon? What is it, about 80 percent in the “sofa and selfies” division, innit?

 

And the best part? The blokes stuck with these mingers all act like they’ve bagged a princess. “Oh, she’s just takin’ a break,” they say, while she’s on year three of her nap with a can of Chang, a face mask on, and a yah-dom shoved up her nose. You walk past their gaff and it’s like a cross between a karaoke bar and a rescue centre. Parrots squawkin’, telly blarin’, missus sprawled out like she’s auditionin’ for a Netflix doc called "The Lazy Life of Lumpy-Lek", and the geezer payin' out everything? Still defendin’ her like she’s runnin’ a multi-national conglomerate instead of the electric bill into the ground.

 

Thailand, mates. Where love’s blind, broke, and nappin’ under a Winnie-the-Pooh blanket while scrollin’ TikTok in Hello Kitty pajamas at two in the afternoon is just another normal day in paradise.

Clearly you haven't been here too long,   we all hooked up with the cashier.

What gives you that harsh impression? 80? Really? Only about 65% of Thai women are overweight. 😂 

During a remarriage counseling, a US Air Force counselor  told us our mixed marriage had a 90%chance of failing within the first year .  We've been toasting him every Feb 13th for the past 52 years.

Most farangs I know have married low education women, about half of them have kids with different fathers. Tattoos seem popular and they have dirty senses of humor.

 

80% sounds about right.

 

But the 20% are far and above western women.

11 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Most farangs I know have married low education women,

 

Architects and doctors are not easy to get for the average retired farang.

 

You have a better chance if you go to Thailand in your 20s and work in a good profession. Then you can meet a woman in the same profession as you at the office or networking as you will meet a lot of people in high positions.

 

3 hours ago, LL 2.0 said:

Right lads, so here’s one for the stats ledger. What percentage of farangs in Thailand actually end up marryin’ a proper Thai bird who’s got her act together, runs a biz, maybe owns a restaurant, a coffee shop or two, proper go-getter, yeah?

Nah, I married a proper woman. Faithful, caring and loving. Albeit she didn´t have same amount of money like I had/still have. So that means she didn´t own or ran any business when we met. She owned land, though. About 40 rai, half farmland and half prepared for building. However, she does today. Of course the initial bigger part of that investment, came from my wallet, but only 7 years into the marriage, with the result of two kids that we both love and care for. Now in the past 7 years she has been running a convenience shop and a bar/restaurant, which she has been taking care of very good, with some advice needed at times as I have very good experience of restaurants and bars from before.

However, I only invested 60% and made her put land in the bank for the rest of the 40%. After 5 years, she had paid of her loans on the land, by running the businesses successful. As she really showed responsibility, I have today integrated my online business, and we have formed an .ltd, as there are enough people working so I could be allowed to work.

The moral of the story is that you should make the right choices, let time show the true colors and give people a chance to have something and take responsibility.

4 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

Architects and doctors are not easy to get for the average retired farang.

 

You have a better chance if you go to Thailand in your 20s and work in a good profession. Then you can meet a woman in the same profession as you at the office or networking as you will meet a lot of people in high positions.

 

Spot on.

Most farangs come here too late in life.

Too late to master the language and achieve basic literacy.

Too late to attract anything better than a mercenary woman and become a cash cow for her greedy relatives.

   Living among low-life Thais is a no-win situation.

An upmarket version of the post for the more refined amongst us..........

What proportion of foreign men in Thailand end up marrying dynamic, self-sufficient Thai women—those who run businesses, manage restaurants or cafés, and generally have their lives well-organised?

 

And conversely, how many find themselves partnered with women who, not long after the honeymoon, settle into a routine of social media scrolling, midday beers, and minimal ambition? Is it fair to say the majority fall into the “sofa and selfies” category?

 

What’s most curious is how many of these men continue to speak of their partners as if they’ve married royalty—describing extended periods of inactivity as “just taking a break,” even as the household resembles a karaoke bar crossed with a wildlife rescue centre. Meanwhile, the bills keep coming, and the defence of the domestic status quo remains unwavering.

 

Thailand: where love can be blind, financially draining, and comfortably nestled under a cartoon blanket by mid-afternoon.

 

23 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

An upmarket version of the post for the more refined amongst us..........

What proportion of foreign men in Thailand end up marrying dynamic, self-sufficient Thai women—those who run businesses, manage restaurants or cafés, and generally have their lives well-organised?

 

And conversely, how many find themselves partnered with women who, not long after the honeymoon, settle into a routine of social media scrolling, midday beers, and minimal ambition? Is it fair to say the majority fall into the “sofa and selfies” category?

 

What’s most curious is how many of these men continue to speak of their partners as if they’ve married royalty—describing extended periods of inactivity as “just taking a break,” even as the household resembles a karaoke bar crossed with a wildlife rescue centre. Meanwhile, the bills keep coming, and the defence of the domestic status quo remains unwavering.

 

Thailand: where love can be blind, financially draining, and comfortably nestled under a cartoon blanket by mid-afternoon.

 

 

Harrisfan............you don't need. to...or do you need to?......put a thumbs down on my post.

Post of the year lol.

 

I suppose no man wants to publicly admit marrying a prostitute, so they invent new identities for their doctor/lawyer/engineer/high-level civil servant wives.

 

Just like we are all ex Navy SEALS/fighter pilots and CIA.

 

But in reality, I actually see just as many hooker/Captain Save-a-Ho falang marriages succeed as "good girl"/falang marriages. But it seems like significantly more than half fail in any case, or at least more than the average of 50% in the West.

 

But I could be wrong....

8 hours ago, kokesaat said:

During a remarriage counseling, a US Air Force counselor  told us our mixed marriage had a 90%chance of failing within the first year .  We've been toasting him every Feb 13th for the past 52 years.

Well done mate. We are 10+ years and counting - best decision ever made. 

Bet Malcolm is wondering why he didn't start this thread.

8 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Most farangs I know have married low education women

 

"The statement "don't confuse education with intelligence" highlights that while education provides knowledge and skills, intelligence is the innate ability to learn, adapt, and solve problems, and these two are distinct. A person can achieve extensive formal education but lack practical understanding or critical thinking, while others with minimal formal schooling may possess exceptional intellect, common sense, and wisdom. "

 

Now,  to carry that one step further .....after observing a very large sample size of Farangs with Thai ladies..... Those 80% farangs who were obviously in unenviable marital/gf relationships are proof that their education did not provide them with the intelligence to choose wisely.

 

(often even on the second time around )😉

A couple of the worst, most r*thless bitches I have known in Thailand were 'good girls', 'educated", soft-spoken, untattooed, with 'businesses'. One of them was juggling three farangs, each one of them had bought a property in her name… they were away most of the time in their respective countries and she always managed to see them when the other two were away. In their presence, she would put on the 'good girl' act they wanted to see, and it's true it didn't seem that difficult technically, the one criterion she fulfilled was that she obviously was half human, half snake, beyond the 'narak' persona. None of these guys spoke any Thai, nor had any real clue about Thai culture, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were on this forum going on about how they had a 'good girl'.

 

I think succeeding in Thailand requires two essential things:

 

1. Making the effort to learn the language and the ropes on the ground

2. Having the skill, either innate or acquired (or both) to tell if you're dealing with good, honest people or not, and in my experience, appearances/first impressions can be very deceptive.

5 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Bet Malcolm is wondering why he didn't start this thread.

I thought I did.

But you are right. 
 

I will have to make up for it tomorrow 

11 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

Architects and doctors are not easy to get for the average retired farang.

 

You have a better chance if you go to Thailand in your 20s and work in a good profession. Then you can meet a woman in the same profession as you at the office or networking as you will meet a lot of people in high positions.

 

 

I tried. I was dumped for a dashing tropical disease physician.😢     

12 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Most farangs I know have married low education women, about half of them have kids with different fathers. Tattoos seem popular and they have dirty senses of humor.

 

80% sounds about right.

 

But the 20% are far and above western women.

Just to prove you wrong, my wife has no tattoos, and worked at a Uni, and we have been married for 22 years, and I was married to a Western woman 30 years  

8 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Just to prove you wrong, my wife has no tattoos, and worked at a Uni, and we have been married for 22 years, and I was married to a Western woman 30 years  

 

8 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Just to prove you wrong, my wife has no tattoos, and worked at a Uni, and we have been married for 22 years, and I was married to a Western woman 30 years  

So in the 20% bracket.

 

That is a lot of years married all up.

 

You must be old.

3 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

 

So in the 20% bracket.

 

That is a lot of years married all up.

 

You must be old.

Yes, I am old, getting near 80.

1 minute ago, still kicking said:

Yes, I am old, getting near 80.

Hope to see you still kicking for many more years to come.

1 minute ago, MalcolmB said:

Hope to see you still kicking for many more years to come.

My sister is 87 married for more years than me. Don't know the exact years 

17 hours ago, LL 2.0 said:

And how many end up with the ones who whack on two stone three months after the honeymoon and just sit around doom scrollin’ Face and The Gram all day, textin’ their mates on LINE, and neckin’ Leo down their gob before noon? What is it, about 80 percent in the “sofa and selfies” division, innit?

 

 Preceded by, among others:

 

Quote

No Oceans Eleven But A Dutch Plonker Runnin A Thai ATM Drag Race

Windsor Castle Turns Into Farang Film Festival: Trump Edition

The Cheeky Lump Downstairs: Lewie’s Crown Jewel Crisis 

 

 

Since when did so many Americans start posting around these parts????   

 

 

19 hours ago, DaddyWarbucks said:

Spot on.

Most farangs come here too late in life.

Too late to master the language and achieve basic literacy.

Too late to attract anything better than a mercenary woman and become a cash cow for her greedy relatives.

   Living among low-life Thais is a no-win situation.

Good points, all of them.

Your last is probably the most important.

Getting in with a better class of people is a no-brainer.

They don't have to be rich. just fundamentally decent with a functioning moral compass.

Thais take care of their own, and that would include a farang who has lived among them for many years as a husband and father.

Family means everything here. Your position in the family defines who you are.

Without one, you are nobody... farang tao-nahn eng.

I have found it to be rare. I can't seem to socialize in higher educated more wealthy circles here where those types of women would be. It's always people who are less well off or just not real successful compared to how I was brought up in my home country.

 

I noticed this after about 5 years here. After the vacation vibe wore off I started to wonder why I was around all these skint people, or just people that were not educated and my idea of "successful". For example, I was not a big cheap beer drinker and flip flop wearing guy back in the Usa and I probably would not want to marry most street food vendors I met.

 

A lot of it is not being able to work or do much other then retired vacation type stuff. That limits my options for "successful" women, at least in the class I feel I belong to.

 

The only option I see is to maybe get a nicer living situation in Bangkok and start attending activities where upper class people would be. Maybe taking classes at the University and attending cultural and professional events that don't involve working and the work permit thing.

Met my Thai wife in Thailand in 1983, we married in Taiwan in 1990, and retired to Thailand in 1993. Still happily married. Best decision of my life after a sad first marriage to a girl from Scotland. I am now 84 and my Thai  wife is 72.

On 10/9/2025 at 6:15 AM, LL 2.0 said:

Right lads, so here’s one for the stats ledger. What percentage of farangs in Thailand actually end up marryin’ a proper Thai bird who’s got her act together, runs a biz, maybe owns a restaurant, a coffee shop or two, proper go-getter, yeah?
 

And how many end up with the ones who whack on two stone three months after the honeymoon and just sit around doom scrollin’ Face and The Gram all day, textin’ their mates on LINE, and neckin’ Leo down their gob before noon? What is it, about 80 percent in the “sofa and selfies” division, innit?

 

 

The GF goes ok......1/3 my age and is a quality manager for Izuzu.

Made redundant in 2007, age 55; went to Thailand in 2008 for holiday and liked the place; met my future wife to be (but was still enjoying myself); moved to Thailand in 2010 to be with partner. divorced in 2010-11 ( that was a long time coming, waited for son to go to University),

 

Still with partner 15 years later, we have one daughter. Between 2008 and 2010 i did a lot of research, including on the in-laws; had a couple of other partners in 2008-9. Family were land rich (well had about 20 rai, but not high quality land) but cash poor. Youngest daughter had already married an American happily, but he had a heart attack and went to the UK for treatment (dual national); he did return and built a house, but then died of cancer, money all gone.

 

Prior to getting married, the Thai family had a restaurant (built by the Yank) but off the main roads, it soon entered terminal decline with out anyone having the money to keep it updated. I bailed them out for a year, then turned the taps off, I was not exactly flush with money having not really worked for 4 years and living on a pension. Wife opened village minimart once daughter went to nursery, and later a small laundrette as well.

 

Over the years, we have slowly updated the old Thai family house, dug fish ponds and planted some fruit trees. Not a resounding financial success, but not a failure either. There have been setbacks, but life doesn't always go to plan. we live an average Thai middle class life.

1 hour ago, rickudon said:

Made redundant in 2007, age 55; went to Thailand in 2008 for holiday and liked the place; met my future wife to be (but was still enjoying myself); moved to Thailand in 2010 to be with partner. divorced in 2010-11 ( that was a long time coming, waited for son to go to University),

 

Still with partner 15 years later, we have one daughter. Between 2008 and 2010 i did a lot of research, including on the in-laws; had a couple of other partners in 2008-9. Family were land rich (well had about 20 rai, but not high quality land) but cash poor. Youngest daughter had already married an American happily, but he had a heart attack and went to the UK for treatment (dual national); he did return and built a house, but then died of cancer, money all gone.

 

Prior to getting married, the Thai family had a restaurant (built by the Yank) but off the main roads, it soon entered terminal decline with out anyone having the money to keep it updated. I bailed them out for a year, then turned the taps off, I was not exactly flush with money having not really worked for 4 years and living on a pension. Wife opened village minimart once daughter went to nursery, and later a small laundrette as well.

 

Over the years, we have slowly updated the old Thai family house, dug fish ponds and planted some fruit trees. Not a resounding financial success, but not a failure either. There have been setbacks, but life doesn't always go to plan. we live an average Thai middle class life.

 

Nah, that's all too much drama... just get a trophy wife if you have enough money. This "having a real Thai woman" stuff is often said in a deluded and over-rated-pitch-style way to sound in-the-know or superior, and they are often wrong and these girls are just as bad, just in a different way. There are success stories, but they are in the minority.

Which would you want, the traditional government service type with a degree that is a yellow shirt (and expectations to match) with a nightmare family, or the easy-to-hang-out-with carefree trophy wife that isn't a bar girl or ex-hooker? And before anyone complains, they can easily be found outside the tourist trap places with a bit of patience.

The way to do that is to decide on your style of woman, i.e. short/tall/slim/pear-shaped/long legs/tiny backside/big breasts to whatever you like... then go meeting those types until you find one you are willing to give some time to/waste energy on... doesn't mean she's the one, just means you'll see where it goes. Many guys just fall head-over-heels for a girl because of a superficial facade and don't dig deeper because they are often desperate... and these girls are pros at pushing buttons in guys, especially foreigners. Older guys that get here after a traumatic past in the West are often easy targets as they are craving the attention and love etc., which they have been denied for often years/decades.

Trick is to meet women outside of tourist traps and not do anything hasty, let her work and you be be a little indifferent... just hang out if you are here for a long time, and if you are not, then realise long-distance relationships rarely work, especially here (just enjoy the 3-day rule). No rush to do anything... I dated my wife for four years before officially marrying her, now married for 25 years.

Many foreigners come to Thailand to reinvent themselves after a boring job and divorce in their mid-50s or 60s, then suddenly think they are 22 again in Pattaya or go on online dating apps and meet some girl and it all soon falls apart pronto. Best thing you can do is stay single for at least two years here during your orientation before thinking about some girl as a long-term partner, the internet is full of horror stories... try the YouTube channel "Extreme Expat Stories" in Thailand.

Be shewd, don't splash your cash (even if you have it) and bide your time if you want to stay here longer term... easy to get lost in the fantasy paradise dream and so many expats that want to come and reinvent themselves in Thailand last at most 2 years because they make the same mistakes... bar girls/hookers are a "No" and the dating apps are full of pros, scammers, and those with high body counts with multiple boyfriends farming people.

Your idea of love is way different to theirs and you are running different software to these women... you think about solving problems, fixing things, or protecting and building, whereas they are thinking about future safety and extraction of resources. Need to be careful in most cases... yes, there are success stories, but as I said, they are in the minority, big time.