How Does Bangkok Condos Stack Up Vs. Hk, Kl, Singapore Etc...

[pkrv]

Ever since considering Bangkok property my opinions simply keep improving. I love Hong Kong but have never visited KL or Singapore. What is happening across the board?

I see Bangkok as a new kid on the block am I wrong? Agreed I look at this from a Condominium perspective but what about the future? I will be in Bangkok for the elections it will be interesting to watch.

OK title typo "How do Bangkok..."

Edited December 12, 2007 by pkrv

[Prakanong]

I do not think Bangkok will ever attract the regional HQ of many global companies - they are usually to be found in HK or Singapore.

R&D facilities outside of the USA/Western Europe can be be found there as well but the likes of China and India are rising fast too for these facilities.

Then there are the Asian companies which will go global - how many of those are based in Thailand and not just a regional office?

A lot of the above gives rise to the very strong demand and prices - housing allowances of over 160,000THB are quite common and I know quite a few with 350,000 THB a month plus in Singapore

Then there is rising local wealth too also in the market plus land is not bexpanding that much even with reclamation.

[pkrv]

I do not think Bangkok will ever attract the regional HQ of many global companies - they are usually to be found in HK or Singapore.

R&D facilities outside of the USA/Western Europe can be be found there as well but the likes of China and India are rising fast too for these facilities.

Then there are the Asian companies which will go global - how many of those are based in Thailand and not just a regional office?

A lot of the above gives rise to the very strong demand and prices - housing allowances of over 160,000THB are quite common and I know quite a few with 350,000 THB a month plus in Singapore

Then there is rising local wealth too also in the market plus land is not bexpanding that much even with reclamation.

Interesting - Both Hong Kong and Singapore are ex British colonies - English is either first or second language. In Bangkok all major public/shopping signs are also in Cyrillic script. In my case English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_alphabet

I know Reuters relocated its software development to Thailand. Is Singapore so constrained that actually it will be strangled long term? Hong Kong is FAB but only about 7m, less than Bangkok's population of 10m (alone).

I see far more potential for growth/development in Bangkok than HK, or Singapore. KL difficult - but not exactly a tolerant society - it still has a way to go. This all has an impact on Third World status for Thailand.

A flippant comment but the Skytrain was really crowded on my last visit. In two years it has gone from a status of Thais cannot afford it, to needing to add carrages and lay on more trains!

What is stopping Bangkok or indeed Thailand from achieving its ambitions?

Edited December 12, 2007 by pkrv

[Jingthing]

But it is SINKING, correct?

[Prakanong]

I do not think Bangkok will ever attract the regional HQ of many global companies - they are usually to be found in HK or Singapore.

R&D facilities outside of the USA/Western Europe can be be found there as well but the likes of China and India are rising fast too for these facilities.

Then there are the Asian companies which will go global - how many of those are based in Thailand and not just a regional office?

A lot of the above gives rise to the very strong demand and prices - housing allowances of over 160,000THB are quite common and I know quite a few with 350,000 THB a month plus in Singapore

Then there is rising local wealth too also in the market plus land is not bexpanding that much even with reclamation.

Interesting - Both Hong Kong and Singapore are ex British colonies - English is either first or second language. In Bangkok all major public/shopping signs are also in Cyrillic script. In my case English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_alphabet

I know Reuters relocated its software development to Thailand. Is Singapore so constrained that actually it will be strangled long term? Hong Kong is FAB but only about 7m, less than Bangkok's population of 10m (alone).

I see far more potential for growth/development in Bangkok than HK, or Singapore. KL difficult - but not exactly a tolerant society - it still has a way to go. This all has an impact on Third World status for Thailand.

A flippant comment but the Skytrain was really crowded on my last visit. In two years it has gone from a status of Thais cannot afford it, to needing to add carrages and lay on more trains!

What is stopping Bangkok or indeed Thailand from achieving its ambitions?

Singapore wants another 2 million people to come work and live.

HK announced yesterday it needed a lot more people and it is making it easier for foreign talent to work and live there.

What is Thailand doing to attract foreign talent and development?

Yes HK and Singapore have language advatages but there is much more - for the company looking for regional offices etc.

Education system

Transport - internal and external

Easier to get staff to move there (I know that will be an anathema to man on this board but famlies and career minded people have different values)

Rule of law - contracts etc

Political stability

Business friendly law's and procedures

Thailand will grow and the Skytrain is one sign of a growing middle class I suppose. It is not growing as quick as a country at its stage of development should.

Look at how quick Vietnam is moving - it will take a while but do not be surprised if it overtakes Thailand in the next decade and stretches away. Yes they are both getting FDI but look at the differences in the investment they are attracting. Vietnam also takes advice from others - Thailand thinks it can do it all themselves.

Reuters moved SW development to Thailand - did not know that but I will look into that. When we offshore it is too India and I am busy advocationg more of that right now which will mean loss of jobs in Europe

Singapore and HK have eveolving economies too - moving towards services more rather than manufacturing - rounded modern advanced economies. Thailand is competing against ?China in the assembly business - a race to the bottom cost wise.

Where are the R&D facilities being located?

In industries I know (IT and Biotech/Pharma) its India, Singapore, China etc - these add value and supply high value jobs not lego processors of parts designed and made elsewhere.

Maybe Vietnam should be looked at for Condo's?

This is just my own opinion of course - others will see it differently!

Edited December 12, 2007 by Prakanong

[think_too_mut]

Interesting - Both Hong Kong and Singapore are ex British colonies - English is either first or second language. In Bangkok all major public/shopping signs are also in Cyrillic script.

Maybe, in Moscow.

I know Reuters relocated its software development to Thailand. Is Singapore so constrained that actually it will be strangled long term? Hong Kong is FAB but only about 7m, less than Bangkok's population of 10m (alone).

I see far more potential for growth/development in Bangkok than HK, or Singapore. KL difficult - but not exactly a tolerant society - it still has a way to go. This all has an impact on Third World status for Thailand.

It is more expensive to set up a shop and send expats to BKK than to HKK or SIN. Simply, 30-40sq km statelets do not need high taxes to support infrastructure and that will never change.

My company has R&D or some high tech operations throught Asia - except in Thailand and no thought is given to do anything (other than R&R conferences) in Thailand.

A flippant comment but the Skytrain was really crowded on my last visit. In two years it has gone from a status of Thais cannot afford it, to needing to add carrages and lay on more trains!

What is stopping Bangkok or indeed Thailand from achieving its ambitions?

Do they have such ambitions? If they do, they should rename the plan from "self-sufficient economy" to something that better reflects their worldy ambitions.

Traffic jams have became hellish over last 4 years, due to mass influx of new cars available to anyone who has a job, even if it pays less than monthly rate. That simply forced people to SkyTrain, then normal rise of acceptance as time goes by + links with MRT over last 2 years have helped.

[pkrv]

Hi think_too_mut - In a sense I think you have hit the nail on the head - I see change on a vast scale for example I did not know the building next to The Lakes had come alive again. BTW Cyrillic evolved (I hope my point) and we (all) adopted Arabic numerals

Taking in the posts and what I have seen from admittedly limited perspective, it is almost like Thailand is emulating Hong Kong and Japan simultaneously. Why do I say that? I see the adverts emulating Hong Kong's but see frequent comments that it is difficult for an outsider to do business.

If Prakanong's comment that "Thailand is competing against China in the assembly business - a race to the bottom cost wise". That is not good news, but is it the whole picture?

Almost all cars I saw were new; many kids/teenagers had a mobile phone. These are conflicting stories, debt, wealth or something else?

[donx]

Interesting - Both Hong Kong and Singapore are ex British colonies - English is either first or second language. In Bangkok all major public/shopping signs are also in Cyrillic script. In my case English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_alphabet

I know Reuters relocated its software development to Thailand. Is Singapore so constrained that actually it will be strangled long term? Hong Kong is FAB but only about 7m, less than Bangkok's population of 10m (alone).

I see far more potential for growth/development in Bangkok than HK, or Singapore. KL difficult - but not exactly a tolerant society - it still has a way to go. This all has an impact on Third World status for Thailand.

A flippant comment but the Skytrain was really crowded on my last visit. In two years it has gone from a status of Thais cannot afford it, to needing to add carrages and lay on more trains!

What is stopping Bangkok or indeed Thailand from achieving its ambitions?

Malaysia, which includes Kuala Lumpur, is also an ex British colony. English is used extensively in Malaysia. The Malay language uses the Roman alphabet so all signs are readable by us English speakers.

My company is going to open an Asian office. It will most likely either be in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. My co-worker who is being tasked with setting up this office prefers it to be in Kuala Lumpur. The advantage that Bangkok has is that it is a hub for International travel. You can get a direct flight to Bangkok from most of the major cities around the world whereas this is not the case for Kuala Lumpur (according to another one of my co-workers). Costs for setting up a regional office in Hong Kong and Singapore have been determined to be too expensive. This contradicts what think_too_mut says, but that is the consensus of those making the decision in my company. This office will not be very big and will employ individuals already living and working in Asia, so the final decision as to where the office is located will depend upon finding the right person to run this office. It will be a sales and engineering support office.

[Prakanong]

"If Prakanong's comment that "Thailand is competing against China in the assembly business - a race to the bottom cost wise". That is not good news, but is it the whole picture?"

I did say the "Assembly business" ie the putting together of parts designed, developed and made elsewhere - low value jobs.

Of course its not the whole picture and Thailand needs to look where it has comparitive advantage then go after that marklet and trade.

It has absolute advantage in the region with regard to the tourist industry I would argue and attracts numbers from all market segments - backpackers, package tours, upmarket and the convention/conference crowd.

Some countries might beat them in say conventions but overall I think Thaiand has a good balance.

Recently it has been going for bio-tech but should has it not missed the boat there. Yes clinical studies are conducted in Thailand and are expanding (cheap and good work to a very high standard) but can they compete in the actual research and not the development - Singapore has invested lots in that and I do not think Thailand can catch up. China and India are two other places new R&D facilities are opening too.

Software - nah - offshoring goes to India and even to the PI - same call centres but that is changing too.

Auto industry is another where Thailand does very well

Financial services - nah

[Prakanong]

Interesting - Both Hong Kong and Singapore are ex British colonies - English is either first or second language. In Bangkok all major public/shopping signs are also in Cyrillic script. In my case English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_alphabet

I know Reuters relocated its software development to Thailand. Is Singapore so constrained that actually it will be strangled long term? Hong Kong is FAB but only about 7m, less than Bangkok's population of 10m (alone).

I see far more potential for growth/development in Bangkok than HK, or Singapore. KL difficult - but not exactly a tolerant society - it still has a way to go. This all has an impact on Third World status for Thailand.

A flippant comment but the Skytrain was really crowded on my last visit. In two years it has gone from a status of Thais cannot afford it, to needing to add carrages and lay on more trains!

What is stopping Bangkok or indeed Thailand from achieving its ambitions?

Malaysia, which includes Kuala Lumpur, is also an ex British colony. English is used extensively in Malaysia. The Malay language uses the Roman alphabet so all signs are readable by us English speakers.

My company is going to open an Asian office. It will most likely either be in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. My co-worker who is being tasked with setting up this office prefers it to be in Kuala Lumpur. The advantage that Bangkok has is that it is a hub for International travel. You can get a direct flight to Bangkok from most of the major cities around the world whereas this is not the case for Kuala Lumpur (according to another one of my co-workers). Costs for setting up a regional office in Hong Kong and Singapore have been determined to be too expensive. This contradicts what think_too_mut says, but that is the consensus of those making the decision in my company. This office will not be very big and will employ individuals already living and working in Asia, so the final decision as to where the office is located will depend upon finding the right person to run this office. It will be a sales and engineering support office.

Bangkok probably makes sense in your case where it is THE Asian office and people will be going out from there to other countries for sales and support.

Air links are good from Thailand as you say.

You say staff already living and working in Asia - are you talkng expat packages - local plus packages - local packages as that might have a bearing on a decision.

I think we need to differentiate between a regional HQ and iffice too. I would describe a Regional HQ as being the HQ for that region but with local offices in most (or 3+) of the countries of the the region. I would say a regional office is just that - an office in 1 country covering the region.

For the Regional HQ I think HK and Singapore are the only real choices right now (my opinion only ) but for a regional office there are many choices.

[think_too_mut]

My company is going to open an Asian office. It will most likely either be in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. My co-worker who is being tasked with setting up this office prefers it to be in Kuala Lumpur. The advantage that Bangkok has is that it is a hub for International travel. You can get a direct flight to Bangkok from most of the major cities around the world whereas this is not the case for Kuala Lumpur (according to another one of my co-workers).

Costs for setting up a regional office in Hong Kong and Singapore have been determined to be too expensive. This contradicts what think_too_mut says, but that is the consensus of those making the decision in my company. This office will not be very big and will employ individuals already living and working in Asia, so the final decision as to where the office is located will depend upon finding the right person to run this office. It will be a sales and engineering support office.

It's not contravening what I said. You are talking brick and mortar and local hires. That is cheaper.

However, for a full blown regional HQ where you need 30-40 expat executives that have corporate blood in their veins, BKK is not on the map.

For the general population (people not on this or other Thai related forums) for work, Bangkok is as attractive as Kinshasa. Not many executives would think it's a good career move to be sent to BKK (or their families may object too). At least you won't get them in dozens there in 1 office.

Another giant is setting up their regional data centre in KL - but it's a hangar like building with relatively small number of locally available staff (someone asked me if I wanted to go there to manage it - I might).

[Prakanong]

My company is going to open an Asian office. It will most likely either be in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. My co-worker who is being tasked with setting up this office prefers it to be in Kuala Lumpur. The advantage that Bangkok has is that it is a hub for International travel. You can get a direct flight to Bangkok from most of the major cities around the world whereas this is not the case for Kuala Lumpur (according to another one of my co-workers).

Costs for setting up a regional office in Hong Kong and Singapore have been determined to be too expensive. This contradicts what think_too_mut says, but that is the consensus of those making the decision in my company. This office will not be very big and will employ individuals already living and working in Asia, so the final decision as to where the office is located will depend upon finding the right person to run this office. It will be a sales and engineering support office.

It's not contravening what I said. You are talking brick and mortar and local hires. That is cheaper.

However, for a full blown regional HQ where you need 30-40 expat executives that have corporate blood in their veins, BKK is not on the map.

For the general population (people not on this or other Thai related forums) for work, Bangkok is as attractive as Kinshasa. Not many executives would think it's a good career move to be sent to BKK (or their families may object too). At least you won't get them in dozens there in 1 office.

Another giant is setting up their regional data centre in KL - but it's a hangar like building with relatively small number of locally available staff (someone asked me if I wanted to go there to manage it - I might).

The view of Thai boards and guys who would love to work in Thailand are obviously well skewed as you rightly point out. Bangkok is seen as a career dead end in many companies (and not just private - my pal who is a Deputy Ambassador looked at me as though I was mad when i suggested he apply to the Embassy in Bangkok when he was a First Secretary).

A good pal in Bangkok says they have to offer their American contry managers a great deal to come to Thailand as well as promises of choice of location next.

Not all are like this though - I think some companies do hold out a position in Thaland (O&G) as a reward for good work in the past but this is not Regional HQ type of work is it?

[Hampstead]

its a little misleading to title this thread with the first world and use hong kong, singapore and bangkok in the same sentence

maybe the title should be renamed bangkok the third world and its economic competitiors jakarta and the upcoming star in the fast lane vietnam

[Prakanong]

its a little misleading to title this thread with the first world and use hong kong, singapore and bangkok in the same sentence

maybe the title should be renamed bangkok the third world and its economic competitiors jakarta and the upcoming star in the fast lane vietnam

Add Manila as well!

[donx]

You say staff already living and working in Asia - are you talkng expat packages - local plus packages - local packages as that might have a bearing on a decision.

I think we need to differentiate between a regional HQ and iffice too. I would describe a Regional HQ as being the HQ for that region but with local offices in most (or 3+) of the countries of the the region. I would say a regional office is just that - an office in 1 country covering the region.

For the Regional HQ I think HK and Singapore are the only real choices right now (my opinion only ) but for a regional office there are many choices.

We will do something similar to what we did in Europe. That office started out as a single sales manager and has grown to a staff of around 20 engineers/managers/sales personel. They report directly to our US HQ office and they service the entire European region as well as the Middle East and Africa. All of the staff are from Europe. We expect all of the staff for our Asian office to be from various Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Japan, etc. We have products already installed throughout Asia and we want to provide local engineering support because right now we have to do that from the US and with the time difference, this is causing too many delays.

We will not be offering expat packages; perhaps local plus packages but I don't know what that means. I can see a problem of getting people from various parts of Asia to staff a single office. I don't know how we plan on solving this. I think we may end up with people working from various countries supporting their in-country installations.

Fortunately these decisions are not my problem.

[Prakanong]

You say staff already living and working in Asia - are you talkng expat packages - local plus packages - local packages as that might have a bearing on a decision.

I think we need to differentiate between a regional HQ and iffice too. I would describe a Regional HQ as being the HQ for that region but with local offices in most (or 3+) of the countries of the the region. I would say a regional office is just that - an office in 1 country covering the region.

For the Regional HQ I think HK and Singapore are the only real choices right now (my opinion only ) but for a regional office there are many choices.

We will do something similar to what we did in Europe. That office started out as a single sales manager and has grown to a staff of around 20 engineers/managers/sales personel. They report directly to our US HQ office and they service the entire European region as well as the Middle East and Africa. All of the staff are from Europe. We expect all of the staff for our Asian office to be from various Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Japan, etc. We have products already installed throughout Asia and we want to provide local engineering support because right now we have to do that from the US and with the time difference, this is causing too many delays.

We will not be offering expat packages; perhaps local plus packages but I don't know what that means. I can see a problem of getting people from various parts of Asia to staff a single office. I don't know how we plan on solving this. I think we may end up with people working from various countries supporting their in-country installations.

Fortunately these decisions are not my problem.

Local plus is you get paid more than locals, you get all expenses out there and an allowance to get set up, accom paid for -maybe a months or two.

You do not get the kids schools, the driver, maid, housing package etc etc as you would on full expat package

More and more companies are doing this now - depends on the sector though which are embracing this more quickly. When local talent is developed enough in numbers it may all go local but the salaries will rise too.

[dotcom]

Please move me here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showforum=13

[quiksilva]

My company is going to open an Asian office. It will most likely either be in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. My co-worker who is being tasked with setting up this office prefers it to be in Kuala Lumpur. The advantage that Bangkok has is that it is a hub for International travel. You can get a direct flight to Bangkok from most of the major cities around the world whereas this is not the case for Kuala Lumpur (according to another one of my co-workers).

Costs for setting up a regional office in Hong Kong and Singapore have been determined to be too expensive. This contradicts what think_too_mut says, but that is the consensus of those making the decision in my company. This office will not be very big and will employ individuals already living and working in Asia, so the final decision as to where the office is located will depend upon finding the right person to run this office. It will be a sales and engineering support office.

It's not contravening what I said. You are talking brick and mortar and local hires. That is cheaper.

However, for a full blown regional HQ where you need 30-40 expat executives that have corporate blood in their veins, BKK is not on the map.

For the general population (people not on this or other Thai related forums) for work, Bangkok is as attractive as Kinshasa. Not many executives would think it's a good career move to be sent to BKK (or their families may object too). At least you won't get them in dozens there in 1 office.

Another giant is setting up their regional data centre in KL - but it's a hangar like building with relatively small number of locally available staff (someone asked me if I wanted to go there to manage it - I might).

Certainly HK & SG will always have more regional headquarters than Thailand, but to read what you guys wrote one would think that there are no major regional head offices here at all, but no mention of firms such as: FORD, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, DENSO, McCann, as well as a host of Japanese industrial firms all of which have selected Thailand as the location of their Regional Operating Headquarters.

[OlRedEyes]

Ever since considering Bangkok property my opinions simply keep improving.

I see Bangkok as a new kid on the block am I wrong?

Bangkok improving?

Bangkok aint going nowhere (up) in the next two generations at least.

[OlRedEyes]

What is stopping Bangkok or indeed Thailand from achieving its ambitions?

It's culture.

[pkrv]

It’s interesting. There seems to be swings and roundabouts here:

There is definitely excellent private accommodation available.

There is an excellent public transport system available (BTS MTR and soon Airport express) though admittedly it is to a limited number of destinations at present.

There are world class shopping facilities (Central Chidlom, Siam Paragon etc) available.

It’s a Regional hub with a new world class airport (could do with some extra loos!)

From trajans post it is apparent from the ‘Institutional investor’ poll Bangkok hotels feature prominently.

But:

Do expat executives have to send kids back home to boarding school for an education or are there good Bangkok institutions? Is this what contributes to Bangkok being perceived as being perceived expensive in this area?

The huge multi cultural aspect of Bangkok (my god I have never seen so many cultures mixing before) seems to have gone largely untapped.

The potential for retirement of the Western/Japan baby boomers generation has not been fully exploited.

It all seems to be there for a rosy future and Bangkok has certainly changed for the better. Perhaps it is now just the little things that need to be tidied up?

Emission controls on vehicles (everyone keeps saying Bangkok is polluted).

Clarification of visas and (house) property ownership

Better working opportunities for foreigners

And of course the one big thing – political stability – but that partly comes from an educational system available to all – not something that develops without time and effort and will never change overnight.

[PeaceBlondie]

But:

Do expat executives have to send kids back home to boarding school for an education or are there good Bangkok institutions?

There are several first class international schools in Bangkok, less than ten, maybe five. Not expensive by executives on full expat pay packages.

The potential for retirement of the Western/Japan baby boomers generation has not been fully exploited. That potential will never be fully developed until they repeal Thai xenophobia.

And of course the one big thing – political stability – but that partly comes from an educational system available to all – not something that develops without time and effort and will never change overnight. There is no reason to think either of those things will develop in fifty years.

Still, Bangkok compares well against Kinshasha and Ouagadougou.

[thaigene2]

Thailand will grow and the Skytrain is one sign of a growing middle class I suppose. It is not growing as quick as a country at its stage of development should.

Look at how quick Vietnam is moving - it will take a while but do not be surprised if it overtakes Thailand in the next decade and stretches away. Yes they are both getting FDI but look at the differences in the investment they are attracting. Vietnam also takes advice from others - Thailand thinks it can do it all themselves.

That really is the heart of it I think. Look at the fiasco with the FBA - and then when the old-family-money establishment cronies were in the NLA, they very nearly sunk FDI forever (or for many, many years).

How many foreigners have been stung by Thai partners? Carlsberg, Pizza Hut, the Thaksin American cable guy..the list goes on...They think they can rip off foreigners then do it all themselves. Hardly a biz-friendly environment.

[pkrv]

But:

Do expat executives have to send kids back home to boarding school for an education or are there good Bangkok institutions?

There are several first class international schools in Bangkok, less than ten, maybe five. Not expensive by executives on full expat pay packages.

The potential for retirement of the Western/Japan baby boomers generation has not been fully exploited. That potential will never be fully developed until they repeal Thai xenophobia.

And of course the one big thing – political stability – but that partly comes from an educational system available to all – not something that develops without time and effort and will never change overnight. There is no reason to think either of those things will develop in fifty years.

Still, Bangkok compares well against Kinshasha and Ouagadougou.

Very wicked however………. One of my prerequisites is ensuring a language can integrate the words bungalow, pyjamas, thug, curry. internet, fast food and TV. I dread to think what happened to the translation of German sausages (wasn't there a show with that individual?).

I was staggered by Paris on my last trip you did not get an opportunity to speak French they wished to practice their English.

Bangkok - I should have added world class offices are also available - education seems not....

Edited January 2, 2008 by pkrv

[Prakanong]

But:

Do expat executives have to send kids back home to boarding school for an education or are there good Bangkok institutions?

There are several first class international schools in Bangkok, less than ten, maybe five. Not expensive by executives on full expat pay packages.

The potential for retirement of the Western/Japan baby boomers generation has not been fully exploited. That potential will never be fully developed until they repeal Thai xenophobia.

And of course the one big thing – political stability – but that partly comes from an educational system available to all – not something that develops without time and effort and will never change overnight. There is no reason to think either of those things will develop in fifty years.

Still, Bangkok compares well against Kinshasha and Ouagadougou.

Bangkok might have nice offices - ours are very nice - but its a "Country" office and not a "Regional" office.

HK and Singapore get the regional offices of MNC's - Bangkok gets a local office.

Who has their regional main office in BKK? - Reuters?

5 decent schools - just not enough!

I probably spend less per month in Singapore as a single expat guy than I would in Bangkok - families probably would be worse off.

Very wicked however………. One of my prerequisites is ensuring a language can integrate the words bungalow, pyjamas, thug, curry. internet, fast food and TV. I dread to think what happened to the translation of German sausages (wasn't there a show with that individual?).

I was staggered by Paris on my last trip you did not get an opportunity to speak French they wished to practice their English.

Bangkok - I should have added world class offices are also available - education seems not....

[pkrv]

But:

Do expat executives have to send kids back home to boarding school for an education or are there good Bangkok institutions?

There are several first class international schools in Bangkok, less than ten, maybe five. Not expensive by executives on full expat pay packages.

The potential for retirement of the Western/Japan baby boomers generation has not been fully exploited. That potential will never be fully developed until they repeal Thai xenophobia.

And of course the one big thing – political stability – but that partly comes from an educational system available to all – not something that develops without time and effort and will never change overnight. There is no reason to think either of those things will develop in fifty years.

Still, Bangkok compares well against Kinshasha and Ouagadougou.

Bangkok might have nice offices - ours are very nice - but its a "Country" office and not a "Regional" office.

HK and Singapore get the regional offices of MNC's - Bangkok gets a local office.

Who has their regional main office in BKK? - Reuters?

5 decent schools - just not enough!

I probably spend less per month in Singapore as a single expat guy than I would in Bangkok - families probably would be worse off.

Very wicked however………. One of my prerequisites is ensuring a language can integrate the words bungalow, pyjamas, thug, curry. internet, fast food and TV. I dread to think what happened to the translation of German sausages (wasn't there a show with that individual?).

I was staggered by Paris on my last trip you did not get an opportunity to speak French they wished to practice their English.

Bangkok - I should have added world class offices are also available - education seems not....

I also enjoyed the word shampoo being introduced the the English language - great stuff.

For some time I have been trying to find out how Thailand (OK from my persepective Bangkok condos) stacked up.

I have to say thanks Bingo your link reference helped.

http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/investm...ecasts-for-2008

Indonesia managed to reduce 4Q 2006 inflation to 6% from 16% during the first three quarters. With the house price index registering a 6.6% nominal increase in 2006; house prices rose by 0.5% in real terms.

The minor post-crisis recovery of Indonesia's real estate market has stalled. The house price index in 2006 was about 50% below its peak 1994 level in real terms.

The biggest hindrance for foreigners wishing to buy in Indonesia is the ownership issue.

Theoretically, foreigners can own condominiums or strata-title residential property. However, a decade after Regulation 41 of 1996, no foreigner has actually received a strata title certificate of ownership.

In practice foreigners buying new units receive rolling lease contracts, plus an assurance that should the legal situation change, they will be given titles by the developer. Foreigners are likewise not allowed to own land.

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The real estate sector has finally recovered from the slump brought on by the 1997 Asian Crisis.

Boosted by the growth of the call center industry and demand from foreign-based Filipinos, condominium projects are rising all over Manila, with condominium prices and rents going up, and vacancy rates falling.

Foreigners can buy condominiums as long as the foreign component of the building does not exceed 40%. Dual Citizens can buy up to 1,000 square metres (sq. m.) of urban residential land and 5,000 sq. m of urban commercial land. Foreigners can also lease land up to 75 years.

There is a possibility that foreign ownership restrictions may be removed if the Constitution is changed, which is the (controversial) plan of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

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Thailand saw the end of ending its strong post-Asian crisis property market recovery, as the political crisis impacted the economy. House prices moved up just 1.9% in 2006 (-2.4% in real terms), after 2005's price increase of 7% (1.5% in real terms), and 2004's rise of 9% (6% in real terms).

As political pressure built up for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to resign leading to the September 2006 coup, the house price index started falling. The slowdown follows three years of rapid price rises. Over three years to January 2006, there was a 91.5% increase in condominium prices in Central Bangkok.

Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, but can own condominiums as long as the percentage of units sold to foreigners does not exceed 49%.

There are other options available but owning a condominium is the simplest and surest way of acquiring property in Thailand.

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The property market of Kuala Lumpur is hot, thanks to economic and legal reforms. Significant changes that benefited the property market include:

• abolition of rent control;

• abolition of capital gains tax; and

• relaxation of foreign ownership restrictions.

Foreigners can now buy residential units and other properties costing MYR250,000 (approx US$74,000) and above, without any restriction on use. Further, roundtrip transaction costs in Malaysia are very low, among the lowest in Asia.

House prices in Kuala Lumpur increased by a remarkable 6.9% in 2006. This follows impressive price increases of 7.2% in 2005 and 6.3% in 2004. The increase in property prices is driven by strong demand for luxury properties.

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Boosted by strong economic market, the recovery of Singapore’s residential property market has picked up speed. The private residential property price index registered a 10.2% (9.5% in real terms) increase in 2006. This is higher than 2005’s 3.9% price increase (2.7% in real terms).

From its recovery in 2004, property prices are up by 15.8% (13.1% in real terms). However, the private housing sector is still overshadowed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

Edited January 7, 2008 by pkrv