Finally Had Enough. Reasons For Leaving Thailand

[thailandbluegrass]

Well after 10 years here I have finally had enough. With the new hiway finished to Vietnam-China etc and the downfall of Thailand, These boardering Asian countries are offering a new sabbai sabbai standard of living etc.

For instance Vietnam is like Thailand was 20 years ago or so. I have only been here 10 years but know what it used to be like here. Vietnam is still cheap, super beautiful, nice people, great looking woman that still have not been "farangatized" so to speak etc. They will now offer great deals on visas, ownership of land and businesses, business opportunities, travel specials etc etc.

Many countries around us now are taking advantage of the Thai political fall and the downfall of Tourism etc which is making it more and more expensive and a head ache to stay here any more.

Trust me when I say I have been on the legal end of things here always staying with a work permit, visa etc and even owning a good business (factory) but now I'm just tired of all the negative things here. My top 10 reasons for leaving are as follows;

1. Visa, work permit hastles.
   
2. Political situation.
   
3. Double pricing.
   
4. No right end of the law for us here.
   
5. Non ownership of Businesses and Houses etc.
   
6. VISA WORK PERMIT HASTLES. (Yes I know i said it already).
   
7. Things are getting more and more expensive by the day.
   
8. Censorship and bad internet conditions.
   
9. They don't really want us here
   
10. Last but not least.........I'M TIRED OF FARANGS SCREWING FARANGS HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!
    

I know that over the past year more and more of us foriegners have been leaving in order to enjoy a much more relaxed and in expensive country where you can actually afford to live on or near the beach and own land and business in your own name etc instead of the old 50% Thai - 49% Farang and 1% Lawyer.

Anyone else have any reasons? Of course to the ones who are still enjoying it here I give you all the best of luck and hope you enjoy as I did for many years.

Edited May 11, 2010 by thailandbluegrass

[thailandbluegrass]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

[eurasianthai]

Point 9. Well, they probably do not want you there either...

Edited May 11, 2010 by eurasianthai

[tonititan]

3. Double pricing.

Have you ever taken a taxi in Hanoi? They are happy to negotiate a "special" rate for foreigners.

[NADTATIDA1]

7 and 8

VIETNAM ALSO.

[jackdawson]

correct me if i'm wrong but 'nam is communist right (they won that war) ?

thailand may be a lot of things but it ain't that .

[mallyrd]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

Why don't you respond to the topic as intended? Pulling up OP's on spelling and/or grammar is not on. Come to think of it, your grammar leaves much to be desired, I guess thats what you get with having a 'Hill Billy Degree'.

Edited May 11, 2010 by mallyrd

[fredob43]

The amount of car's for sale on motor forum at the moment, your not the only one that's leaving. Best of luck. Let us all know how you get on.

[mallyrd]

The amount of car's for sale on motor forum at the moment, your not the only one that's leaving. Best of luck. Let us all know how you get on.

What the heck has the number of cars for sale got to do with the number of people (alleged) leaving Thailand?

[tonititan]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

Why don't you respond to the topic as intended? Pulling up OP's on spelling and/or grammar is not on. Come to think of it, your grammar leaves much to be desired, I guess thats what you get with having a 'Hill Billy Degree'.

He/she WAS the OP!

[baabaabobo]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

Why don't you respond to the topic as intended? Pulling up OP's on spelling and/or grammar is not on.

Erm... that was the OP correcting himself.

Back on topic.

Yes many of us feel that Thailand is going through a bad spell but I think it will improve again and one thing these other countries don't have is Thais. I stay here because I love the people.

[LindsayBKK]

The Thais have never known what they really want so it's hard to think about

the future of Thailand. That's why everybody just gives up thinking about it.

I am sure there are lots of guys here thinking the same where to go next.

Until the next visa.

My Partner & I may be moving back to Aust next year.

Edited May 11, 2010 by LindsayBKK

[sholaisen]

Not that I see this topic going anywhere constructive... but you are not the only one contemplating leaving... I belive what happens politically the next year will help most people decide if this is a place to stay or not...

[dsprtliving]

Wish you the best of luck with your decision to move on to greener pastures. I've been here about 10 years as well, and the surrounding S.E. Asian countries are bound to move ahead in the game if the Land O' Smiles continues down this destructive path...which is a shame cause I do love the Thais and their country. Please stop back in and keep us updated on the adventure!

Edited May 11, 2010 by dsprtliving

[TheWalkingMan]

I do hope that wherever you go that you have a great time and please make the occasional post of both the positives and negatives of your new future home.

TheWalkingMan

[Benjie]

The amount of car's for sale on motor forum at the moment, your not the only one that's leaving. Best of luck. Let us all know how you get on.

Surely that has as much chance of being people upgrading to a more expensive car?

Not sure why the OP is having so much trouble with his Visa/WP it takes me less than 3 hours a year to get all of that sorted.

[samuibeachcomber]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

If you are leaving to go to vietnam i assume you've looked into the pro's and cons of moving there.Can you give some details about the visa's,money required,and laws for expats re working,buying property etc.This would be very helpful for others thinking along your lines.

[BWPattaya]

I have been to Indonesia, Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and The Philippines. Wherever I go I try to judge if life there would be better than in Thailan...............still here after 9 years.

Oh! I also go to the UK every yeatr. Won't live there again.

[mallyrd]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

Why don't you respond to the topic as intended? Pulling up OP's on spelling and/or grammar is not on. Come to think of it, your grammar leaves much to be desired, I guess thats what you get with having a 'Hill Billy Degree'.

He/she WAS the OP!

I stand corrected.

[PhilHarries]

Well I'm working in HCMC at present and there must be around half a dozens ex-Thai-o-philes around me. So I'd agree that Thailand has lost it's attraction for many, myself included.

Yes, it's communist country but you'd hardly notice it. /everyone just gets on with making a living and nobody takes over the airport or the centre of the city, nobody fires grenades at people.

The internet works as well here as it does in Thailand and, despite those who seem to always have a problem with taxis, I never have any trouble getting them to use the meter, in fact I never even have to ask.

It's far from perfect but that's what I like about it, it is still very Asian unlike Farang-Thai-land.

As for cheapness, just to warn you cc's off, HCMC is probably as expensive as Bangkok for a lot of things and many, if not most, of your western comforts are hard to come by.

It depends on a lot of things not least your family commitments, and not all of us are blessed with the mobility, and attitude, to make the move.

So if you like Thailand, stay there - it's a great place and I still visit as it's en route to the UK, but even those with the most heavily rose tinted specs will have to admit, it's lost a lot of it's shine recently.

The Land of Fading Smiles.

[Microwave]

I've lived in Hong Kong, Canada, Oz, Thailand, India, Peru, China, and the UK and I like Thailand best of the bunch (Canada & Oz tie for a close 2nd). I speak, read and write fluent Thai which makes a huge difference living and working in Thailand. I've found the people in Thailand to be the friendliest of these countries which I've lived in, but speaking fluent Thai again helps heaps. Thailand's not for everyone, especially now with the politics being so horrible.

Even though I still love the LOS, I'm always interested in what life is like elsewhere. Please keep us posted on what your life is like once you've relocated.

Best wishes.

[thailandbluegrass]

Well thank you and I will keep you all posted. I'm not sure yet if it will be Vietnam I will move to but its sounding better the last few days I have seen in the TV ads and the internet welcomming foriegners and with the new hi-way and all.

I knew there would be the typical farangs replying to this who have gone native on us and believe that they are Thai for some reason and have thousands of posts here critisizing everyones ways but hey som nam na one of the reasons I'm outta here). lol. It is not the Thai's that I do not like but the infrastructure etc. Communism used to be seen as a terrible way of living when I was growing up but these days it seems like at least it is a STABLE government. Same as in Laos. But at least you can open a business in your own name and get a permit to stay just on that basis very easy. You dont need the majority shareholder to be a citizen of that country.

I have no problems living without typical western neccesaties etc as this is mostly the way I have lived here. I'm not one of these farangs that came here and complained about pot-holes in the road or why they don't have rules of which side to walk on or why don't the workers in Home Pro speak perfect English etc. I learned to read speak and write Thai and also LOVE the King and the culture etc. Just the other crap as I have said that I'm tired of.

A good friend once explained to me his thought which seemed perfectly said. He said that Thailand is still the number 1 place to come for a vacation if you have some doe in your pocket and you can have a blast BUT when you live here and know the inside ways and the politics etc it becomes dimmer and dimmer all the time.

As far as looking into the pro's and cons etc I still have not decided on Viet or Laos but iether way I do have google so I will let you all know. I do know that to rent 3 shop-houses side by side in Suvanakhet cost 2000 THB per month for all 3 and that is also a new up-comming place to do business with the Mukhdahan Market across the boarder and with the new Hi-way.

Im not below ground yet as I am still only 48 but just want to have a nice place to live with an investment that would be more stable then Thailand and am aware that ANY investment outside of my home country is a risk but I guess I have always been an adrenalin junkie. hahahha

Anyways folks I am not a grammar teacher so excuse my Grammar or spelling. Just a dumb Bluegrass playing Hillbilly here.

PS, I ain't gone yet. Still have a cold case of Archa beer in the fridge.

[rabo]

Sorry that was to read Countries not counties. haha

Feel much the same, don't know if it's because I grew up playing the banjo (pretty rusty now).

I will add two more.

Harsh money, banking, and investment rules and laws always stacked against foreigners, and often against Thai's as well. Aging, with family, one often needs to take care of ones savings and assets as best as possible. Very hard to do in Thailand. (land and housing is of course part of that).

Noise.

[Benjie]

$20 per month for a shophouse?

They made out of mud?

[givenall]

correct me if i'm wrong but 'nam is communist right (they won that war) ?

thailand may be a lot of things but it ain't that .

They are pretty similar. Not much difference in the government and its policies. They are both run by the rich for the rich. But I hear they have beautiful girls, so maybe I go too

[tmnakajima]

Hi, let me introduce myself first..i can speak thai and conversational vietnamese, and i work in ho chi minh city, vietnam. I have also been going to thailand very often, once a month. I have also had a few thai girlfriends as well as a few vietnamese girlfriends...based on my experience, you impression of vietnam is somewhat different from mine..I am not sure if you have lived in vietnam, but i will give you my comments in regards to vietnam, in comparison with thailand:

1. thai girls are prettier than vietnamese girls..or at least they know how to look good by wearing makeups, sexy dresses...vietnamese girls look as if they just came from the countryside.

2. things are not cheap here. i work with thai people from bangkok in vietnam, and even they say that it is not cheap here. of course it is cheap if you can live like locals but i don't think you can eat like locals everyday and stay at local apartments. i spend approx. 5-10 usd a meal and more than 1000 usd for my rent, while i could spend less in bangkok for similar lifestyle.

3. people are not nice here. they try to con you once they know that you are not from here. they do not con me any more cuz they know that i live and work here, but they will con any foreigners. i am not sure why you think people here are nicer than thailand. maybe because i can speak thai well but i have not got conned in thailand.

4. internet here is slow...slower than thailand...

5. you can still find thai girls that are not "commercialized" or "westernized"...but again you have to speak thai to get to know these girls...i get to know girls who are really nice..but then again i speak thai. i can find these girls in vietnam as well but i do not find them interesting..maybe because they are too ..."innocent"..or they do not know anything outside of vietnam, unless you meet one of a few girls from rich families who have been or have lived overseas. anyway it is up to you to choose what kind of girls u want to date or what...i prefer to date thai girls..

6. ok, some parts of vietnam can be beautiful but then so is thailand. beach resorts in thailand are 10 times nicer than those in vietnam..

7. as for visa, it is relatively easy to get one but u have to get it renewed every few years...a lot of paperwork too..remember, it is a communist country.

8. people here are rude and not civilized..they do not know how to queque..they burp in front of the others at restaurants, they talk loud, they make noise when they eat, they do not wait for you to get out but push you back in when you are trying to get out of elevators....i do not experience these in bangkok.....

9..ok it is politically stable..but it is a communist country...there is a lot of censorship..i cannot even access facebook here...i don't remember having this problem in bkk.

10. overall i am not too happy here...but i do feel comfortable when i go to bkk...

after reading all these, be my guest if you still want to move to vietnam. i am in the process of transferring to bangkok office of my firm and am looking forward to transferring in 2011. good luck.....

[craigt3365]

I agree with your comments. Especially for the north of Vietnam. People are more "Chinese" there...which is NOT a good thing. Spitting, smoking everywhere, rude, ripping you off, etc. I found the people in the south more like Thai's. Laid back and more friendly.

Thailand is for sure not as nice as it use to be, but still better than Vietnam....and way better than any other neighboring country...at least IMHO.

[cognos]

older Vietnamese had it pretty rough for a long time.. and perhaps the issues have filtered down through the generations to follow. i have no idea though, and would certainly be interested in living there had i not already made my bed in Thailand and slept in it ( ie: married a Thai)

.. I can see why it could hold allure for the adventurous..

[thrilled]

I believe ya have to roll with the punches,"so to speak" whereever you live.I think there's plus and minus for every country there is.Thailand could be better,but then it could be worse.I think the best thing to do is live everywhere,don't buy land or houses,just rent and live all over the world.

[challenger99]

3. Double pricing.

Have you ever taken a taxi in Hanoi? They are happy to negotiate a "special" rate for foreigners.

I have taken many taxi in Ha Noi ....... if you was taken so you toke the wrong one and it could be happen everywhere on our world. The white Ha Noi Taxi drive with meter and after my experiences very careful fm Airport to Hotel. No rodeo on the street, I feel me much more safe as in BKK

P.S. Vietnamese have seldom tendendcy cheat the Farangs