Is Chiang Mai Generally Safe For Foreigners?

[Yelly]

We are planning to arrive in April. I have noticed a lot of news stories (via the Thai Visa emails) that seem rather violent and random (the man boarding the Bangkok bus, today, for one) and I wonder if two peaceful, non-confrontational mid-twenties-aged Americans will be safe to live in Chiang Mai. We're experienced with very large Western cities (NYC), but safety in a large Thai city as a resident (not a tourist) seems to be a different matter.

Am I silly to even think this? I figured it would be fair to simply ask Thank you!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I feel a lot safer in Chiang Mai than I did in NYC.

Safety depends mostly on what you do yourself. Some people hang out in bars until 3am and then get on their rented motorcycle without wearing a helmet. Then bump into a noodle cart while drunk as a skunk, then become aggressive towards the noodle vendor, and then finally act all outraged on this forum because the response they received was not a smile and a wai. I wish I was kidding.

My opinion is that when it comes to safety, the biggest risk factors are general safety standards (or lack thereof) when it comes to safety in traffic and public transport (would a tuk tuk be allowed to provide a public transport function in New York; just look at it.. ) fire safety, electrical and so on.

Edited January 20, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Ulysses G.]

Compared to New York, Chiang Mai is Shangri-la and it is pretty safe even if you do not compare.

[Yelly]

That's what I figured, but my husband started to get pretty concerned getting these daily e-mails with "death and destruction and turmoil" as the main news-makers.

We're not likely to be out at 3 a.m. or even getting on a motorbike!

[gotlost]

Compared to New York, Chiang Mai is Shangri-la and it is pretty safe even if you do not compare.

Thank Buddha that Chiang Mai is not NYC.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

That's what I figured, but my husband started to get pretty concerned getting these daily e-mails with "death and destruction and turmoil" as the main news-makers.

Interestingly, the news stories we get from the USA here are also about death, destruction and turmoil. Some dude shooting people at random in Arizona, <deleted>. If I went by news reports then i'd never visit any country, because 'news about faraway places' almost by definition is about death and destruction. Otherwise it wouldn't be news, I guess.

[venturalaw]

That's what I figured, but my husband started to get pretty concerned getting these daily e-mails with "death and destruction and turmoil" as the main news-makers.

We're not likely to be out at 3 a.m. or even getting on a motorbike!

Driving (even in a car) is a challenge in Thailand (more so in Bangkok). I refer to it as 'offensive driving'. It takes a little getting use to but if you are capable of successfully navigating a vehicle in New York City, you can make it in Thailand - just figure that it's pretty much the same except on the other side of the street, and without enforcement of any of the traffic laws.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

The month of April has some very hot weather and often very poor air quality that could be dangerous to some people's health. Take precautions like staying hydrated etc.

[Yelly]

The month of April has some very hot weather and often very poor air quality that could be dangerous to some people's health. Take precautions like staying hydrated etc.

We experienced March last year in Chiang Mai and we're....trying to prepare for that heat. Currently, we live in a cold mountain climate. Adjust! Adjust!

[jayjay0]

Just be extra careful when crossing the road. Do NOT run across, but pace your walk with the oncoming traffic and they will adjust their speed and trajectory accordingly. Never trust a cross walk or a red light either. And when the light turns green, wait and look before you take off.

When crossing a one way street look both ways.

I feel safer than I did in my home town of Kelowna BC. I am a five year resident here.

[pjclark1]

more likely to trip over lumps sticking out of the pavement than being attacked IMHO.

Once I learned to pick my feet up, ChaingMai became about the safest place in the world for me.

Oh and not walk down soys thinking 'pedestrians only'

Oh and not hire a m/c to drive to Doi Suthep the first morning you arrive, having never driven a m/c before

(Yes, one American 20 something lady from NY did just this, I met her by helping scrape her from the tarmac of the first tight bend, she didn't make. At she was wearing shorts, strappy top and flipflops, not all her skin was recovered from the road)

Edited January 20, 2011 by pjclark1

[Beetlejuice]

Besides having to put up with the stress of being constantly molested by beautiful young girls who only want to use my body for sex, Chiang Mai is the safest place I know.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Besides having to put up with the stress of being constantly molested by beautiful young girls who only want to use my body for sex, Chiang Mai is the safest place I know.

they also want to use you as an ATM

[PlanetX]

Overall I feel much safer in Chiang Mai then I did living in America

As others have mentioned - road safety is a concern - be very careful, EXPECT the unexpected

[gotlost]

Chiang Mai is one of the safest places in the world. The only thing you need to watch on safety is some of the posters on this forum.

[ianf]

Chiang Mai is one of the safest places in the world. The only thing you need to watch on safety is some of the posters on this forum.

Agreed. Lovely place to live. Off course it has its share of problems, but not more so than anywhere else.

[bangkokcitylimits]

Chiang Mai is one of the safest places in the world. The only thing you need to watch on safety is some of the posters on this forum.

Ever been in Chiang Mai ? I really wonder...

Chiang Mai has an average of 7 traffic accidents an hour with everyday people killed (source: traffic police) . I had 3 accidents myself all due to stupid driving of locals, 2 times were a lucky escape. At night motorcycle gangs are ripping handbags of ladies shoulders. Leaving this heavily polluted and dangerous shtihole was the best move ever, also finally released of 24 hours irritated eyes and a sore throat.

Ask locals in Chiangrai what they think of Chiang Mai...

The good thing, Thai cities have no ghetto's where you feel unsafe. The only time some idiot tried (failed) to mug me was in my own city, Amsterdam.

:jap:

Edited January 20, 2011 by bangkokcitylimits

[Beetlejuice]

Besides having to put up with the stress of being constantly molested by beautiful young girls who only want to use my body for sex, Chiang Mai is the safest place I know.

they also want to use you as an ATM

Well, whoever said that the best things in life are free, were wrong.

[Beetlejuice]

Chiang Mai is one of the safest places in the world. The only thing you need to watch on safety is some of the posters on this forum.

Ever been in Chiang Mai ? I really wonder...

Chiang Mai has an average of 7 traffic accidents an hour with everyday people killed (source: traffic police) . I had 3 accidents myself all due to stupid driving of locals, 2 times were a lucky escape. At night motorcycle gangs are ripping handbags of ladies shoulders. Leaving this heavily polluted and dangerous shtihole was the best move ever, also finally released of 24 hours irritated eyes and a sore throat.

Ask locals in Chiangrai what they think of Chiang Mai...

The good thing, Thai cities have no ghetto's where you feel unsafe. The only time some idiot tried (failed) to mug me was in my own city, Amsterdam.

:jap:

Oh dear, you must have lived in the wrong side of town.

[thaitar]

I'm same age as you are. Been here for over a month. Feel very safe. I think as long as you are not a rowdy drunk kind of tourist, then you'll be ok. Often times tourists asking it for themselves. E.g. talking to other people's girlfriends after being told politely not to. And by talking I mean sexually harassing and not just a friendly chit chat. Overall I had zero confrontations and people a generally very nice, although most are probably faking it hehe.

[Diablo Bob]

Chiang Mai is one of the safest places in the world. The only thing you need to watch on safety is some of the posters on this forum.

Ever been in Chiang Mai ? I really wonder...

Chiang Mai has an average of 7 traffic accidents an hour with everyday people killed (source: traffic police) . I had 3 accidents myself all due to stupid driving of locals, 2 times were a lucky escape. At night motorcycle gangs are ripping handbags of ladies shoulders. Leaving this heavily polluted and dangerous shtihole was the best move ever, also finally released of 24 hours irritated eyes and a sore throat.

Ask locals in Chiangrai what they think of Chiang Mai...

The good thing, Thai cities have no ghetto's where you feel unsafe. The only time some idiot tried (failed) to mug me was in my own city, Amsterdam.

:jap:

Oh dear, you must have lived in the wrong side of town.

Wrong side of town? Methinks maybe a different country.....

Motorcycle gangs, well when the Harley groups show up every year, that's the only "Gang" i have seen. I have a hard time visualizing a "Gang" screaming around town on their Honda Click's.

[PlanetX]

Chiang Mai is one of the safest places in the world. The only thing you need to watch on safety is some of the posters on this forum.

Ever been in Chiang Mai ? I really wonder...

Chiang Mai has an average of 7 traffic accidents an hour with everyday people killed (source: traffic police) . I had 3 accidents myself all due to stupid driving of locals, 2 times were a lucky escape. At night motorcycle gangs are ripping handbags of ladies shoulders. Leaving this heavily polluted and dangerous shtihole was the best move ever, also finally released of 24 hours irritated eyes and a sore throat.

Ask locals in Chiangrai what they think of Chiang Mai...

The good thing, Thai cities have no ghetto's where you feel unsafe. The only time some idiot tried (failed) to mug me was in my own city, Amsterdam.

:jap:

I think that was me when my TGF tried to take my credit card to the gold shop

[jsflynn603]

I think that the "motorcycle gang ripping off handbags" story came about when a ladyboy couldn't supress her jealousy at seeing a coveted farang's (white person-foreigner) Louis Vuitton Speedy Cube Bag. The story that I heard told that the thief returned and dropped the contents with a shy smile and a sweet wai.

I've been here six weeks and I've been scammed once, at Top's supermarket by the motorbike parking attendant who demanded 35baht (about $1.15US), (there is no such fee--talk about petty theft--it's sort of funny) other than that I feel comfortable walking anywhere--even down dark streets at night.

I've gone through six tanks of petrol in my motorbike and have yet to see a "motorcycle gang." The worst that I have endured was a scowl from a shopkeeper after I looked at a piece of "silk" (it was most likely rayon) and the price went from 10,000 baht, to 4,000 as I said thank you and was leaving.

I have found CM to be one of the nicest, friendliest places on earth, even the neighborhood dogs are polite!

Here's a few examples:

One day, I had left my motorbike parked on the sidewalk at the Tom Yamlai market alongside the Ping river. I intentionally left my helmet (I've come to the conclusion that helmets are rarely stolen) but I accidentally left the keys in the ignition--yikes! Two hours later, the bike was just where I left it. A thousand people must have walked by it and saw that the keys were in it.

Another Saturday I parked my motorbike on the street that the Sunday Market occcurs at around 2pm (with my helmet). What I did not know was that was the street that turned into the Sunday Night Market. I returned later, around 9pm to find the street closed to traffic, full of thousands of people and my bike was not where I left it. I had assumed it had been towed by the police so I started walking to get a ride home and there, in the middle of the throngs of people was my bike, parked in the middle of the road. Amazing...a police officer came over and gave me an escort out of the Night Bazaar. In America the shop owner whose space I had offended would have at a minimum had it towed, probably after trashing it.

Vibe's post is right on! Crossing streets as a pedestrian is about the most dangerous thing to do here. Trying to run makes it worse! The concept is hard to believe but it's true. Crossing busy streets can be deadly and though it may seem odd, moving slowly gives the "cowboy" that just came zooming around the corner on his motorbike room to maneuver around you. The same concept goes for entering traffic on a motorbike--never see an open spot and zoom into it--because there might be a cowboy on a bike going 70mph...

Many condemn CM's drivers but I have found that although the rules of the road are at best "odd" (orange light means go very fast; red light means go faster for 30 seconds, pedestrian red lights are there for decoration only and road direction is really only "suggested" (opposite direction on occasion is ok) and sometimes sidewalks are quite ok to drive on) that CM's drivers are efficient, highly skilled, and where in America actions that would routinely be met with extreme road rage here are simply allowed. The real risk I believe are drunk drivers and foreigners who open their driver side doors without looking, thus impaling a motobike driver. Motorbikes are cheap to rent and absolutely wonderful for getting around on--I would not think of driving a car here though.

I'm a country boy from New Hampshire, USA and I'd rather die than go to New York, or Boston, or LA, but I'm quite happy and feel quite safe here in CM.

[uptheos]

Overall I feel much safer in Chiang Mai then I did living in America

As others have mentioned - road safety is a concern - be very careful, EXPECT the unexpected

That's hardly a comparison - comparing a town in SEA to the entire USA.

[bangkokcitylimits]

Wrong side of town? Methinks maybe a different country.....

Motorcycle gangs, well when the Harley groups show up every year, that's the only "Gang" i have seen. I have a hard time visualizing a "Gang" screaming around town on their Honda Click's.

Motogangs no Harleys but young locals on small bikes, after mignight especially west side of town were students are walking after going out etc. Thais call them 'gansters'.

[PlanetX]

Overall I feel much safer in Chiang Mai then I did living in America

As others have mentioned - road safety is a concern - be very careful, EXPECT the unexpected

That's hardly a comparison - comparing a town in SEA to the entire USA.

Overall

Edited January 20, 2011 by PlanetX

[ThaiPauly]

Never had any trouble here in 6 years

If I go back to the sleepy market town I lived in in the UK I can pretty sure that I would be in the vicinity of trouble breaking out on a Saturday night if I was in a few pubs

I never get that feeling here, the worst that's happened to me is being accosted by Lady Boys and having to make a dash for it at 3am in the morning, but never felt in danger, they are pretty harmless if you are not offensive to them

Chiang Mai is safer than houses and I mean that literally

[jdinasia]

My answer, based only on MY experience in Thailand and Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai (and Thailand) are not "safe". They are also not very dangerous either. The risks living in Chiang Mai are various but as noted the biggest risk is on the roads. The rest of the risks can mostly be neatly avoided by not being a drunk and most particularly being drunk in public. Avoiding areas that are specifically intended for foreign tourists reduces risks (both physical and of being scammed) considerably. Snatch and grab motorcycle gangs? I have seen a few warnings about safely securing the items you are carrying, but have never met anyone that has had this happen to them. Bikes (the self propelled kind and the small motorcycles) are a great way to get around but DO take a rider safety course at home before getting on one in Thailand. Do learn to look BOTH ways for oncoming traffic even when on a one-way street etc.

I have felt concern for my personal safety in regards to Thai people only twice in 8 years in Thailand and both were in places that are inherently more risky. (Pattaya and Patong Beach, Phuket), I have not felt that level of risk at all in Chiang Mai, but then again I tend to avoid Loi Kroh rd. In the last year of living in Chiang Mai I have seen real violence only three times (not counting the redshirts on the news) and all three instances were teenage boys fighting amongst themselves .. and it was Thai on Thai.

So generally speaking I agree with most posters here that Chiang Mai specifically and Thailand in general pretty much are almost idyllic if one avoids some of the minor pitfalls.

[uptheos]

Overall I feel much safer in Chiang Mai then I did living in America

As others have mentioned - road safety is a concern - be very careful, EXPECT the unexpected

That's hardly a comparison - comparing a town in SEA to the entire USA.

Overall

That's the third time you've edited it....any chance of a definitive answer?

[PlanetX]

Overall I feel much safer in Chiang Mai then I did living in America

As others have mentioned - road safety is a concern - be very careful, EXPECT the unexpected

That's hardly a comparison - comparing a town in SEA to the entire USA.

Overall

That's the third time you've edited it....any chance of a definitive answer?

I am not doing this with you in every thread

I answered the OP based on my personal experiences