World's Best City Award presented to Bangkok governor in New York

[Bagwan]

Bangkok is a very special place as far as I'm concerned. There is just something about it that can't be put into words. It's just special. Now if they could sort out the pollution, I could stay there for longer.

You could say the same thing about Heckmondwike - or Scunthorpe. And some do.

[chiang mai]

Bangkok is a very special place as far as I'm concerned. There is just something about it that can't be put into words. It's just special. Now if they could sort out the pollution, I could stay there for longer.

You could say the same thing about Heckmondwike - or Scunthorpe. And some do.

You wouldn't say that if you knew, I used to work in Heckmondwyke as a lad, it were grim!

[Alwyn]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

"now" you have to put up with Thais thinking this? It's the 4th consecutive year - has it impacted your life in any way shape or form for the past three years? If you haven't got anything nice to say (especially about your hosts) then saying nothing is favourite

I'll continue to say/type precisely what I want when I want and to whom and where I want. Thanks

this is a good place for you to do that. If you were to do it in public you'd probably get a well deserved pasting

[Alwyn]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

a bit like any other city in the World then...

No, not really. Bangkok is notorious for its horrific traffic problems and with the exception of Jakarta, Manila and Sao Paulo far worse than the majority of cities I have been too.

Dhaka, Mumbai, Delhi, London during rush hour, Paris during rush hour (most major cities during rush hour are no better than BKK), Moscow are all worse than BKK, come to that, Singapore when it rains is pretty harsh on traffic. Prague is as bad too come to that

[Alwyn]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

a bit like any other city in the World then...

No, not really. Bangkok is notorious for its horrific traffic problems and with the exception of Jakarta, Manila and Sao Paulo far worse than the majority of cities I have been too.

Dhaka, Mumbai, Delhi, London during rush hour, Paris during rush hour (most major cities during rush hour are no better than BKK), Moscow are all worse than BKK, come to that, Singapore when it rains is pretty harsh on traffic. Prague is as bad too come to that

[Tomtomtom69]

The stench of sewerage wafting through the air.

The baking heat for most of the year, torrential downpours that flood the streets due to poor drainage systems for the rest.

Poor infrastructure and taxi drivers that don't know where to go, illegally refuse to use meters while having removed the seatbelts from their taxis for good measure. Challenge them and get a samarui sword to the head.

A populace with such repressed anger and emotional retardation that any sort of perceived criticism or slight is likely to end up in severe violence with weapons.

What's the worst city in the World?

There are worse cities in the world.

Talking about Asia, Jakarta and Manila come into mind. Any other city worse than Bangkok?

HCMC, Ha Noi, Phnom Penh, Vientiane,.....

Come on, those cities are all beautiful, graceful and charming. What's not to like?

Vientiane is a city bursting with enthusiasm. Nowhere else in Asia can you find cars registered in so many different countries driving the streets all in one city - not one day goes by when you don't see (in addition to local Lao registered vehicles) Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese vehicles, sometimes you even see Cambodian, Malaysian, Singaporean or perhaps Australian registered cars. Getting around is a breeze due to it's compact size and the city is changing fast. It has relatively little traffic, great restaurants, bars and friendly people. Disadvantages? OK - no large Thailand style shopping malls. Fair enough - but you can always head down to Central Plaza Udon Thani or Index Living Mall etc. if you need to do some shopping for somethings you can't find locally, just like many Vientiane residents do every day, and particularly on weekends.

Phnom Penh? Nice city with a burgeoning arts scene, decent nightlife although far fewer choices than Bangkok and relatively easy to get around though traffic can get ridiculous during rush hour. Main disadvantages? Lack of decent places to eat away from the riverfront area and lack of shopping malls and unlike in the case of Vientiane, you'd need to hop on a bus to Ho Chi Minh to find decent shopping malls but that takes at least 6 hours and a Vietnamese visa (if you need one).

Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi? There you have two large crowded cities that are becoming more and more like Bangkok over the years. Ho Chi Minh in particular has added numerous new shopping malls over the last couple of years that are giving Bangkok a run for its money, though Bangkok still holds the edge. Restaurants? Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh have numerous choices. Nightlife? Bangkok is a clear winner in this respect, but as long as girlie bars are not what you're looking for (you won't find them in Vietnam), then you'll find decent bars and clubs, though they may not be as big or happening as their Bangkok counterparts, but they're OK.

[NeverSure]

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

a bit like any other city in the World then...

No, not really. Bangkok is notorious for its horrific traffic problems and with the exception of Jakarta, Manila and Sao Paulo far worse than the majority of cities I have been too.

But the people that rated it #1 never saw any traffic. They spent all of their time in Nana Plaza.

[ginjag]

Bangkok is a very special place as far as I'm concerned. There is just something about it that can't be put into words. It's just special. Now if they could sort out the pollution, I could stay there for longer.

You could say the same thing about Heckmondwike - or Scunthorpe. And some do.

Hey - thez nowt the matter with Sunny Scunny.

[ginjag]

Bangkok is a very special place as far as I'm concerned. There is just something about it that can't be put into words. It's just special. Now if they could sort out the pollution, I could stay there for longer.

You could say the same thing about Heckmondwike - or Scunthorpe. And some do.

You wouldn't say that if you knew, I used to work in Heckmondwyke as a lad, it were grim!

us kids used to go for a picnic in Heckmondwike.

[rookball]

who doesnt love bangkok? but best city? sorry folks, light years away

[hanno]

The stench of sewerage wafting through the air.

The baking heat for most of the year, torrential downpours that flood the streets due to poor drainage systems for the rest.

Poor infrastructure and taxi drivers that don't know where to go, illegally refuse to use meters while having removed the seatbelts from their taxis for good measure. Challenge them and get a samarui sword to the head.

A populace with such repressed anger and emotional retardation that any sort of perceived criticism or slight is likely to end up in severe violence with weapons.

What's the worst city in the World?

There are worse cities in the world.

Talking about Asia, Jakarta and Manila come into mind. Any other city worse than Bangkok?

HCMC, Ha Noi, Phnom Penh, Vientiane,.....

Come on, those cities are all beautiful, graceful and charming. What's not to like?

Vientiane is a city bursting with enthusiasm. Nowhere else in Asia can you find cars registered in so many different countries driving the streets all in one city - not one day goes by when you don't see (in addition to local Lao registered vehicles) Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese vehicles, sometimes you even see Cambodian, Malaysian, Singaporean or perhaps Australian registered cars. Getting around is a breeze due to it's compact size and the city is changing fast. It has relatively little traffic, great restaurants, bars and friendly people. Disadvantages? OK - no large Thailand style shopping malls. Fair enough - but you can always head down to Central Plaza Udon Thani or Index Living Mall etc. if you need to do some shopping for somethings you can't find locally, just like many Vientiane residents do every day, and particularly on weekends.

Phnom Penh? Nice city with a burgeoning arts scene, decent nightlife although far fewer choices than Bangkok and relatively easy to get around though traffic can get ridiculous during rush hour. Main disadvantages? Lack of decent places to eat away from the riverfront area and lack of shopping malls and unlike in the case of Vientiane, you'd need to hop on a bus to Ho Chi Minh to find decent shopping malls but that takes at least 6 hours and a Vietnamese visa (if you need one).

Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi? There you have two large crowded cities that are becoming more and more like Bangkok over the years. Ho Chi Minh in particular has added numerous new shopping malls over the last couple of years that are giving Bangkok a run for its money, though Bangkok still holds the edge. Restaurants? Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh have numerous choices. Nightlife? Bangkok is a clear winner in this respect, but as long as girlie bars are not what you're looking for (you won't find them in Vietnam), then you'll find decent bars and clubs, though they may not be as big or happening as their Bangkok counterparts, but they're OK.

Vientiane is dull like heck, I'd rather go to LP. Phnom Penh traffic is becoming awful and you cannot park anywhere. I disagree that there are no good restaurants away from the river front. SHoppin g in both HCMC and Ha Noi are light years behind BKK and the Vietnamese are hard to take (and I lived there fort 15 years).

[SinCityGr8One]

I am happy that Bangkok won the "World's Best City Award" again for the Fourth time in a row . I am not ashamed to say so. I personally, get this certain kind of energy in me from Bangkok which is hard to explain to anyone. I've had to move from Bangkok last year to the North West for business reasons, so I am not there at the present time. I do visit there occasionally to recharge my "batteries". However, I intend to move back to Bangkok within the next 18 Months as I personally choose to live there and once again enjoy all Bangkok has to offer. IMHO.

[soomak]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

Polluted, almost no parks, dangerous to walk or ride a bicycle (traffic wise), too hot, too humid, not much to do besides shopping and eating (and going to bars if you like that), nearest descent beach is 100 KM drive.

There are probably 50 better cities in the world, but they are twice or three times more expensive to live or visit.

[Tomtomtom69]

Vientiane is dull like heck, I'd rather go to LP. Phnom Penh traffic is becoming awful and you cannot park anywhere. I disagree that there are no good restaurants away from the river front. SHoppin g in both HCMC and Ha Noi are light years behind BKK and the Vietnamese are hard to take (and I lived there fort 15 years).

Although I like all of these cities, I am no longer so impressed by Phnom Penh, I much prefer Vientiane (but it helps that I find the Lao people very lovely and I can speak and read/write Lao), whereas in Phnom Penh there are too many touts and people who bother you wherever you go - no matter that you just stepped out of your car but as soon as you've locked your doors some tout on a tuk-tuk will start gesticulating that he wants to take you on a high speed ride, then 2 more guys will be like "tuk-tuk?" "where you go mann?" etc. even though you just arrived in order to go to the bank or a restaurant, certainly not wanting to leave again immediately. I agree that parking is almost unavailable anywhere and there appears to be not a single western style mall - Cambodia Paragon is the closest thing you'll get to a mall in Phnom Penh and it's tiny (only features one supermarket, a Black Canyon, MK, Swensen's and a couple of smaller shops), with only about 10 parking spaces for cars, compared to 1000+ at even the most mediocre, non-descript Big C in suburban Bangkok or upcountry Thailand.

Maybe you haven't been anywhere outside the central areas of Ho Chi Minh but there's a Japanese and Korean area with new shopping malls and Vincom Center, though still not quite Paragon has a good feel and is finally showing evidence of being a decent shopping mall. Other new shopping malls, mostly in residential areas are even bigger and similar to malls in suburban Bangkok. You definitely won't find decent malls in downtown HCMC though - as mentioned they are all located in the suburbs.

Not sure about Hanoi, they do have one nice mall I think it's also called Vincom and possibly other new ones since the last time I've been there but of all 4 of these cities Ho Chi Minh has by far the best shopping.

[hanno]

Maybe you haven't been anywhere outside the central areas of Ho Chi Minh but there's a Japanese and Korean area with new shopping malls and Vincom Center, though still not quite Paragon has a good feel and is finally showing evidence of being a decent shopping mall.

I probably know HCMC better than most residents .

Anyway, off to BKK in 4 hours.....

[PaullyW]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

"now" you have to put up with Thais thinking this? It's the 4th consecutive year - has it impacted your life in any way shape or form for the past three years? If you haven't got anything nice to say (especially about your hosts) then saying nothing is favourite

I'll continue to say/type precisely what I want when I want and to whom and where I want. Thanks

this is a good place for you to do that. If you were to do it in public you'd probably get a well deserved pasting

Oh, yes, I'll take the bait and play the game.

No, I'm so tough and powerful that I can beat up anybody and can do what I want to whomever I want. And, that's what I meant by my earlier comment. And, my dad is bigger than your dad. And, I have a bigger brother too who can beat up yours or anyone else's.

So, leave me alone.

Thanks,

Adults with childlike comments