Thai tourist rule offends visitors from Vietnam

[stickylies]

thailand:

1/ money number one

2/ non-thai cannot be trusted

3/ thai way or the highway

if u accept the above rules life is ok here. also, i don't think the thai feel superior, quite the opposite, most i know have an inferiority complex, hence the non-stop smiling when issues like corruption, english language skills, road safety, human rights, etc are being mentioned. nevertheless IMO the thai know what they are "worth" in ASEAN. time will tell if they will burn their wings...

[rlopes]

Asking for a photo is offensive but they do should restrict Vietnamese entry.

They infested Lao and are now coming to Thailand...

[selftaopath]

i was talking to some old friends from the Uk recently,they have been to Thailand a few times,but would not come back again, because,it was dirty,overpriced,to much lies and scams and they can have a better value holiday closer to home in Greece or Spain,when i mentioned the girls they laughed,most of the bars had gone downhill,many girls were now fat,or unattractive,and wanted exhorbitant amounts,and that the gf experience was finished.now it was mostly short time only, as a tourist destination it may be popular with Russians and chinese still,but they generally spend less money than a visitor from the us,Europe,australia,as they buy food at 7/11 and beer there[well with the russians anyway],so whatever Tat does they will be unable to halt this decline,Thailand has through greed killed the goose that laid the golden egg

The keyword GREED sums it all up.

Indeed, I can think of so many nice places in Thailand with so much natural beauty that became popular, and so Thai people went there to open shops, open theme parks, build condos, then because tourists were there the scammers moved in and within 2 or 3 years the place was ruined.

Is this surprising in a country that has NO apparent Rule of Law? I think not.

[Docno]

Good, Vietnam is one of the most racist countries in the world, now their people are being affected they don't like it.

When they are in their own country they see no problem in charging 5 times the Vietnam price to tourists.

Hypocrisy at its highest !

I don't see how that's 'racist'. Not as if they're only targeting non-Asians for this treatment. And there is some logic for it (in principle - perhaps not for the magnitude of the difference). The idea is that tourists must have more money than the average Vietnamese to get there in the first place so it's fair to charge them more while still giving access to locals. The other way to see it: the government is subsidising entry for locals but has no reason to do so for non-residents. Doesn't bother me at all.

[rlopes]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

[Larry001]

LOS. Moreso LOJ....Land of Jokes. The longer one stays here and the more you see the more you have to laugh

[aimbc]

I think it is very silly of them. I guess they want to make sure they have enough money to bribe the officials.

[DrTuner]

When ASEAN kicks in, they'll likely introduce obligatory rectal examinations for inbound foreigners in order to deter them from stealing Thai jobs.

[DrTuner]

It's a great idea. Big kudos to Thailand for having the balls to do this to stop immigrants seeking to work illegally. They should make all Europeans show a minimum of 100,000 baht on entry. That would keep out the vile sex tourist riffraff that are tarnishing this country's reputation.

100k is small change to a dedicated monger. They're the best Thailand can hope for, blowing away one years savings in a couple of weeks. Quality tourists defined.

[hanno]

Of course the Thais are entitled to their own rules, but the methods of enforcement really aren't the ticket at times. Why would the authorities want to unnecessarily piss off other ASEAN citizens like this?

Agreed. Plenty of countries ask for proof of funds from certain nationalities (Australia, Schengen countries, etc.) but the way this is done is absolutely ridiculous.

Are you sure? I'm Australian, and I've had three visas over the years, and never been asked about funds.

A different matter of course with a Retirement Extension, but never for the Non-O, Non-B visas.

I can't imagine Viets coming here to work at the rather poor rates per hour.

When I go to Australia, I do not have to show proof of funds, but my Vietnamese ex-wife had to show proof every time.

[lekatai]

Good, Vietnam is one of the most racist countries in the world, now their people are being affected they don't like it.

When they are in their own country they see no problem in charging 5 times the Vietnam price to tourists.

Hypocrisy at its highest !

Absolute nonsense-The former practice of charging one price for Vietnamese and one price for foreigners-such as for train tickets,has been discontinued a long time ago.What about the Thai charges for entering national parks-one price for Thai,and another for foreigners,actually written on the entrance sign,and also tourist attractions-similar dual pricing.No such policy exists in Vietnam.And to claim that Vietnam is more racist than Thailand is laughable.I lived in Thailand for 4 years,and now in Vietnam for the last 4 years,and I have never,and I emphasise never,experienced such behaviour from the Vietnamese,whereas it is an everyday occurrence in Thailand

[lekatai]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

Well,in this case it's you that clearly knows nothing about the matter.I've lived in Vietnam for 4 years,run a business here,and travelled extensively in Vietnam.It's a myth,propagated for some reason,by people who have never been to Vietnam that this is the behaviour here.It isn't.Of course,just as in all countries in the world,and not only Asia,there are some,touts,taxi drivers,moto drivers etc,who will try to rip off non-locals.But it isn't widespread common practice in Vietnam.Certainly no more than in Cambodia or Thailand.It's especially easy to be confused in Vietnam over the currency,as there are such large numbers involved,and some of the different banknotes of greatly differing values,actually look quite similar.There are cases where people have been taken advantage of,but I am also personally aware of many times when the mistake has been pointed out,and the wrong (higher value) note has been returned by the vendor.

[maxme]

They are making it more difficult for themselves by doing this.

With infighting, the problems

in the south and all the other lesser problems on top of that, Thailand needs to be stabilized at some degree. They should be focusing on getting financial partners and allies to boost the economy. Instead it's sinking deeper into the pit because some people refuse to see the big picture.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[hanno]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

Same BS like the frequent "All Thais.....".

And yes, I knwo a little about it, having lived in Vietnam for 15 years. How long have you been there?

[wileycoyote]

Desperately in need of reform

[HooHaa]

i was talking to some old friends from the Uk recently,they have been to Thailand a few times,but would not come back again, because,it was dirty,overpriced,to much lies and scams and they can have a better value holiday closer to home in Greece or Spain,when i mentioned the girls they laughed,most of the bars had gone downhill,many girls were now fat,or unattractive,and wanted exhorbitant amounts,and that the gf experience was finished.now it was mostly short time only, as a tourist destination it may be popular with Russians and chinese still,but they generally spend less money than a visitor from the us,Europe,australia,as they buy food at 7/11 and beer there[well with the russians anyway],so whatever Tat does they will be unable to halt this decline,Thailand has through greed killed the goose that laid the golden egg

so the writing is on the wall your sex tourist buddies are moving on to a better GFE.

[rlopes]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

Well,in this case it's you that clearly knows nothing about the matter.I've lived in Vietnam for 4 years,run a business here,and travelled extensively in Vietnam.It's a myth,propagated for some reason,by people who have never been to Vietnam that this is the behaviour here.It isn't.Of course,just as in all countries in the world,and not only Asia,there are some,touts,taxi drivers,moto drivers etc,who will try to rip off non-locals.But it isn't widespread common practice in Vietnam.Certainly no more than in Cambodia or Thailand.It's especially easy to be confused in Vietnam over the currency,as there are such large numbers involved,and some of the different banknotes of greatly differing values,actually look quite similar.There are cases where people have been taken advantage of,but I am also personally aware of many times when the mistake has been pointed out,and the wrong (higher value) note has been returned by the vendor.

I was there for 3 months visiting every stretch of land that I could and there was not a single day they wouldn't try to rip me of.

[rlopes]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

Same BS like the frequent "All Thais.....".

And yes, I knwo a little about it, having lived in Vietnam for 15 years. How long have you been there?

You might leave in a place as much as you want and keep being stupid towards what's happening around.

[hanno]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

Same BS like the frequent "All Thais.....".

And yes, I knwo a little about it, having lived in Vietnam for 15 years. How long have you been there?

You might leave in a place as much as you want and keep being stupid towards what's happening around.

Not sure why you get personal. Seeing how I was married to a Vietnamese and get by pretty well in Vietnamese and I still call it BS. Of course, some people stick out as easy marks......

[rlopes]

Docno, you don't know anything about the matter so please keep it to yourself.

The Vietnamese will overcharge ANYONE that falls prey to them, poor or rich.

Their society simply don't value honesty as a virtue.

Same BS like the frequent "All Thais.....".

And yes, I knwo a little about it, having lived in Vietnam for 15 years. How long have you been there?

You might leave in a place as much as you want and keep being stupid towards what's happening around.

Not sure why you get personal. Seeing how I was married to a Vietnamese and get by pretty well in Vietnamese and I still call it BS. Of course, some people stick out as easy marks......

I think you disagree with me just out of principle, not in reality.

I know it sounds nonsense to label a nation in a way or another, but the reality is what it is.

And even though I did meet GREAT people in Vietnam, the reality is that nowhere else I had so many people lying to me and my family, never showing any shame when being caught.

[tomyummer]

Travelling Thai politicians should be required to show their IQ scores upon arrival. See who gets into other countries.

Edited May 12, 2014 by tomyummer

[Tomtomtom69]

Of course the Thais are entitled to their own rules, but the methods of enforcement really aren't the ticket at times. Why would the authorities want to unnecessarily piss off other ASEAN citizens like this?

Because there is an increasing number of Viets starting to enter Thailand and work illegally.

I know one shop where 6 out of 7 employees are Viets and all working illegally, Thai owned

Photo is going over the top, however nothing wrong at all with showing the money.

20 000 baht is really NOT a huge amount of money, taxi to Pattaya alone can cost up to 1500 baht each way

Where is this shop? I have heard of illegal Viet workers, but never seen any - indeed, I have never come across any Vietnamese tourists outside of Lao border areas (like Nong Khai), Bangkok, Pattaya or Hua Hin either. I can distinguish between accents, languages and appearence very well (I've lived in Vietnam too so know what it sounds like) and it's almost always Burmese, Cambodian and very occasionally Lao. Vietnamese don't receive any special privileges as far as work permits and visas go, unlike these other 3 nationalities. Yesterday I thought I was hearing Vietnamese spoken at a resort in Koh Chang, but the workers were actually Khmer. Khmer actually sounds like a mixture between Thai and Vietnamese though apart from a few common Sanskrit/Pali words, it is not intelligible with Thai (I am fluent in Thai BTW).

[Tomtomtom69]

pictures with cash, maybe they circulate the photos to the scammers so they can find victims faster

Maybe the main problem here was the picture, not so much showing the cash.