Southern Thailand Local Customs

 
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Southern Thailand

1.

Religion & Beliefs   Ko Samui

Religion & Beliefs, Ko Samui

 10 Reviews  One of the things that I have never understood about travellers is their desire to break the rules, or guidelines of the local people. Out of respect to the people who look after this temple, and also... 

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2.

Bullfighting   Hat Yai

Bullfighting, Hat Yai

 1 Review  Apparantly Hat Yai is one of the main centre for Bullfighting in Thailand. Many local people seem to have no problem with a variety of 'sports' that enable humans to use dumb defenceless animals for... 

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3.

Language   Ko Samui

Language, Ko Samui

 3 Reviews  As with any foreign country it is an advantage to learn some basic communication terms.In thai it is handy to know the following terms. Sa-wa-dee khap for males,Sa-wa-dee ka for females(hello or... 

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4.

Religion   Hat Yai

Religion, Hat Yai

 1 Review  At various shops around the place you will see orange buckets loaded with food and toiletries. These are passed to monks as part of their daily 'alms-collecting'. Monks are supposed to have very few... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

The Importance of the Head.

by derekscott

The head is the most sacred part of the body in Thai culture and the foot is the least sacred.There is a certain etiquette to follow regarding these specific body parts.In western society it is quite common practise to ruffle the hair of someone who has done well in perhaps a sporting activity. Do not do this to a Thai person ( especially adult males ); it may well enrage them. A pat on the shoulder is perfectly acceptable if you are reasonably friendly with the person, otherwise, just say well done and avoid any physical contact.Thai people are generally more comfortable sitting on the floor while eating. If you happen to be invited to a Thai household to eat and are seated on the floor, try not to show the soles of your feet or use your feet to point at anything.It is also good practice not to use your feet to move anything which may be lying on the floor, take the time to bend down...

a little thai goes a long way

by longfella_64

make an effort to learn some thai phrases it will go a long way ! be respectful of the locals and do not insult them ! i see many tourist behave badly and wonder why they get bad service. thais are very friendly people ,but like you, they do not like to be treated rudely. if you barter too hard and they let you walk away ! you have gone too far . if you return to same person it is like a slap in the face for them . do not barter if you have no intention of buying from them as this is insulting . if you are going to buy ! make sure you have money to pay straight away and not "later" as this is also insult. if you have good business connection with a local trader and greet them every time you pass by the store , they will respect you and give you good tips on buying items and also travel.

Ghosts

by Tina-Perth

If you are travelling around Southern Thailand you may notice scarecrows out the front of many of the houses. Thailand doesn't have a problem with crows, rather, with a terrible ghost named "Phi Bawp" .These fearsome ghosts are the result of black magic practitioners who allowed their magic to get out of control, overtaking them and transforming them into blood thirsty ghouls who viscerate their victims, eating their livers while they're still alive. The Phi Bawp are especially fond of children, but anyone born on a Tuesday or Wednesday are at risk.The scarecrows are usually accompanied by a sign, informing any passing Phi Bawp that no one born on a Tuesday or Wednesday lives in that house.

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Buddhism

by ATXtraveler

The most common religion present in Southern Thailand is Buddhism. The most typical place to see Buddhist principles are at a Wat (temple). Some statues can be up to 12 metres tall, such as this photo of Wat Phra Yai, which is located in Koh Samui, a small island off the eastern coast of Southern Thailand.Please enjoy this culture, but respect the requests of Buddhists. Wear appropriate clothing for a religious building, and also please remove your shoes when going into or on top of their shrines.

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Greet with Wai

by rossbaku

In Thailand, they do not shake hands but perform Wai.Clasp your hands together in a prayer-like way, and bow slightly. This is the Thai equivelant of greeting with a handshake and I found it to be a nice little quirk to the whole Thai experience.

The typical Thai Toilet

by Myndo

This was the one thing my travel mate had the biggest problems with - culture shok so to say. As an european he was used the toilets where you can sit down. Wipe with toilet paper and flush when you are finished.Now this. How to use this?First: you stand on the toilet (you can see the places where your feet go).So push down trousers or skirts as far as you can and squat.Second: no toilet paper.You use water and your left hand to clean. The better toilets have some kind of shower you can use, on the basic ones you have to rinse with the bowl and water from the pot next to the toilet. Don´t worry: you dry fast enough in that climate and there is always a lavabo to clean your hands afterwards, too.Third no flush: Use the bowl again to flush.The beginning is not easy, but one gets used to it. And water to clean is actually quite nice, especially if you have eaten something hot/spicey (that...

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Thai bootleg whiskey

by Tina-Perth

This Thai bootleg is absolutely delicious! It is as clear as water and is made from palm sugar (grown in the area) and rice.It is supposed to be around 68% alcohol, but you wouldn't know it. This whiskey is more smooth and mellow than a good quality, aged scotch. It's also a good basic medium to which you could add flavourings. There is no shock in your mouth or burn down your throat, it's delicious!We loved it so much we asked if we could buy some. We gave the guy that gave us the tasting 300 baht (around AUD$10) and asked for 3 bottles like he had (small). The next day we went to pick it up and he had a 5 litre plastic bottle full of it! We had to hide it in the back of our car seat in case the police found it. Unfortunately we couldn't drink it all before we came home and gave it to our friends. I did, however fill a water bottle with it and bring it home in my handbag. : ) A terrible...

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Massage

by MartaSoul

The women every day were very kind, once she was singing to us.

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The dry rubbers became braun

by MartaSoul

After dry they gattered the all.

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At the forest

by MartaSoul

The man pushed the rubber.

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Local traditions and culture in Southern Thailand

Top 3 Hotels in Southern Thailand

Mom Tri's Villa Royale Phuket  Phuket

 4 Reviews and 294 Opinions  Ocean Wing Suites (Villa Terracotta) Mom Tri’s Villa Royale now have a beautiful new area which is... 

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Rocky Resort  Ko Samui

 2 Reviews and 530 Opinions  I arrived at Rocky Resort with high expectations after reading the 14 pages of testimonials on the... 

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Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort  Krabi

 7 Reviews and 789 Opinions  While this hotel has some lovely staff and nice facilities, it is about 15 minutes from Ao Nang... 

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1,513 Hotels in Southern Thailand
 
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Reviews and photos of Southern Thailand attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Southern Thailand sightseeing.

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Local Customs: Cities in Southern Thailand
  1. Phuket Local Customs
  2. Ko Samui Local Customs
  3. Hat Yai Local Customs
  4. Krabi Local Customs
  5. Ko Phangan Local Customs
  6. Ko Phi Phi Don Local Customs
  7. Ko Tao Local Customs
  8. Ko Lanta Local Customs
  9. Surat Thani Local Customs
  10. Chumphon Local Customs
  11. Ko Phaluai Local Customs
  12. Satun Local Customs
  13. Ban Ao Nang Local Customs
  14. Ban Khao Lak Local Customs
  15. Ko Bulon Le Local Customs

More Cities in Southern Thailand

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hey, I am visiting Thailand for a month in September this year. Just wanted some advice and suggestions. What will the... 

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A: Hi, The only national park on or near Samui is the Angthong Marine one. You can catch a boat tour from Nathon pier out to here. There's not much decent diving on... 

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