More than 4 years ago, I’ve done a comparison of what are widely considered THE prime locations for single men traveling & living in Asia.
Namely, Thailand, the Philippines & Vietnam. Covering all relevant aspects such as nightlife, online dating, pay for play, happy endings, accomondation, costs of living, and more.
Now, it is time for an update.
How have things changed? Have they changed at all? Is Thailand still number one, or would I recommend another country entirely?
Let’s find out in this video!
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty a quick disclaimer: I have also been to Cambodia, Malaysia & Indonesia. And while I am sure some guys will absolutely love these destinations, they don’t have mainstream appeal in my opinion.
For that reason, I am only doing a comparison of Thailand VS. the Philippines VS. Vietnam.
For each country, I will first give you an overview of what I consider to be the positive, and negative aspects. At the end, I’ll offer my recommendations for different guys/needs and select an overall winner.
Let’s start with the first country:
THAILAND
What do I like, and absolutely hate about Thailand? Well, it is very safe. I have never had any issues and you won’t either if you have a bit of common sense and take some basic precautions. You can walk around late at night and will still feel safe. The only people that will ever approach you or get close to you are ladyboys, so watch out for those especially when walking around late at night and being intoxicated.
Online dating is perhaps the best in the world. You have thousands of girls on ThaiFriendly, Bumble, Tinder – and most of these girls are slim and petite. Very friendly and open to meeting up. Unless you have extremely high standards and are super super picky, you will generally have lots of options and given that Thailand is safe and has lots of nightlife venues, night markets, etc. it is super easy to meet up with girls.
Public transportation is inexpensive and easy to use. Both taxis and the train system. Drive to the other side of the city (for example, in Bangkok) via taxi for $10, or $5 by train.
Superb transportation options means meeting up with girls at any time or anywhere is easy.
Nightlife in general, pay for play, massages, happy endings … I don’t think I need to revisit this topic. I’ve talked about it many times here on the channel and most of you are probably aware of how limitless the options are specifically in Bangkok, Pattaya & Phuket. Best in the world, no comparison. Drink are cheap too … I’m about talking $1 for a beer.
Accomondation in Thailand is easy to find, you can get an A/C room for less than $300 in Bangkok if you stay a few stops from central and many places offer short-term rentals starting from 1 month.
Lots of malls, food courts etc.
But enough about the positives, what would be negative about Thailand? Especially when comparing Thailand to say the Philippines?
Without a doubt the level of English spoken by most people. Let me also give a big, big disclaimer here. This is purely my personal opinion, the way I EXPERIENCE things.
For practical purposes, or general communication, English isn’t an issue.
If you are in central Bangkok, take the train a few stops from cental and walk into a store, it is likely, that you will need Google translate. Even though Bangkok is a top tourist destination worldwide, yes, many locals don’t speak English. And my perception is also that many don’t wnat to speak English, in the sense that you are bothering them. Fair enough, you are the one who doesn’t speak the local language, but just saying that’s my feeling.
Beyond that, it could be that you need more depth when it comes to girls. No pun intended. Meaning that general conversations aren’t cutting it for you anymore and there you will notice that it’s getting tricky.
I have always said that most girls speak English, and speaking to them is never an issue … but then again, the depth of the conversation is limited.
How many of the girls you’ve met know what the word LEVERAGE means? Or even know the word at all? How about compounding?
Of course, do you need to use those words when being with a Thai girl? Probably not, I am just making a point here that even with girls who speak English, who go to nightlife areas, the depth of the conversations you can have is limited and that can at some point lead to a lack of enjoyment because conversations end up being very plain and repetitive.
Lastly, one negative about Thailand (this applies mostly to touristy areas) are pushy street vendors, working girls, etc. Can get very very annoying and will bother you at some point. But again, just moving a bit further away from those areas usually solves the issue.
Let’s move on to our second country:
THE PHILIPPINES
Some of the main reasons guys prefer the Philippines over Thailand is that English is widely spoken and the fact that you are able to stay for months without any hassle, and you don’t need to be a retiree to get a long-term visa.
Let’s talk about English. Such an important factor, an absolut game-changer that everyone speaks English … especially in the big cities!
Well, my experience – having been to Manila, Quezon City, Angeles City & Subic Bay – is a bit different. Yes, English is a plus but if you think English as in the US/UK, then you are mistaken. Personally, I didn’t even feel English was a bonus because not in all instances did people actually speak proper English and even when they did, a lot of times I have had a difficult time understanding the Filipino English accent. Hard to explain what I mean …
I’m not sure if religion is a plus for most guys? I guess if you plan on finding a wife and getting married, the fact that the dominant religion is Catholism is a bonus, sure.
What about online dating, girls overall, nightlife, Red Light Areas, getting around, accomondation, etc.?
Well, In my opinion, all those areas lack in comparison to Thailand – and let me tell you why.
Online dating is good, but not up to par with Thailand, I would say. Most girls also have a different body type. Let’s say Thailand standard for women is being small and slim, whereas in the Philippines it’s small and more curvy. And I am only saying curvy to be polite … you know what I really mean.
Red Light and nightlife areas … we don’t even need to compare those to Thailand. Absolutely no comparison. There are those dedicated areas, and even Angeles City as sort of the Pattaya version of the Philippines, but no contest. A fraction of the size.
Getting around via taxi apps, yes, but the metro and train system is decades behind Bangkok, for example.
Accomondation is also not as widely available and easy to find as in Thailand, and many places only do long-term 6+ month rentals with huge deposits.
VIETNAM
Lastly, Vietnam. The fact that I am covering Vietnam last might indicate that it is my least favorite place out of the 3 options.
But that’s not the case. In fact, I would actually recommend it, but more about that later …
First, the positive. Less tourism, very conservative culture and you are able to meet actually conservative women, and probably good wife material.
Online dating in the capital, Saigon, is decent, although not comparable to say Bangkok, or Manila.
Of course, Vietnam is a big country but let’s assume you stay in the capital, Saigon. My biggest issue was the sheer amount of traffic, specifically scooters. ABSOLUTELY unbearable the constant noise. Even when just walking around. Few parks compared to Bangkok.
Red Light areas, some exist such as Japan town. However, the entire scene for that kind of stuff including happy ending massage places, is not compareable to Thailand, or even the Philippines.
I have videos of actually testing some of these places but they are more like actually professional spas with the option of ONLY hand finish, no intercourse.
Bui Vien is the nightlife area but that’s about it. The rest of the clubs outside of that area are mostly for locals.
You will also need a visa for Vietnam, and long-term stay can be as difficult as in Thailand.
OVERALL SUMMARY
So, which place would I recommend in 2023 for YOU? Basically 2 options for 2 different scenarios.
OPTION 1:
If you want pure fun, want comfort and want things as streamlined as possible (getting around, options in terms of meeting girls, accomondation, etc.) then Thailand is still the absolute king, no questions. No contest. No other country comes close. You have an insance number of options in terms of meeting girls, going out, and just having fun, without having to worry too much about the details of making it all happen, logistics, etc. It’s all in place and been fine-tune over decades of being a tourism hotspot.
OPTION 2:
That being said, if you are stricly looking for a long-term relationship, or even wife and want someone really conservative, then look into Vietnam. But keep in mind that Vietnam isn’t westernized as much as Thailand. So public transportation and various other conveniences might not be up to your expecations. Even something as simple as a Thailand 7-11 with lots of food options doesn’t exists in Vietnam. In Vietnam, those convenience stores are very basic.