# The noise problem in Thailand



## Oneman

Any expat here knows well that Thailand is a very noisy place.
Thais love noise, the more the better.
(Especially compared to, say, nearby Singapore or Malaysia, where things are much more quiet.)

Some noise is unavoidable, of course: building construction, especially.
But that is noise with a purpose, and it doesn’t go on and on without end.

In Thailand, many locals go out of their way to make a lot of noise.
In malls and stores, loudspeakers screeching about special promotions, often 2-3 at the same time.
Similar in some Bangkok subway stations -- where the blasting sound reverberates on the tiled walls of the station.

On city streets, powerful speaker trucks, moving slowly, blasting out advertising messages -- especially in Chiang Mai.

In up-country villages, every wedding, every temple festival, even funerals, will have massive loud speakers, pounding on into the night.

In the cities, in the cheaper apartments, loud stereo from some of the rooms, can be any time of day or night.
And that's one of the main reasons I avoid living "on the cheap" here.

I live in a nice condo, in an upper-middle-class suburb of Bangkok.
Some luxurious homes and condos around here.
But it’s not all upper-middle.

With no zoning, just down the soi, are some working class apartments.
They are too far away from me to hear any sounds from there.
The problem is right across the soi.

There is a tiny, outdoor, liquor bar, that sets up every night, on the sidewalk.
3-4 plastic tables; 10-15 plastic chairs, a big ice chest, and a display of bottles.
That’s it.
If just that, not a problem.

But the “thump-thump” cars come around, park and stay, and stay, and stay.
2-3 nights per week, every week.

They usually arrive around 8:00 PM, and often stay until 11:00 PM or midnight; sometimes later.
The “thumper” cars park, open their doors and rear trunk/boot and turn the volume up.
They are not subtle about it.
The “thumpa-thumpa” comes right through the walls of my condo on the 12th floor.

And as the economy provides more jobs and more spending money for low-class Thais, that little, street bar gets more popular with the “thump-thump” cars, so it's a problem that's getting worse, not better.

If you’re planning to expat to Thailand, you may well think in advance, what you would do in such a situation.

I’ve stuck sound-dampening material on every window.
I’ve covered some windows with polycarbonate panels — my attempt at “double pane” windows.
But the “thumpa-thumpa” comes right through the walls.
And the sound rebounds on buildings around the corner and comes right through my side windows, too.

I’m not here to complain (okay, maybe a little), but I do want to alert future expats to the very common problem of noise in Thailand.

- Oneman
Bangkok


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## Mweiga

Accurate observations of expat living reality here.

Unless you're prepared to live way out in the styx , quiet living areas have to be secured at a price. 

Anticipated this problem ten years ago when first moving here so picked a piece of rural land close to the sea set back from the main drag a couple of kms down an access soi to a predominantly agricultural area , albeit with local land owners having an eye on the big bucks from property developers. Happily the 2008 crash has delayed further property development plans for at least a decade. Despite being only 20 minutes away from the noisy metropolis of Pattaya still enjoy quiet living with only the sounds of birds and the very occasional passing musical pick-up selling its wares.

Take time and choose your living area carefully engaging some practical crystal ball gazing on what this area will turn into a few years down the line.


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## AndyFTH

If you don't like noise, than move to some smaller village.

I'm living in Isan, 30 minutes from the really big city (even airport, twice a day to Bangkok). And I'm happy.


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## joseph44

Dogs, cars, noisy bikes, neighbors, trucks, building-activities, mosques, old-aircons, ghetto-blasters, open air-karaoke-bars, just name it and it produces noise and yes, mostly very loud. 
Usually an amplifier has 2 levels: very loud and very very loud.

Talking about the boonies.........I used to stay a few days in the boonies.......woke up at 5 a.m. from the head of the village who started to read from the newspaper through the village loudspekaer-system, but before he can start....the roosters make their way. 

Luckily my bedroom is in the back of the house, more or less surrounded by other rooms of the house so noise has no chance + some earplugs and I'm off this World when asleep.


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## dhream

I'll take noise over too mutt crime, for example, any day. It's not that big a deal, I don't have to be up at 6am anymore, and I'm half deaf anyway!

There are many solutions available, they may come at a price, but they are there to be had...

Noise is just part of 'living Thai'... Mai bpen rai


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