There is no need to feel offended! I was just asking a question - BECAUSE you surely know more than me! But you left it very unspecific in the comments by just saying “Pattaya is very dangerous”. I just wondered where and when (maybe you could just add a personaly experience as well). And I would assume there is a difference in how barowners are at risk compared to retirees or tourists. I would really like to know more about this! Just tell me if I am wrong. I feel the most dangerous part of life in Thailand is the traffic…particularly on a bike. Sure you read about a dismembered body in the Pattaya news always daily. But these are 95% Thai vs. Thai. The occasional jump from the condo does not count for me (I live low floor always ).

hope this clears things up, regards

I used to live in Pattaya and I still like to party in Pattaya, but I know it can be VERY violent.  Just look at the death rate down in Pattaya - it is high for the size of the place.  What I advise people to do is be more street smart and vigilant, while you are in Pattaya.  Right now we are coming up to High Season and that attracts all kinds of people.   

good remarks about the clubs in europe…its the same in Zurich due to testosteon overladen balkanese. No weekend where I dont see a police car chasing some drug dealer. I always wait until he gets tackled by the cop Cant go out there anymore really. At least everyone gets release in Pattaya so the violence only stems from people who are really after it. I guess one should keep things in perspective. I feel safe in Asia. Yes maybe Dave is biased as a manager. I think tourists are as fine as everywhere else in Thailand there (just dont run into groups of loud drunk russians or brits)!

I think my wife and I were just unlucky. In hindsight, we should have used one of the local taxi drivers to take us back to the hotel and made arrangements from there to travel back to Bangkok. I suppose you can understand why the locals taxis got p*ssed off, taking business away from them. Other than that, I think you will be perfectly safe in Pattaya, providing of course you keep out of trouble. I think I was just one of those unlucky ones to witness this type of incident, although this hasn’t stopped me returning to Pattaya in the foreseeable future. Almost everytime I go clubbing in my home town (Crawley, West Sussex, UK) trouble kicks off. Normally you see a row of police cars/vans lined up outside the night clubs, ready to intervene should a fight kick off. How often do you see this in Thailand? Harldy ever, if at all.

Regards, Phil

This is the reality for most tourist, they wander around both areas without any great hassles, probably the worst thing that happens an encounter with the dreaded ladyboys on Beach Road or lower Sukhumvit - run whilst you still can.

For long-term inmates with bad attitude (like me not Dave) both places can turn equally frightening on a whim.

Regards

I agree, Bangkok is much safer than Pattaya without a shadow of a doubt, although, I have witnessed violence in both locations. The first instance was when my wife and I were heading back to the hotel from Walking Street to travel back to Bangkok. As we were walking along Pattaya’s seafront we hailed down a Bangkok taxi (not a wise decision I know) to take us back to Bangkok via our hotel to collect our belongings. Unfortunately, one of the local cab drivers in Pattaya witnessed my wife and I hopping into the back of a Bangkok taxi. There was a lot of shouting going on between the 2 taxi drivers. As we pulled up outside our hotel, one of the local taxi drivers approached ours and demanded money. I decided not to get involved. The next thing I knew, our taxi driver pulled out a knife and started waving it in the other guy’s face. I was totally gob smacked. Despite being a professional bodybuilder, again I decided not to get involved. A few minutes later 2 security guards from the hotel came running out brandishing a gun in an attempt to scare the local taxi driver off. They soon disappeared from the scene. I don’t blame them.

The second time I witnessed trouble in Thailand was in Nana Plaza. I forget the name of the bar now, but it’s the one on the ground floor in the left corner at the back of the vicinity. I was playing pool when suddenly 2 foreigners started attacking one another with their cues. Nana Plaza security was soon on the scene to defuse the situation.

Despite these 2 instances, I feel much safer walking around Bangkok than any other city I have visited. Let’s face it, every time you go out in London late at night (or anytime of day for that matter), all you hear is the sound of police sirens every 5 minutes. What does that suggest? Try walking through Brixton late at night. I remember when I was younger, my Dad always used to lock the car doors. I questioned him why? His response was, we’re about to drive through Brixton!

Moving swiftly on, my Thai wife and I are thinking of moving to Bangkok next year. My only concern is my son’s education. Are the International schools in Bangkok any good? How would you say they compare to state schools in Western countries? I’ve been told most decent schools cost up to 500,000B. I hear there’s less bullying in classrooms too (quote me if I’m wrong).

I love reading your blog.

Regards Phil

Apart from the incident where a farang was bottled by a Thai outside G Spot, I cannot remember the last time there was a serious incident of violence in Nana Plaza.  I have worked in Nana Plaza for almost 10 years and the level of violence is very low compared to other nightlife areas.  Pattaya is like the Wild West in comparison!

Time to move on from this subject.  Good luck in ole Blighty, I hope you are not going there to have wild, exciting nights on the town! 

Completely lost as to your comment regarding low class - are you saying that the gals doing the shows in Angel Witch are college educated Bangkok ladies who don’t go with customers and that mere mortals like myself have to suffer Isarn peasants who earned their spurs in low level Thai brothels before ending up in lesser Nana go-go’s or just that you and your mate have scored with good Thai ladies and the scene in Nana is just for entertainment not indulgence. Or are you confusing class with external experience?

Any newbie can see that Pattaya and Bangkok are chalk and cheese - no comparison at all.  There are some very dangerous people in Pattaya, I mean a blind man could see that.  Before I feel I am totally wasting my time with this conversation, just how much knowledge and experience of LOS do you have?  OK, angry was perhaps not correct, but you sound like you have a serious hang up in life.  It could be women or love, but there is definitely an underlying problem.  I feel it shows in your comments…

I notice that you never mentioned old Blighty, you are welcome to the place!  You seem all keen on England so go for your life.  Meanwhile, I will struggle on as the Prisoner In Paradise! 

The thing to understand is that Thai gals are totally aware of the way farang think they are on a rescue mission and subsequnetly take the piss every which way.

Not sure I see that much difference between Pattaya and Bangkok, though, both basically a case of if you get involved in the neon scene then you get what you deserve and the police don’t really want to do anything to help. Although the sort of mass farang falling off balconies in Pattaya doesn’t seem to exist in Bangkok so may be you have a poiint!

Your warning carries great weight when you consider how dangerous Pattaya can be.  Pattaya is like a series of time bombs just constantly ticking.  Pattaya can be extremely explosive!