A street interview in Bangkok went viral after an Israeli tourist said that Thais were “not friendly”.
Thai social media is debating a viral video in which an Israeli tourist, on a two-day trip, thinks that Thais seemed “less kind” than elsewhere.
Published on the Instagram page Winomicss, the video was filmed in Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, where the host regularly conducts street interviews.
Critical comments after just two days in Thailand
In the video, the host asked the woman:
» After two days here, in your opinion, what are the points that Thailand could improve? »
She replied:
“They could be friendlier.”.
I went to the Philippines, where people were very friendly.
Here (in Thailand), they are less friendly."
When asked to give an example, she added:
“The Thais are always in a hurry, they always push you to do things quickly, ‘do it, do it’, and it's not pleasant.”
Video of the interview
View this post on Instagram
A wave of reactions on Thai social media
After the interview was widely broadcast on Thai social media, netizens posted a whole series of responses, including a comment describing Thailand as 'the land of smiles'.
See: Why is Thailand called the land of smiles?
Other users wondered if the tourist had met enough people to make an informed judgment.
Some commentators took a more moderate tone, suggesting that she may have met people who were having a bad day and expressing hope that she would have a better experience during her trip.
The comments reflect the personal experience of a single visitor and do not summarize the general welcome given to tourists in Thailand.
See also:
Global outrage: BBC criticized for shocking report on Thailand
Most Welcoming Cities in Thailand 2025 Revealed by Booking.com
Do's and Don'ts in Thailand, essential things to know
Source: The Thaiger
7 comments
Oui, bon… pas de quoi en faire un fromage !!
C’est l’avis très subjectif d’une touriste israélienne après 2 jours en Thailande…
Quant au fait qu’elle trouve que les Thaïlandais ont comme gros défaut d’être pressés et de vouloir faire les choses toujours rapidement, je rappellerai simplement que les Israéliens sont passés maîtres dans l’art des guerres express : Guerre des 6 jours en 1967, guerre des 12 jours en Iran en 2025…
Allez !!! Match nul !
Le « sourire » de la majorité des Thaïlandais n’est qu’une façade bien étudiée et rien de plus.
Ils sont en réalité peu polis, peu aimables et rarement amicaux, sauf s’ils ont un intérêt économique à l’être avec vous.
J’ai vécu très longtemps dans ce pays puis je l’ai quitté, lassé par l’hypocrisie générale qui règne à tous les niveaux en Thaïlande…
On est bien mieux accueilli au Vietnam, en Malaisie ou ailleurs…
How can you ask someone who's been here for barely two days for an opinion on Thais and Thailand???
To avoid this kind of stupid problem, you have to avoid this kind of stupid interview..
According to the title, wow, the state affair!
I was expecting a national trauma, but the article tells me that the tourist said "not friendly" (this time between "to be" ) to become even more nuanced and, ultimately, never categorically said NOT friendly.
Even if it is true that the comments reflect the experience of a single visitor at a given time, it remains that, as everywhere on this planet, there are people (both locals and tourists), mostly friendly and sometimes delightfully to odiously detestable.
For the land of smiles, I don't think I'm the only one to have said, during my first visit to the country, seeing the faces the immigration officers were making: The Land of Smiles… were we lied to?
After the customs stamp, the smiles were not long in coming, fortunately!
Israeli… they have vacation days paid by the Israeli government to disseminate Israeli propaganda…
It should be said too!!!
It's funny to say that everything has to go fast in Thailand and to make this kind of comment so quickly after arriving.
Then she just had to stay home in Israel, it's not that complicated!