Do’s–
Dress respectfully. While Bangkok weather is warm to hot all year, the culture generally frowns on suggestive clothing. Wearing lingerie as outerwear is a definite no-no. And halter tops are only appropriate at the beach or swimming pools. That said, shorts and flip-flops are pretty much the uniform of choice for both natives and visitors. (See Don’t below).
Wai. The customary Thai greeting is to put your hands together, fingertips pointed upward, with your fingertips just below your throat and, while keeping eye contact, to bow at the waist, and say “Sawadi.” (Sawadi is the Thai equivalent of ‘Aloha’ – it means both hello and goodbye.)
Crouch when walking in front of others. As a sign of respect, bend over at the waist so your head is lower than theirs.
Eat with spoon and fork. Thais rarely use knives (they use their spoons if they need to cut something) and they hardly ever eat with chopsticks – except when eating noodles.
Respect the monarchy. Thais revere their royal family so much so that they have laws (called lese majeste) to imprison detractors – in serious cases for up to 10 years. The royal family has been a laudable source of progress for the country, and deserves the respect the citizens lovingly give.
Say Thank you. The Thai word for “thank you” sounds like “cop coon”. (For some inexplicable reason every book about the Thai language uses the bizarre convention of spelling Thai words with letters of the alphabet that we native English-speakers would never use. For instance, most Thais would spell the above as “khapkhun”. I prefer to avoid all the potential confusion, and just give tips for pronunciation using phonetic spellings that we readily recognize.)
Say Excuse me. If someone is in your way, or if you accidentally bump into someone, the expression meaning ‘excuse me’ sounds like “core toad”.
Dont’s
Don’t drink tap water. Thai tap water has microbes that can cause acute gastric distress to people who haven’t built up resistance to it. So don’t drink it. It’s just fine to shower or bathe in it, but not to imbibe. (Most expats think freezing water kills the germs, so the general consensus is that ice is safe. Which is a great relief, because Thai iced coffee is a national treasure.)
Don’t touch monks or nuns. They are holy people, and for someone else to touch them would constitute defilement.
Don’t wear suggestive clothing. Thais are very conscious of modesty. Some temples won’t let a woman enter unless their shoulders are covered. Most Thais are offended if a woman wears a swimsuit top or lingerie as outer wear anywhere but at beach resorts. Unfortunately Westerners wear inappropriate clothing all the time – which only serves to reinforce Thais’ opinions that Americans and Europeans have questionable values. If you dress respectfully, you will be treated with respect.
Don’t touch anyone’s head. The head is considered the sacred part of a Thai person’s body. In the west we might pat a child on the head as a sign of affection. In Thailand that would be considered a grave insult to the child.
Don’t point your feet at anyone. Feet are considered to be the lowliest, dirtiest part of the body. Accordingly, pointing your feet at someone is considered a form of shaming. So don’t do it.
Don’t point with your fingers. If you want to indicate something, point with your whole hand, with your palm down.
Don’t engage in public displays of affection. Holding hands is OK, but kissing or other PDA’s are considered embarrassing.
Don’t wear your shoes in Thais’ homes. Thais go barefoot or wear slippers in the house.
Don’ Get Angry. While the Thai people are well-known to be gentle, they regard anger as a sign disrespect. If a Thai does something to annoy you, count to 10. If that doesn’t work, count to a hundred. Thais very much respect a person who can control his or her feelings.