Thailand vs Vietnam as a Digital Nomad – First Impressions.

Having spent considerable time in Thailand and recently moved to Vietnam as a digital nomad, I wanted to share my first impressions of both countries from a digital nomad’s perspective. While generalizations are inevitable in a comparison like this, they are, of course, subject to change and may not always hold true for everyone. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the similarities and differences between these two fascinating destinations for remote workers. Since I’ve spent much more time in Thailand, this piece will primarily focus on what stands out as different in Vietnam.

Food

Thais arguably have one of the most unique relationships with food in the world. While Vietnamese and other Asian cultures also value eating together, it doesn’t quite compare to the Thai way of life, where everything seems centered around sharing meals. For anyone who has spent time learning the Thai language or living in Thailand, you're likely familiar with the standard greeting, Kin Khao Yang (กินข้าวยัง), meaning 'Have you eaten rice yet?' This phrase, while seemingly about food, is more often used as a friendly greeting, rather than an actual invitation to eat, although of course if you are to reply that you haven't to a Thai you are staying with this will mean 'all hands on deck!' 

After living in Thailand for so long, I had come to accept this as just part of the culture. But after moving to Vietnam, I once asked an older gentleman, 'Did you eat yet?' and was surprised when he responded, 'Yes, but thank you for the invite.' It was then that I realized what this question really means outside of Thailand—a genuine invitation, not just a greeting. 

One thing that stands out massively from the start is the quality of bread and bakery products in Vietnam is so much better than in Thailand, trying to find good bread in Thailand is very difficult and if at all successful, likely to be very expensive. In Vietnam on the other hand, good quality bread is literally on every street corner, the Banh Mi sandwich pictured below is a staple of the Vietnamese diet and only costs around $1 depending on where you are. This may be a result of the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnam also seems to have a much stronger coffee culture than Thailand, although perhaps Chiang Mai is an excpetion. The coffee in Vietnam for me so far has been quite a new experience. As shown below, you will often be served a coffee in the traditional Vietnamese style as shown below

Coffee in Vietnam is noticeably cheaper than in Thailand, but the blend I’ve encountered so far tends to be a bit too sweet for my taste. Oh, and it’s incredibly strong! I wouldn’t recommend drinking it after midday unless you’re prepared for a sleepless night. I have had better luck in asking for an Italian americano, for which I get the expected type of coffee.

In summary I think broadly speaking Thailand wins hands down on the food question that is of course if you want to eat local Thai food, you will never be short for affordable choices. Where as the Vietnamese food is nice and affordable I do think Thai food is better. 

People & Language

Southeast Asia, in general, seems to embrace a 'live and let live' attitude, which is a refreshing change for those tired of Western societies where people often feel compelled to impose their latest media-driven mental illness on others. Well, dear reader, you are unlikely to be lectured in this part of the world.

Now, let’s dive into a quick comparison. If you’ve been to Thailand, particularly in non-touristy areas, you may have experienced this: you walk into a restaurant or bar, and the wait staff seem to pretend not to notice you. At first, this can seem rude, but after spending time in Thailand, you’ll realize that it’s often because the staff are nervous about speaking English and fear looking foolish. In Vietnam, I’ve noticed a different approach. Vietnamese staff will confidently speak in Vietnamese, and if you don’t understand, they’ll often repeat themselves—sometimes louder—assuming you didn’t hear them the first time. It seems that in Thailand, there’s more pressure on the staff to communicate in English, whereas in Vietnam, that expectation is much less of a factor, if it exists at all.

In Thailand, this shyness becomes even more pronounced when someone has received a higher level of education. There’s an implicit expectation that they should speak English fluently, which can make interactions awkward. Thais who genuinely want to engage with you might seem a bit standoffish, worried that their English won’t meet a certain standard. My interactions in Vietnam, so far, suggest this pressure is largely absent. Upon reflection, this may be because Thailand’s economy is more reliant on tourism, leading to more emphasis on learning English in school.

Another major difference I’ve noticed is the gap between assertiveness and, for lack of a better word, expressiveness. In Thailand, interactions tend to be more reserved, with people avoiding direct confrontation. The famous 'mai pen rai' (never mind) attitude embodies the desire to maintain calm and avoid conflict. In Vietnam, however, people seem more comfortable being direct and assertive, which can come across as more expressive or bold compared to the subtler Thai approach.

Let me give you an example. During the wet season, I walked into a small restaurant with a soaking wet umbrella. Before I even got to my table, a Vietnamese woman came rushing over with an angry look, saying something in Vietnamese that I assume meant, "Leave the umbrella at the door, you moron!" She promptly directed me to where the other umbrellas had been left. If this had been a Thai person, they would likely have smiled and said nothing, even if I had made the same mistake multiple times.

At first glance, this may seem like a positive trait for the Thais, but it has its downsides. During my first trip to Thailand at age 19, I lived in a remote village doing Thai boxing and volunteer teaching. There was a water tap that needed to be turned on before a shower and turned off afterward. For about six weeks, I frequently forgot to turn it off. One weekend, when I was alone in the area, a villager rushed over, smiled, and motioned for me to turn it off—despite the fact that a small flood had developed! It dawned on me that countless times before, someone must have quietly turned it off after me, but no one had ever told me I was doing something wrong.

After explaining that I preferred to be told when I was making a mistake, I noticed the Thais became more comfortable correcting me. By the end of my stay, I was even shown the 'Thai way' of holding a fork and spoon! This anecdote illustrates the cultural barrier in Thailand when it comes to correcting someone. Thais seem reluctant to point out your mistakes, perhaps because they don’t want to risk causing discomfort or offending you and will only do so when they are fairly confident of how you will react to it. In Vietnam, this barrier seems far less pronounced, and people are more likely to correct you right away.

Tolerance for Cigarette Smoking

This is perhaps the most refreshing thing about Vietnam in comparison to Thailand. I recall on my first trip to Vietnam in about 10 years which occurred a few months prior to me writing this piece, I get off the plane in Saigon and jump in a taxi and before long we are stuck in traffic, the taxi driver takes out a box of cigarettes hands me one and says 'traffic very bad' , alas it almost transported me back to Bangkok in the old days before Grab and other multinationals sucked the soul out of Bangkok taxi drivers. All the restaurants allowed smoking indoors and in the coffee shops it was almost presumed that you would be having a cig with your coffee. 

Now on the other hand, Thailand has seen a dramatic shift in attitudes towards smoking which for some reason have been greatly excarebated since Covid. I recall after arriving in at Chiang Mai airport in April 2024 and seeing just how dire the situation has gotten for smokers there, a female security officer even shouted at me and another group of smokers while outside to move around the corner. Although not as bad in the actual city, the war on smokers has very much been transported across from Europe to Thailand. What has caused this perversion of the Thais naturally easy-going attitude you may ask? Well, one must realise that it is almost a right of passage for the elite Thai families to send their kids to do either an undergraduate degree or masters in the likes of the UK. Now for those that have been paying attention, there is an approximately 2-4 year lag in new British government smoking rules and the same rules appearing in Thailand. 

When one understands that a nation's smoking policies are not so much about 'protecting' the public as they are a barometer of government intrusion into one's personal life, we can conclude that the future does not look good for smokers or freedom-loving individuals in Thailand. In addition, I observe a compounding effect in these intrusions, if the UK example is anything to go by. The British government apparatchiks, along with the chattering class, point to the 'smoking' example as how governments can 'positively' influence public behavior. The result is something similar to a  perverse renewal of marriage vows every four years, with each successive government asserting its control over the public with new rules—the latest of which saw Chairman Starmer talk about banning smoking in pub gardens. 

Expats

You're likely to meet the same types of interesting expats in both Thailand and Vietnam. However, one noteworthy difference I noticed after talking to a few foreign English teachers in Saigon is that they get paid considerably more than their counterparts in Thailand. When you factor in that foreign teacher essentials like beer and cigarettes are much cheaper in Vietnam, it makes the English teacher crowd here a much more sociable bunch.

If you're in the 20-30s age range as a digital nomad, you're likely to make a lot of friends among the teachers in either country, as they tend to be fun and easy to hang out with. However, in Thailand, lower salaries and a higher cost of living seem to have priced many teachers out of the expat bar scene. In Vietnam, based on my limited experience, you're much more likely to bump into them.

Aside from that Phu Quoc seems to have a similar crowd to Ko Pha Ngan in Thailand and Saigon crowd isn't too different to the Bangkok expats. Although its been a while since I have been there Danang is supposed to be a very similar vibe to Chiang Mai.