• Thailand Asia’s top retirement destination/Hua Hin videos//Buying a Pool Villa in Hua Hin/Why expats may soon trust their phones/Bangchak cuts premium fuel prices/Heavy rain to most of Thailand/Joy of the lottery/National streaming plan
• THE IRAN WAR: 10 Thai-linked vessels exit Strait/Threat Over Fertilizer Import Trap/Asian airlines’ Europe windfall fades
• ECONOMY: Thailand extends property fee cut/Branded residences uxury safe-haven/Manufacuring index decrease/Business registration fully digital
• TOURISM: PKK pushes wellness tourism/Most visited city doesn’t mean most loved/Europeans steer clear of Thailand
• THAILAND EXPERIENCE: Thai Towns Could Stretch Your Budget/Thailand’s Lesser-Known Gem
• CLIMATE THAILAND: Electric, hybrid and the road ahead
• FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/INTERNATIONAL/HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS 

Thailand named Asia’s top retirement destination

Thailand has been ranked the best country in Asia and ninth globally as a retirement destination in the Global Retirement Index 2026. Thailand was ranked ninth worldwide and first in Asia by International Living, a leading US media outlet specializing in overseas living and retirement.

The ranking evaluates seven key factors: housing, visas and retirement benefits, cost of living, development and governance, climate, healthcare, and overall lifestyle suitability. The assessment is based on input from experts, correspondents and expatriates living in each country. Continued … 

New daily feature on Hua Hin Expat News – Hua Hin videos

Hua Hin: Is This Thailand’s Best Kept Secret for Expats?

Located in the heart of Thailand, Hua Hin offers a unique blend of traditional Thai culture and modern amenities, making it an attractive option for those looking to live in Thailand. From its stunning beaches to its vibrant nightlife, Hua Hin has something to offer for everyone.

If you’re considering moving to Thailand or retiring in Thailand, Hua Hin is definitely worth exploring. In this video, we’ll take you on a tour of Hua Hin, showcasing its beautiful beaches, delicious cuisine, and expat-friendly lifestyle. We’ll also provide you with valuable Thailand travel tips and insights into what it’s like to live in Hua Hin as an expat. Video … 

Is Hua Hin only for old people?

Hua Hin has long been one of Thailand’s favorite beach getaways, known for its royal history, relaxed atmosphere, and easy access from the capital. But beyond the beach, the city has a lot more going on than you might expect.

Explore the lively Tamarind and Cicada Night Markets, sample the local atmosphere after dark, and see why Hua Hin remains such a popular weekend destination for Bangkokians, expats, and travelers alike. Video … 

Buying a Pool Villa in Hua Hin

A private pool villa in Hua Hin costs far less than the same home would on Phuket or Samui, and for many buyers it delivers more: quiet, space, a real community, and Bangkok two and a half hours up the road.

The catch is that the result depends almost entirely on three choices — the area, the villa itself, and the builder behind it. Get those right and Hua Hin is hard to beat. Get them wrong and you inherit someone else’s mistakes. Continued … 

Why expats may soon trust their phones more than their landlords

The most useful AI gadget for expatriates in Thailand may not be a robot, a smart speaker or a laptop priced like a small motorbike. It may be the smartphone already sitting beside their morning iced coffee, quietly judging their screen time while helping them translate Thai messages, plan trips, manage work calls, read banking alerts and understand condominium notices that seem to have been written by a committee in a hurry.

For years, smartphone makers sold progress by touting sharper cameras, brighter screens and processors with names that sounded like comic-book villains. Now the battle is moving toward something far more interesting: usefulness. Continued … 

Bangchak cuts premium fuel prices by 5 baht

Bangchak Corp. (BCP) reduced the retail prices of two premium fuel products by 5 baht per liter from 5 am today. The price cut applies to:

Hi Premium Diesel Plus, now 49.25 baht per liter; Hi Premium Gasohol 98 Plus, now 48.44 baht per liter; and regular petrol, gasohol and diesel prices were unchanged. Continued … 

Monsoon blast brings heavy rain to most of Thailand

The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has warned of heavy rain in parts of Thailand, with very heavy downpours possible in some areas of the east and the western side of the south today.

Thunderstorms in the south east coast area are expected in over 60% of the area, with heavy rain in some places. Heavy rain expected in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Surat Thani. Minimum temperature: 23-26°C. Maximum temperature: 32-35°C. From Surat Thani northward: southwesterly winds of 20-35 km/h; waves 1-2 meters high, rising above 2 meters offshore and during thunderstorms. Continued … 

The joy of the lottery

Thais genuinely enjoy playing the lottery. Even though the chances of winning the grand prize are staggeringly low, only one in a million, they buy more and more tickets every day.

A 2021 survey by the Center for Gambling Studies at Chulalongkorn University revealed that more than 24 million Thais – about 45.4% of the Thai population – snapped up national lottery tickets in 2021. The figure showed an increase of 8.3% from an earlier survey in 2019. Continued … 

Commission backs national streaming plan

The planned establishment of a national TV streaming platform is far more than the launch of another video application; it is intended to ensure that every Thai can conveniently access all free-to-air television channels through the internet, according to commissioner of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) Pirongrong Ramasoota.

Pirongrong, who oversees the broadcasting sector, said this would preserve the principle of universal access to public-interest content, including news, emergency alerts, educational programming, cultural content and nationally significant events. Continued … 

Foreign Ministry says 10 Thai-linked vessels safely exit Strait of Hormuz

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that 10 out of 11 Thai-flagged vessels and vessels chartered by Thai operators stranded in the Strait of Hormuz area after the closure announcement on Feb. 28, had now safely left the area.

Only one vessel operated by a Thai company remains in the area. It is currently waiting to take on cargo and is preparing to depart at the earliest opportunity. Continued … 

Thai Agriculture Faces Existential Threat Over Fertilizer Import Trap

Thailand’s total dependence on imported fertilizer has left its 16 million farmers dangerously exposed to global geopolitical shocks, according to industry leaders, state officials, and academics who gathered for a roundtable yesterday.

The panel discussion, titled “Hormuz Shock: World Fertilizer Crisis, Survival for Thai Agriculture”, concluded that while the immediate supply chain crunch triggered by recent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz has begun to ease, the episode has exposed critical structural vulnerabilities that demand urgent, systemic reform. Continued … 

Asian airlines’ Europe windfall fades as Gulf rivals rebound

Asian airlines that gained passengers and charged higher fares ‌on European routes after the start of the Iran conflict are seeing those advantages erode as Gulf carriers restore flights and offer lower ticket prices, industry data shows.

The shift has been gradual, but it is raising doubts over whether carriers, including Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Korean Air Lines and ANA Holdings, can retain much of the market share they gained during the disruption. Continued … 

Thailand extends 0.01% property fee cut in one-year lifeline for homebuyers

Thailand’s Cabinet has extended ultra-low property transfer and mortgage registration fees for another year, keeping a key housing stimulus measure in place as the government seeks to ease costs for homebuyers and support a fragile real estate recovery.

The measure, approved yesterday, cuts both the property transfer registration fee and mortgage registration fee to 0.01 per cent, covering eligible residential property transactions until June 30, 2027, after publication in the Royal Gazette. The measure continues a similar 2025 scheme that was due to expire yesterday. Continued … 

Thailand’s branded residences become luxury safe-haven

Thailand’s property market may be moving cautiously, but at the very top end developers are racing in the opposite direction. A new wave of branded residences — backed by global hotel, fashion, design and automotive names — is turning Bangkok, Phuket and resort destinations into a regional test ground for luxury homes sold not merely as places to live, but as managed, long-term collectible assets.

The shift comes as Thailand’s wider residential market faces a more selective buying environment. CBRE Thailand reported that Bangkok’s overall condominium market had a slow start to 2026, with only 12 new project launches in the first quarter, as buyers took longer to make decisions amid geopolitical risks, a weak local economy and elevated oil prices. Continued … 

Slowdown in auto sector drives manufacuring index decrease

Thailand’s Manufacturing Production Index (MPI) decreased by 0.8% year-on-year to 101.18 points in May, due mainly to a slowdown in the domestic automotive sector, said the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE). The index increased from 92.76 points in April, however, when global conflicts and domestic challenges weighed on industrial activity.

Domestically, banks and car financing companies continued to tighten lending criteria, making it difficult for prospective buyers to get auto loans, while car exports bore the brunt of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israeli war with Iran. Continued … 

Business registration becomes fully digital

New partnership and company registrations are now fully digitalized, improving convenience and speeding up the registration process, while reducing costs for both businesses and individuals, says the Department of Business Development (DBD).

Effective today, all new business registrations, including the establishment of partnerships and limited companies, must be completed online through the Digital Business Registration System (DBD Biz Regist), though amendments to existing registration information are excluded. Continued … 

PKK pushes wellness tourism across all eight districts

Prachuap Khiri Khan is moving ahead with its wellness tourism strategy, with model communities selected across all eight districts as part of plans to develop the province as a wellness city. At a meeting yesterday at the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Public Health Office, officials reviewed work being carried out in each district to strengthen health services and support sustainable wellness tourism.

The selected model health-conscious subdistricts are Hin Lek Fai in Hua Hin, Pak Nam Pran in Pranburi, Rai Kao in Sam Roi Yot, Kui Buri in Kui Buri, Ao Noi in Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan, Na Hu Kwang and Thap Sakae in Thap Sakae, Ron Thong in Bang Saphan, and Pak Phraek in Bang Saphan Noi. Continued … 

The most visited city doesn’t mean the most loved

Bangkok was named the world’s most visited city for 2025 by Euromonitor International, drawing an estimated 30.3 million international arrivals, ahead of Hong Kong, London, Macao, and Istanbul. Thailand expects that number to climb further in 2026, with 34.9 million foreign visitors forecast and tourism revenue projected at 1.63 trillion baht, an 8% increase year on year.

By any conventional measure, this is success, the kind of ranking tourism boards spend years chasing. What it does not measure is whether the city living underneath all those visitor numbers actually feels good about hosting them. Continued … 

Europeans steer clear of Thailand amid heatwave

Europe’s most severe heatwave has yet to trigger a surge in tourists to Thailand, with Phuket hotels slashing low-season rates by 70%-80% compared with the high season, as surging airfares continue to deter both domestic and foreign visitors.

Somjai Tungkoo, vice president of the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Assn., said summer holidays typically attract large numbers of European tourists, but demand this year has been weaker than expected, as many travelers seek to escape the heat by visiting cooler destinations within their region rather than taking long-haul trips. Continued … 

These 3 Small Thai Towns Could Stretch Your Budget Further

Big-city life in Southeast Asia often gets the most attention — with Bangkok and Hanoi among many travelers’ favorite destinations — but some of the region’s best (and most affordable) long-term living can be found in smaller towns.

In a recent report, International Living tapped its global correspondents to share the towns in Southeast Asia that “combine charm, affordability, and a quality of life that larger cities often can’t match,” and three specific places stood out. Spoiler: They’re all in Thailand. Continued … 

Experience Thailand’s Lesser-Known Gem With A Gorgeous Beach

Many people choose the Caribbean for its pristine beaches and abundance of islands. But a trip to this Southeast Asian paradise in the Andaman Sea is worth the jetlag for its own stunning beaches.

Similan Islands National Park features numerous islands, although some are restricted from visitors to protect wildlife. However, Donald Duck Bay features viewpoints, water activities, unique rocks shaped like Disney characters, and white-sanded beaches that rival the Caribbean. Continued … 

Electric, hybrid and the road ahead: Mercedes-Benz CEO on the future of driving

“The future is fully electric,” the president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz (Thailand), Christian Schell, declared, expressing his confidence in the automobile’s future path. This was emphasized in the first half of 2026 by the oil crisis, when people turned to buying electric vehicles (EVs) in fear of fuel shortages.

Even so, there will be some who prefer cars that run on fossil fuel, and that is the current gap that car manufacturers need to bridge. In this episode of “The Road Ahead – What Will We Be Driving Next?”, two car enthusiasts discuss the past and the future of the vehicles we drive. Continued … 

• Chinese Fugitive Arrested in Chiang Mai Over Loan Fraud – Continued … 

• Finnish Fugitive Arrested in Bangkok Home by Immigration – Continued … 

Global energy investment hits record as ASEAN power grids face strain

Global investment in the energy sector continued to expand, with total investment reaching US$3.3 trillion in 2025, the highest level on record. Of this, US$2.3 trillion went into clean energy, helping lift the share of renewables and nuclear power in global electricity generation to 42%. Continued … 

‘I’m going to stay calm’: 48 hours under the rubble in Venezuela

Andrea Canonico focused on her breathing to stay calm as she lay trapped under a building that had crumbled during the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week. Just 23 years old, Canonico spent almost 48 hours in the same position before being pulled out – alive. Continued … 

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