Thailand

Tai-speaking peoples moved south into the region over centuries, and the kingdoms of Sukhothai (13th–14th century) and then Ayutthaya (1351–1767) built the Siamese state, drawing on Khmer, Mon, and Indian models and adopting Theravada Buddhism. Ayutthaya was a wealthy, cosmopolitan trading capital until a Burmese army sacked it in 1767. The general who reunified the country founded a new capital, and in 1782 the Chakri dynasty, still on the throne, established Bangkok.

Siam was the one Southeast Asian state to keep its independence through the colonial era, playing Britain and France against each other, ceding territory at the edges, and modernising the administration under kings Mongkut (Rama IV) and Chulalongkorn (Rama V). A bloodless revolution in 1932 ended absolute monarchy and installed a constitutional system — but real power has swung between elected governments and the military ever since, with around a dozen successful coups, the most recent in 2014.

The country was renamed Thailand in 1939. The long reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX, 1946–2016) coincided with rapid development and became a pillar of national identity; his son Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) succeeded him. Politics in the 2000s and 2010s was dominated by conflict between supporters and opponents of the populist Shinawatra family, and recent elections have seen a reformist party win the most votes only to be blocked from power. Criticism of the monarchy is constrained by a strict lèse-majesté law.

Three institutions — monarchy, Buddhism, and the military — anchor Thai public life, and images of the king are displayed with reverence. About 90 per cent of Thais are Theravada Buddhist; most young men still ordain as monks for a period, temples (wat) are community centres, and spirit houses stand outside homes and businesses.

Social manners emphasise composure and the avoidance of open conflict or "loss of face"; the wai, a bow with palms pressed together, is the greeting, and its height signals respect. The head is regarded as sacred and the feet as low and unclean, so one does not touch people's heads or point feet at people or Buddha images. Sanuk, the idea that activities should be enjoyable, and a generally easy-going approach are widely noted.

Modest dress is expected at temples (covered shoulders and knees, shoes removed), and the monarchy and religion should not be treated lightly. Regional cultures — Isan in the northeast, Lanna in the north, the Malay-Muslim south — have their own languages, music, and food.

About 70 million people live in Thailand. Greater Bangkok, with roughly 10 million or more, dominates the economy and government; the northeast (Isan) is the most populous and poorest region and sends migrant workers to the capital and abroad. The population is ageing quickly and the birth rate is low.

The economy is diverse by regional standards — car and electronics manufacturing, agriculture (Thailand is a top exporter of rice, rubber, and seafood), and tourism, which in normal years is among the largest in the world and a major employer. Cannabis was decriminalised in 2022, prompting a boom in shops that the government has since moved to re-regulate.

Everyday life mixes the modern and the devout: office towers and malls, street-food stalls on every corner, morning alms for monks, motorbikes threading traffic, and weekends at the temple, the market, or the beach.

Thai food balances sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and sometimes bitter, and it is intensely regional. Central Thai cooking gives the dishes best known abroad — tom yum and tom kha soups, green and red curries, pad thai, and pad kaphrao (stir-fried holy basil with a fried egg). Northeastern (Isan) food is fierce and herbal: som tam (green papaya salad), larb (minced-meat salad), grilled chicken, and sticky rice eaten by hand.

The north (Lanna) has milder, earthier dishes like khao soi (curry noodle soup) and sai ua sausage; the south is the spiciest, with turmeric-yellow curries, gaeng tai pla, and fresh seafood. Street stalls and markets are where much of the country eats, at all hours.

Rice or noodles anchor every meal, fish sauce and chilli are on every table, and fruit — mango, durian, mangosteen, rambutan — is abundant. Iced coffee and tea (often sweet and orange), fresh coconut water, and Singha or Chang beer are the usual drinks.

Bangkok holds the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew with the Emerald Buddha, the reclining Buddha of Wat Pho, Wat Arun across the river, the canals of Thonburi, the Chatuchak weekend market, and a serious food and nightlife scene. The ruins of Ayutthaya and, further north, Sukhothai — both UNESCO sites — are day trips into the Siamese past.

The north centres on Chiang Mai, a moated old city of temples ringed by mountains, with hill-tribe villages, elephant sanctuaries, cookery schools, and the temple of Doi Suthep above town; Chiang Rai and the former opium country of the Golden Triangle lie beyond, and Pai is a mountain backpacker hub.

The south is beaches and islands: Phuket and Phang Nga Bay with its limestone towers on the Andaman side; Krabi, Railay, and the Phi Phi and Similan islands for climbing and diving; and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao in the Gulf. In between are national parks such as Khao Yai and Khao Sok, with rainforest, waterfalls, and karst lakes.