Thai Culture

Dos and Don’ts

King

Thais revere their King and any disrespect shown to any members of the Royal family is frowned upon. Criticism of the King is also against the law. This offence is taken very seriously, so please show your respect and take care!

Visiting Wats/temples

Please be respectful when entering places of worship and wear “polite dressing”. This means covered shoulders. Men should wear long pants, women should wear long skirts (at least covering the knees) or pants. You may not be allowed to enter a Wat if dressed inappropriately, although clothing can often be borrowed at the entrance.
Shoes must be removed on entering Wats.

Buddha images are sacred, so please do not climb on a Buddha image. Feet are considered “dirty”, and so should not be pointed at Buddha images.

Buddhist monks are not allowed to touch, or be touched by women. If a woman wants to give something to the monk, simply place it on a table, or on a piece of cloth, or give it to a man to pass it onto the monk.

Head, Feet and Shoes

The head is considered the highest part of the body, and should not be touched.
The feet are considered “dirty” and low. Pointing or gesturing with one’s feet is considered rude.
Shoes should be removed when entering Wats, people’s homes and even some shops. The rule of thumb is if you see a pile of shoes at the entrance, you should also remove your shoes.

Greeting

Thais greet each other by giving a wai – by putting hands together at the chest level, in a prayer position and bowing a little and saying Sawasdee followed by krab (for males) and ka (for females). Generally, younger, less senior (in age and position) people will wai the older, more senior person first.

Foreigners are not expected to know the ins and outs of the Thai customs, but the Thais you wai will be very appreciative and you’ll gain a lot of respect from it. As a tourist/traveller, you don’t need to wai everyone you meet. Generally though, you might want to wai back people who wai you. This is usually when you enter/leave service establishments. If you don’t feel comfortable about it, just smiling and nodding in acknowledgment is also completely fine.

Photographing People

Thai people usually don’t mind people photographing them, but of course, it’s polite to ask them first.
Some hill tribe people may expect a tip from you if you photograph them. They are generally very poor and a little tip will go a long way. Others may not be comfortable having their photos taken, so please be respectful.