Thailand Language & Communications

Language & Communications

The official language in Thailand is Thai, and although there are many different dialects, the Bangkok dialect is the most common and the one taught in schools. In the far south visitor may encounter a derivation of Malay, but these areas tend to be off the beaten tourist track and prone to occasional political unrest. In practice, english is spoken or at least understood by many Thais, especially those involved in the Tourism areas, so you shouldn’t have too many problems with communicating.

Thailand has an extensive payphone system and the bright yellow Lenso phones allow overseas calls, and are both easy to spot and plentiful. The international dialing code for Thailand is +66 and when dialing overseas from Thailand the access code is 001.

Phone cards can be purchased at most convenience stores.

Thailand operates the GSM mobile network which has widespread coverage in all but the most remote areas. International roaming from your own carrier should work but can be expensive, so consider purchasing a prepaid SIM card from any of the local carriers. Some of the carriers will lock your phone to their network on the first installation, so be sure to check before you buy.

Internet access in Thailand is plentiful and on the whole fairly inexpensive, but prices do vary considerably so it pays to look around. Internet cafes are generally the cheapest, while tourist destinations and hotels can be much more expensive. Many hostels and budget hotels now provide free or at least inexpensive internet access via WiFi or DSL connection. If you plan on doing internet banking whilst in Thailand, there have been reports of some of the cheaper internet cafes installing “keylogger” software on their computers, so be on your guard, or take your own laptop. Another option is to use GPRS on your mobile. This is available through all of the major carriers at a reasonable price with generally fast speeds.