Things You Should NEVER Do in Thailand Bars

Whether it’s your first time in Bangkok, Pattaya, or Phuket, or you’ve been here a while, you may have heard some of these before, and some may be new to you.

Thai nightlife is fun, wild, and can get pretty crazy, but if you’re not aware of some things that go on in the bars, then you might be in for a bit of a shock.

I’ve put together a list of some of the most common mistakes guys make stuff I’ve seen with my own eyes, heard from locals, or learned the hard way myself.

1. Don’t Believe She Loves You After 2 Nights

Many farangs fall into the trap of thinking a Thai bar girl has genuinely fallen in love with them after just a night or two together.

You can never forget that these girls are working it’s their job to make you feel this way, and they are very good at doing so.

A lot of these girls have been working in the bar for many years; they know exactly what to say and do to get you hooked in.

She might call you cute names, send sweet LINE messages, and even talk about quitting the bar “just for you.” But even if it does feel genuine at the time and you feel like you have a connection, normally, it’s just a well rehearsed script from her side.

These women are expert emotional performers their income depends on making you feel special, chosen, and needed. That’s not love; it’s business.

You’re likely one of several men she’s saying the exact same things to sometimes at the same time. It’s not that she’s evil or heartless; it’s just her job.

Believing in this fantasy can lead to all types of danger, and trust me, many men have fallen into this trap and lost more than just time and money.

Enjoy your time, but keep your feet on the ground. Have a laugh with the girls, yeah feed into their scripts and their lines but keep it in the bar.

2. Never Start Drama With the Staff, Security, or Locals

This is something you should always stick by when you go out, even if you are 100% sure you are not in the wrong.

Thai people always stick together, even if they’re not directly involved, and there’s nothing more they love than to jump a disrespectful, drunk farang.

You may have seen videos online or seen it in person when a foreigner is acting the “big I am” to a local, and it ends really badly for him.

For example, there was a video circling not long back of a drunk Westerner with his shirt off on Soi 6 in Pattaya, starting trouble with one of the guards at the bar.

It wasn’t long before bouncers from other bars, locals, taxi drivers, and even the girls came to back the guard up.

It went from the foreigner facetoface with one guard to him being facetoface with about 15 Thais, ready to teach him a lesson.

So with that one, even if it’s not your fault, just walk away. It’s not going to end well for you.

Some Thai guys, especially younger ones, might try their luck and deliberately cause trouble with you. Just put your hands up and walk away, even if you have to bite your tongue.

You don’t want to end up in the hospital or even worse that would completely ruin your holiday.

9 times out of 10, it’s the tourist’s fault why the trouble starts. But if it’s something like a padded bill and overcharging, just pay the bill and never go to that bar again.

I don’t understand why bars still pad bills. Word travels fast, and of course, people aren’t going to go back to that bar if they’re scamming. They shoot themselves in the foot, really, but it is what it is.

3. Don’t Take Photos Inside GoGo Bars

This is pretty much common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many people I’ve seen get kicked out of bars and clubs for taking pictures of the girls on stage.

There are even signs all over the bars saying no pictures these girls don’t want their pictures plastered all over the Internet.

Yeah, you’ll see a lot of the bars’ Facebook pages posting these pictures, but they’re normally on there with the approval of the girl and used for promotion of the club.

I know the first thing you want to do when you get home is show your friends what you got up to and how the bars are there, but it’s not worth ruining your holiday by taking a sneaky video.

If you’re sitting with a girl in the bar chatting and having fun, you can always ask her if you can take a selfie with her or a photo of her. The worst she can say is no.

Even girls you’re not with if you want to take a picture with them, they’d probably accept if you offer her a few baht.

But going into a club, such as a gogo bar, and taking a picture of the girls dancing is a big nono. Security will deal with you sharply if you do that.

Plus, it’s about having a bit of respect. Just use common sense, and you’ll be okay.

4. Lady Drinks – Watch Your Bill

Just a quick rundown of what a lady drink is: It’s basically the drink you buy for a girl that is working in the bar.

These will be more expensive than the drink you order for yourself most of the time, it’s double the cost of yours.

Ladies work to get these drinks from you because they make a commission from it, and some of these girls are very good at their job.

There’s absolutely no problem with buying a girl a drink in the bar if you’re enjoying their company, but they add up fast, so keep an eye on your bill.

Just because these girls are female doesn’t mean they won’t be able to keep up drinking with you. They’ll go drink for drink with you because they’re getting money from it.

I don’t mind buying lady drinks, but what annoys me is when the staff start asking for one, or her friends make you feel guilty and ask for one.

But the worst thing I hate is when you’re buying drinks for one girl, and she starts asking if you can buy her friend one because her friend hasn’t had a customer this week.

It’s just a sob story to get more out of you.

If you’re a generous guy, you could end up paying for a lot of lady drinks, and before you know it, your bill is going to be thousands and thousands of baht. So just keep an eye on everything.

5. Don’t Assume the Bill Will Be Fair – Always Check It

Unfortunately, this little scam happens often when the staff can see that you’re new, on holiday, or are slightly drunk.

What happens in these bars is every time you order a drink, you’ll be given a little paper bill that will have the price of the drink on it.

That’s fine if you’re only having one or two drinks it’s easy to track that.

The problem happens when you end up staying there for a long time and you’ve had 7 or 8 drinks, 3 or 4 lady drinks, a couple of shots the list goes on.

This is a perfect chance for the staff to do what’s called bill padding.

They’ll add an extra slip in between your orders, and if you’ve lost track of everything, then it’ll be easy to overlook.

If you do end up catching that they’re padding your bill, and if they deny it or start causing drama, then do what I said earlier:

Bite your tongue, pay the bill, never step foot in the bar again, and warn everyone you know about the place.

As I mentioned, I don’t know why bars do this because they lose money in the long run when the word gets out that they like to scam customers.

6. Don’t Listen to the Sob Stories

A lot of firsttime visitors to Thailand bars fall for the idea that the girls working there are desperate, poor, and trapped. And while some do come from tough backgrounds, many are far from helpless.

In fact, plenty of bar girls make more money than a normal job. Between bar fines, lady drinks, tips, and foreign sponsors sending monthly support, it’s not uncommon for a girl to be making a decent whack.

That doesn’t stop them from selling the classic sob stories. You’ll hear:

“I have to support my baby” even if the kid lives with her sister and she hasn’t sent money home in months.

“My mum is sick; she needs medicine.”

Another favorite: “I don’t like this job, but I do it for my family.”

These stories are just told to get sympathy from you and for you to open your wallet.

Seriously, don’t listen to these stories that the girls come out with because you’re going to hear some type of story every time you go to the bar. Don’t be manipulated easily.

7. Don’t Give Out Social Media

If you want to keep in touch with a girl that you’ve met in the bar, it’s best to give her your LINE account rather than social media. Every girl in Thailand will be using LINE.

The problem is, if you give your social media out and it has your friends and family on it, if the girl is crazy, she can use that against you.

You don’t want her saying things like, “Give me money, or I’ll send screenshots to your friends,” or something along those lines.

I always tell everyone to create new social media accounts with no real family and friends on there if you’re planning to add the Thai girls you meet here.

It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to this.

8. Don’t Assume Every Girl in the Bar Is Working There as a Bar Girl

Let’s be honest: A lot of us farangs come to Thailand because we want to go out and meet girls in the bars and have a good night.

However, what a lot of people seem to not realize is that not every girl in the bars is working there. Some of them are on a night out with friends and already have boyfriends.

You might be used to talking to bar girls that work there, so you think you can just approach every girl, and she’s going to start talking to you.

You’re going to look silly if you walk up to a girl in the bar and try to flirt with her, and then her boyfriend appears behind you though it would be funny to see.

9 times out of 10, if she’s a bar girl or working, she’s probably going to approach you first anyway. If she doesn’t, then another bar girl will, and you can simply ask her if the one you have your eye on works there.

9. Don’t Get Possessive If You See Her With Another Guy Next Time

One of the biggest mistakes farangs make is getting attached to a bar girl after a few nights together, then feeling jealous when they see her with another guy the next time they go to the bar.

The truth is, she was never “yours” to begin with. No matter how sweet, affectionate, or into you she seemed, the relationship is part of her job, and you just happened to be the one she worked on. The job continues whether you’re around or not.

Many of these girls rotate between multiple “boyfriends,” sponsors, and shorttime customers without missing a beat.

To each man, they play the role of the loyal girlfriend, the one who wants to quit the bar, or the one who’s only doing this until you save her.

If you see her with a new guy, don’t take it personally she’s just doing her job. There are plenty more options in the bar for you.

Jealousy has no place in this scene. She’s running a business, and you were a customer. The sooner you accept that, the more you’ll enjoy your time in Thailand without turning a night out into an emotional crisis.

10. Never Assume the Girl in the Bar Really Likes You

This one is for the firsttimers in Thailand and not for the ones that have seen it all before.

I’ll try to break it down for you.

The moment you walk into a bar, especially in tourist areas of Bangkok, Pattaya, or Phuket, all eyes will be on you from the girls.

And once you order a drink or sometimes even before you get to order a drink there will be a girl coming to sit with you, trying to chat with you.

Her first goal is to get drinks from you, which are more expensive than a normal drink, as the girl gets a commission from the bar.

Her next plan of attack is to make you think she really does like you and wants you to like her back.

She’ll be saying all sorts to you, such as how handsome you are, how she was nervous talking to you, that she wants to see you again, and all this romantic stuff.

You guys have to remember: This is her job, and her job is to get as much money from you as possible while you’re in Thailand.

She would have been saying the same thing to the customer before you, and she’ll say the same thing to the next customer that comes into the bar.

Sit there, have fun with her if you enjoy her company, spend time with her, and just have a good time.

But don’t leave that bar thinking she likes you anymore than just a customer because she doesn’t.

11. Be Careful Answering Questions in the Bars

When you first get into a bar and a girl has come to sit and talk with you, you’re going to be hit with a flood of questions, which will go something like this:

Where are you from?

Is it your first time in Thailand?

What do you do for work?

Where are you staying?

How long are you in Thailand for?

They’ll ask these questions for one simple reason: to find out how much money you have and how long they have to try and get as much from you as possible.

Don’t get me wrong these girls are fun to drink with but you can’t take your eye off the ball and forget this is work to them.

My advice for when you’re getting asked these questions is to answer like you’re not new to Thailand. Say you’ve been here a few months or you’ve just moved here due to work.

If you’re staying in a hotel, always give a fake hotel name or one that you’re not staying at.

The last thing you want is some crazy bar girl turning up to your hotel, thinking that you want to be in a relationship with her or something and trust me, not all these girls are stable.

So yeah, be careful with what questions you answer and how much detail you share with them. Not everyone has good intentions.

12. Don’t Follow “Helpful Strangers” to a Second Location

This happened to me the first time I came to Thailand very naive to it all and stupidly trusted too easily.

I was in a bar in Bangkok just after it had reopened due to the lockdown. I was on my own and got chatting to a girl in there.

She wasn’t a bar girl, and to the best of my knowledge, she didn’t even work at the bar I was in on Soi 11.

She told me she had come to meet her friend, but her friend canceled at the last minute.

We had a few drinks together, and when it was time to pay, she asked if she could pay the bill because I was nice enough to sit and chat with her after she got stood up.

I didn’t want to be rude, and at that time, the drinks were dirt cheap as there weren’t many tourists due to all the requirements to get into the country.

So I let her pay, and she said that she knew a place more lively and would like to take me there.

Being the naive guy I was, I accepted, and off we went.

She took me to a place that was very far from Soi 11 I had no idea where, and I still don’t to this day.

We had a lot of drinks, and the night was fun. Towards the end, she went to the toilet, and that was the last I saw of her.

I was left to deal with the bill the only problem was the drinks were 500 baht per bottle. Obvious scam.

Clearly, she was in on this scam and would have gotten a cut from the bar, but it is what it is. I learned not to trust people so easily after that.

I’d love to see her out again sometime and confront her, but whatever.

13. Don’t Ignore the Mamasan – She Runs the Show and Can Ruin Your Night

In any Thai bar, especially gogo bars or beer bars, the mamasan is the one that keeps things moving and does a lot of the arranging. She’s not just some older lady sitting in the corner she’s the manager, the protector of the girls, and the person who decides who gets treated well and who doesn’t.

Ignoring her, being rude, or acting like she doesn’t matter is a rookie mistake.

Showing some attention to the mamasan even buying her a drink or two will make your night go smoother and make sure people pay you more attention.

If you like the bar and plan on going back more times, then get friendly with the mamasan. Buy her a drink, and trust me, she’ll remember you next time you go to the bar.

She’ll have the best girls ready and make sure you’re taken care of from drinks to company.

On the flip side, if you cross her, she knows exactly what’s going on with every girl, every customer, and every scam running in her bar. Want to avoid drama? Greet her with a smile, buy her a drink if you’re feeling generous, and never forget: The mamasan doesn’t just run the bar… she runs your night.

14. Don’t Make Future Plans – She Could Be Nutty

A lot of guys that go into a bar and get friendly with a girl get caught up in the moment, and they end up casually saying stupid things like:

“I’ll bring you to my country.”

“Next time I come back, we’ll go to Phuket together.”

To you, it might just be bar talk a bit of a laugh or a polite way to keep the vibe going. But to her, especially if she sees you as a potential sponsor, those words can carry real weight.

The last thing you want is some crazy girl becoming obsessed with you, following you around, constantly watching you in the bar because you said something stupid that gave her hope you might spend on her.

It’s not unheard of for girls to actually show up at the airport, call you nonstop when you land, or expect you to follow through the moment you’re back in Thailand. And if you ghost her or act confused, you’re suddenly the bad guy, and she might not take it quietly.

Keep everything in the bar. Don’t make plans you don’t intend to keep. In this game, false hope can backfire hard. Keep your words casual if your feelings are too.

15. Don’t Go Alone to “Her Friend’s Karaoke Bar”

If a girl you just met in a bar suddenly suggests going to “her friend’s karaoke bar” down the street, that should raise a red flag.

It might sound innocent just a change of scenery but these setups are common. The “friend’s bar” is often in on the game, with high drink prices and food and drinks you never even ordered.

There are a lot of stories out there and warnings online about what happens in these karaoke bars, and if you’re not going to pay, you’re going to be backed into a corner by the bar’s security.

Once you’re inside and alone, you’re on their turf, and the vibe can change fast from fun to financial trap.

The girl that takes you to one of these places gets a cut of what you spend, or the bar charges you ten times the normal price while pretending it’s standard.

You might also end up in a shady venue with no clear exit. Always stay in control of your location, and don’t follow anyone somewhere you haven’t chosen especially if you’re tipsy and alone.

16. Don’t Argue Loudly or Lose Your Temper Thais Value Calm and “Face”

Don’t be one of these loud, obnoxious tourists that cause trouble with locals and other tourists. You’re not cool you’re hated by everyone.

Even in chaotic places like bars, if you raise your voice, argue with staff, or get visibly angry, you’re not just being loud you’re being disrespectful in a way that locals won’t easily forget or forgive.

Depending on where you’re from, it might be a normal thing to argue in bars and cause a scene, but on holiday in Thailand, it’s just purely embarrassing to everyone around you.

Losing your temper, especially as a foreigner, puts you in a bad spot. Bar staff and security will side with each other instantly, and if things escalate, expect a trip to the local hospital.

Even if you’re being overcharged, scammed, or another tourist or local is causing trouble with you, staying calm and speaking politely will get you much further than shouting.

17. Never Leave Your Drink Unattended

This one should go without saying and should be done in every country, but never leave your drink unattended in Thailand.

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again, you’ll see on the news or social media that a tourist has been spiked, robbed, or even worse.

The latest one I saw of this wasn’t in a bar but with a tuktuk driver.

It was the first night in Thailand for this tourist as well. He went out, got a bit worse for wear, and got a tuktuk back to his place at the end of the night.

The driver saw he had a few drinks and offered him a bottle of water to try and sober up.

After the tourist drank it, he woke up the next day in some field or something all his belongings missing: phone, jewelry, wallet, and all that.

Like I said, you don’t hear about this happening that much in Thailand, but to have a good night, always watch your drink and be careful accepting drinks from random people.

18. Don’t Get Overly Drunk – You’re an Easy Target Then

I know it’s easier said than done, and if you’re coming to Thailand with the only reason being the nightlife, then you’re gonna want to go out, drink a lot, and have fun.

But what I mean is, don’t get into a state where someone could easily take advantage of you. You become an easy target.

Scammers, shady people, and people up to no good can see a drunken Westerner a mile away and won’t think twice about trying their luck.

Of course, go out, have a few drinks, have a good time, and do whatever you want really but try to know your limits. When you think you’ve had enough, then you can slow down or simply call it a night.