This is Niall Mackay, The Podcast Guy. I’m the founder of Seven Million Bikes Podcasts. Besides podcasting, traveling is also one of my favorite hobbies, so I share my stories and experiences about Vietnam on A Vietnam Podcast. But in this series, I share our trip to Vietnam’s neighbor, Thailand.
This is our 6th day there, Adrie and I continued exploring different parts of the country and some of the must-see attractions. Follow us and watch the video about the sunset, night market, and we will also spot some differences between Thailand and Vietnam.
Sunset at Two Huts, Pai – The most stunning ever
We made it to another sunset spot in Pai called Two Huts. We’d read that it could get a bit busy, but not too crowded. That wasn’t exactly true—every tourist in Pai was there. It was absolutely packed. But to be fair, I could see why. The sunset was unreal.
Honestly, it was even better than the night before, and that one was already epic. I didn’t even think it could get better—but it did. The view was stunning. Then we decided to wind down with this sunset—and wow, it didn’t disappoint.
Adrie and I sat there for ages, just watching the sky change.
One tip I learned from photographers: The best part of the sunset often comes over an hour after the sun actually dips below the horizon.
Most people don’t wait for that part. They see the sun go down and think it’s over. But if you hang around, the colours get even deeper and more dramatic.
I kept looking away and then back again, and each time it had changed. It just kept getting better. Cameras really couldn’t capture how beautiful it was. We’ve seen a lot of sunsets on this trip, and in life, to be honest. But this one might have been the best so far.
It’s funny how something that happens every day can still feel magical when you’re travelling. On holiday, we plan our days around sunrise and sunset. Even in Saigon, we get some pretty nice ones, but there’s something about the skies in Southeast Asia. I remember our first trip to Bangkok—seeing the sun at the end of a street, bright red in the sky. It felt special.
And tonight? Not a single cloud. The clearest sky we’d seen so far, which made the whole thing even more stunning. We just stood there, wrapped up warm in the cold mountain air, watching the colours shift across the horizon. Moments like that remind me why I love to travel.
Watch our sun rise experience:
Night Market Food – A Must in Thailand
- Night Market in Pai
On one of our last nights in Pai, we finally gave in and tried this little food stall right in front of 7-Eleven. We’d been eyeing it up for three days every time we passed by. It always looked busy, and everything smelled amazing. So we said, “Let’s just do it.” And wow—we were not disappointed.
We grabbed a seat and ordered a plate full of khao soi. It only cost 50 baht, which is about a dollar fifty. So cheap, and so tasty. Adrie said it was even better than some of the other khao sois we’d had earlier in the trip.
- Another one in Chiang Rai
We wandered through the night market again, and this time we found something we hadn’t had yet on this trip—chicken satay skewers. One of our all-time favourites. They were incredible. Juicy, full of flavour, and served with cucumbers and sauce. We only ordered 10, but we could have easily eaten 50. I totally get why they sell them in such big portions.
After that, we finally went for that pint of Guinness. Honestly, I couldn’t remember what it was meant to taste like, but it was good. Really good. It was funny sitting in a chilly Thai night market, sipping Guinness like we were back in a pub somewhere.
Thai and Vietnamese food: Which is better?
The Drive Back (and the Bike Upgrade We Needed)
The next day, we left Pai and headed back to Chiang Mai to catch a bus to Chiang Rai. But before that, we had to deal with the bike.
The motorbike we had before—honestly, it was a bit of a lemon. Not a real lemon, but it had the power of one. We could barely make it up hills, and with all the curves on the road (there are 762 turns on the Pai road, by the way), it just wasn’t cutting it.
We stopped to get a hot drink—Thai milk tea—because it was absolutely freezing. Like proper cold. We were wrapped up in scarves, masks, jackets… everything we had. But the views made it worth it. Mountains, mist, even a group of random horses walking by. It was a beautiful moment.
Thankfully, earlier that morning, we managed to swap out our bike for a 150cc automatic. And what a difference. We finally had some power. We could actually keep momentum on the hills and curves, which made the ride smoother (and safer). Honestly, if we hadn’t swapped bikes, I don’t think we would’ve made it up the first hill.
Pro tip: If you’re renting a motorbike for two people in Pai, don’t get a 125cc—you’ll regret it. Go for 150cc or more. Trust me.
Thailand vs Vietnam – Same, Same But Different
As we travelled more through Thailand, we started noticing a bunch of little things that were really different from Vietnam. Some of them were small but interesting, and others were just straight-up strange (at least to us).
- The first one: Ice.
In Thailand, you actually have to pay extra if you want ice in your drink. It’s usually about 10 baht more for the iced version, which makes sense, I guess—ice costs money, and most places don’t freeze it themselves. They get it delivered. Still, it caught us off guard. In Vietnam, ice is just ice—they put it in everything, and you never get charged for it.
- National Pride
Another big difference is how each country shows national pride. In Vietnam, you see pictures of Ho Chi Minh everywhere—on buildings, in schools, even in shops. He’s kind of like the “father of the nation.” In Thailand, it’s all about the King. You see portraits of him on every road, in almost every store. It’s clear how much respect people have for him. So yeah, same kind of idea—but really different in how it’s shown.
- The writing
Then there’s the writing. In Vietnam, even if you don’t speak the language, the alphabet is familiar. It’s based on Roman letters, so you can at least recognize street names or menu items. But in Thailand? Totally different script. Beautiful, but impossible for us to read. Unless something is written in English too, we’ve got no clue what it says.
Road signs were another example. In Vietnam, we’ve lived there long enough to know what some of the Vietnamese signs mean, even if we don’t speak the language fluently. But in Thailand, the road signs are just a bunch of curly shapes and loops to us. I’m sure locals and long-term expats learn them, but for short-term visitors, it’s tough.
- Helmet-wearing culture
And finally, there’s the helmet situation. In Saigon, nearly everyone wears a helmet. Whether it’s good quality or not is another question (some look like toys), but still, people wear them. In Thailand, especially around Pai, we saw so many people not wearing helmets. Tourists, locals—it doesn’t matter. Even on highways. It really baffled me.
Surprisingly, helmets are legally required in Thailand. It’s just not enforced much.
- The smell on the street
Another difference we noticed: Thailand smells a bit… rough. Chiang Mai wasn’t too bad, but Chiang Rai had that same smell we remembered from Bangkok. Kind of like sewage. We figured out it’s because their wastewater isn’t in pipes—it runs under covered concrete, but you can still smell it. In Saigon, you don’t really get that, unless you’re near a dumpster or a garbage truck. So yeah, Vietnam wins on smell.
Conclusion
Travelling through Thailand keeps reminding us just how different it is from Vietnam, even though they’re right next door. From food to language to traffic rules (or the lack of them), it’s all part of the adventure.
Whether you’re a Vietnamese or a traveller, go and watch the series about Thailand or other episodes about Vietnam, to understand more about the wonderful Asia countries.