News Forum - Travel Guide: A brief history of the sex industry in Thailand

[Thaiger]

Thailand is known for many things, but there is one thing that is either commonly joked about or remains hush hush locally. It’s the country’s sex workers and red light districts. There is a fair share of travellers who visit Thailand specifically because they want to experience this ‘vibrant’ side of Thai life. But how did it all start? This is where we take you on a journey and tell you a tale of the Thai sex industry… When waves of US soldiers began arriving on Thailand’s beaches during R&R breaks in the Vietnam War in the 60s and early […]

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[PapayaBokBok]

no money=no honey!

[Soidog]

A good article in terms of tourism sex industry, but it feeds the narrative that Thailand was prostitution free until those pesky Americans turned up in the 60’s. Destroying the purity of the country and destroying its moral values! No mention of the enormous prostitution industry that has existed for many years before the 60’s and has flourished just as much in non - tourist areas of the country since. Countless “karaoke” bars. Short time hotels with the curtains to hide the cars and Host bars for the richer Thai women throughout the country. 
 

As I say, a good article but the title is misleading. It should perhaps read “A brief history of the Tourism sex industry in Thailand. 

[Zorba_the_Geek]

You lost me at "Vietnam War." 

Some history! No mention of the cultural circle of wife "ranks" from "mea noi" down to concubines among the ancient elites.

Or the easily accessible fact that Thai males make up the bulk of prostitutions' customers in Thailand.

Instead, blame it all on GI Joe. And the other "filthy falangs".

Surprised this got past any Editor worth their salt. 

Truth in media sadly lacking in Thailand, and where legally possible, the team at Thaiger should strive to a higher journalistic standard than this article. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by Zorba_the_Geek

[ThaiFoodGuy]

2 hours ago, Zorba_the_Geek said:

Surprised this got past any Editor worth their salt.

I was going to say the same. This is an opinion piece. It should be presented as such.

[Shade_Wilder]

I have traveled extensively in Thailand, as so many members have, and in most (virtually all, to be honest) towns there is a small, shuttered in the daytime, structure which is the local Girl Bar/Hooker Joint/Brothel either on the edge of town or right next door to the local police station (a remarkable coincidence, I am sure).

It is Editorial Malpractice to portray prostitution in Thailand as based on foreigners; the reality is that Thailand has a long history of huge numbers of sex workers, but pretend that they don't. I guess that they can't save their spouses "Face" if they are out paying a young thing for sexual pleasure, so better lie and deceive 'outsiders'.

Thailand; we "Foreigners" know soooooo much more than you think.

[Jaggg88]

This is a common misconception that prostitution started with the GI's R&R during the Vietnam war but this couldn't be further from the truth. About 20 years ago I read a blog/article by the famous Stickman and he explained that prostitution was common cultural practice throughout Thailand long before the GI's turned up. A university study had discovered that the average Thai boy lost his virginity to a local prostitute before the age of 17 in the 20th Century and as others have posted just about every town has pay by the hour hotels and special bars with closed windows.

 

[Grumpish]

1 hour ago, Jaggg88 said:

This is a common misconception that prostitution started with the GI's R&R during the Vietnam war but this couldn't be further from the truth. About 20 years ago I read a blog/article by the famous Stickman and he explained that prostitution was common cultural practice throughout Thailand long before the GI's turned up. A university study had discovered that the average Thai boy lost his virginity to a local prostitute before the age of 17 in the 20th Century and as others have posted just about every town has pay by the hour hotels and special bars with closed windows.

But that doesn't fit the Western PC narrative, so it can't be right. Actually, I remember something similar, it may have been the same source - documented prostitution in Thailand goes back several hundred years, the Japanese collaboration during WWII bought a big increase, and GI's R&R bought it to it's current form (at least for foreigners, the "domestic" industry is probably far larger and is mostly invisible to foreigners). 

[Guest1]

15 hours ago, Soidog said:

A good article in terms of tourism sex industry, but it feeds the narrative that Thailand was prostitution free until those pesky Americans turned up in the 60’s. Destroying the purity of the country and destroying its moral values! No mention of the enormous prostitution industry that has existed for many years before the 60’s and has flourished just as much in non - tourist areas of the country since. Countless “karaoke” bars. Short time hotels with the curtains to hide the cars and Host bars for the richer Thai women throughout the country. 
 

As I say, a good article but the title is misleading. It should perhaps read “A brief history of the Tourism sex industry in Thailand. 

Right, it started way before 

"When waves of US soldiers began arriving on Thailand’s beaches during R&R breaks in the Vietnam War in the ’60s and early ’70s" 

These waves just made it way more profitable for the girls, as in the local brothels. Also the US-Soldiers created somehow Pattaya as Sex-Capitol-City (in Thailand) at that time. And: The world saw it,  which started the sextourism. Still expensive, flying wasn't cheap in the 60/70's

Aside, the numbers of service girls, that are "face" numbers, at best

 

[Vigo]

Yes, there has always been sexploitation in Thailand, just as it has existed elsewhere. However,  prostitution  as a  large scale business  really did take off until the arrival of foreigners. It was the foreigners and GIs who had the money to spend lavishly such that the organized flesh trade because the juggernaut that it is.  The smallscale brothels referred to in this thread do not generate the profits that the specialized hostess bars that cater to NE Asians. It is not unusual for a Japanese or Korean big shot to drop 100,000 baht in a few hours. The typical rural brothel is lucky to generate 1000 baht profit in a night.  Thailand wasn't poisoned with the preponderance of low class brothel type operations called beer bars until the Vietnam era.  

[BCC]

The in-your-face image of girls luring men into their bars on Cowboy, etc is only a slice of the "industry". The real money and the highest quality girls, i suspect, are in the Thai and Asian-centered clubs where the big money lives. Most tourists and middle class expats wouldn't last long in those establishments with their exclusivity and high price tags. 

[Fenderstrat]

In the days before the expressway from DMK the taxi would cut through Sutthisan. There were hundreds of "coffee shops" with a couple of girls in the window just like Amsterdam. The largest massage parlour, the one with the no foreigner allowed sign, was reckoned to have more girls working than Nana, Cowboy and Patpong combined. My good Thai buddy once took me to his private members club. I was stunned by the stunners. Beer was only 400 baht a pop.

[dbrenn]

On 4/28/2022 at 11:54 AM, Soidog said:

A good article in terms of tourism sex industry, but it feeds the narrative that Thailand was prostitution free until those pesky Americans turned up in the 60’s. Destroying the purity of the country and destroying its moral values! No mention of the enormous prostitution industry that has existed for many years before the 60’s and has flourished just as much in non - tourist areas of the country since. Countless “karaoke” bars. Short time hotels with the curtains to hide the cars and Host bars for the richer Thai women throughout the country. 
 

As I say, a good article but the title is misleading. It should perhaps read “A brief history of the Tourism sex industry in Thailand. 

Very true. The Thai sex industry was around long before the Americans arrived for R&R. The title of the article should be "A brief history of the sex tourist industry in Thailand".