Abstract

If you visited Bangkok a decade ago, you would not be able to recognize it today. The skyscrapers are all different and the hotels that were new back then are now renamed and retrofitted. There is a still a strong buzz in the usual entertainment districts. The usual academic haunts at Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University are very much the same. The academics are still very political about their views and not worried about lese majeste laws as they were ten years ago. If you visited Singapore a decade ago you would certainly be unable to recognize it in 2023. Singapore is famous for being new. Even if you visited two years ago, you may not be able to recognize it today. So, what has changed and why should we compare the two cities? Why do I think that any comparison would reveal a clash of cultures? The method used in this paper was non-participant observation from June 1-8, 2023.

Keywords: Cultures, Singapore, Thailand, Hotels