Best visa service in BKK - ED visa or Muay thai visa ?

The bank transfer thing is the part I'd push back on. Any legit agent in Bangkok will let you pay at their office, and plenty will take cash in baht. The ones who insist on a transfer before you've sat down with them are usually brokers who don't actually process anything themselves, they just pass your paperwork to a school and take a cut.

On the price, 76k for 15 months is on the low side but not crazy. The ED visa itself runs through a language school, and the school fee plus the agent's markup is what you're paying. Muay Thai visas work the same way, the gym has to be a registered school, and most of the well known gyms on Sukhumvit or out near Ramkhamhaeng handle the paperwork directly. If you go straight to the gym you can often skip the agent entirely and save 20 to 30k.

One thing to check before handing over anything: whether the visa is a real 15 month ED or a series of 3 month extensions you have to keep redoing at Immigration on Chaeng Wattana. Ask them directly. If they get vague, walk.

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76k is actually reasonable for 15 months if it's a real language school visa. I did mine through a school on Asoke, paid 68k cash at their office, no transfer needed. The trick is they'll want you to actually show up for class sometimes, at least on paper, so pick a school near where you live or you'll hate the commute.

For muay thai visa specifically, most gyms in Bangkok that offer it are legit but the visa length is usually shorter, like 8 to 12 months, not 15. So if the 15 month timeline matters to you, ED through a language school is prob the safer bet.

Also fwiw immigration at Chaeng Wattana has gotten stricter about ED extensions lately, they check attendance records more now. Ask whichever agent you pick how they handle that, if they shrug it off thats a red flag.

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avoid thailand visa guys tbh, the transfer before meeting anyone is the scam setup. if u want muay thai just walk into a gym that does the visa direct, like sitsongpeenong or a few on sukhumvit soi 26ish, they sort the paperwork themselves & u pay the school not a middleman. ask them upfront if u actually gotta train or just show up for photos, some gyms are chill about it & some will boot u if u never come

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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