Is it worth having two bank accounts?

honestly just keep the bangkok bank account open for the scholarship, it's a pain to update that with the uni or government. kbank is super common for students though, most places near a university have their ATMs and the app is easy. you'll probably end up using kbank for daily stuff and bangkok bank for the scholarship deposits, plenty of people here run two accounts like that. if you close the bangkok bank and the scholarship finally kicks in, you'll be stuck waiting for them to fix the account info which could take months

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keep both, but for a practical reason. kbank is a pain for international transfers and the app can be buggy when linking to scholarship accounts. bangkok bank handles that stuff smoother and their swift code is more widely recognized. if the scholarship ever starts paying out, you'll want to keep that bangkok bank account active anyway since changing bank details with thai uni admin is a bureaucratic quagmire. just leave 200 baht in the bangkok bank account and use kbank for the student id stuff, then transfer whatever you need between them via promptpay which is free and instant

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dont close the bangkok bank account yet, especially if the scholarship is supposed to hit it eventually. changing bank details with a thai university admin office is like pulling teeth, they'll lose the form three times and ask for a new signature in triplicate. keep like 200 baht in there to avoid dormancy fees and just let it sit.

kbank is actually better if you use the kplus app for promptpay and paying bills online, their interface is way smoother than bangkok bank's. also if your uni is near a kbank branch you can prob get the student account opened same day if you bring your passport and the new student id letter. just tell them you're a student and they'll waive the minimum balance requirement.

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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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