Air Quality in Hua Hin

[keke]

After many years of enjoying the Pattaya scene my last few years have been getting more and more difficult due mainly to the air quality in Pattaya. The combination of the Map Ta Phut industrial area, too many vehicles choking the Pattaya streets and the usual bush and garbage burning has caused Pattaya air quality to deteriorate to a harmful level in my opinion. There is a haze hanging over the city on most days and many people including myself are constantly getting sore throats, heavy chests and nasty coughs.

With that in mind I am doing some research on a new location to enjoy some golf, fine weather and a bit of evening entertainment. Every Jan and Feb I like to go to Thailand to escape the brutal Canadian winter.

I would appreciate if some Hau Hin regulars could comment on the air quality there specially as it compares to Bangkok and Pattaya.

[kendo]

Hi Keke welcome to our forum. Please read the T's and C's and have a good look around on here it will really add value to a visit to Hua Hin.
Although not a golfer myself I think there's nine top class golf courses around Hua Hin.
The air quality will be far better in your winter months you get a strong prevailing wind across the gulf of Thailand that's why kite boarding is very popular here, and you also get a nice cooling breeze of the mountains.

Also a good starting point to meet fellow Canadians is go to the U-turn bar down Soi Binterbaht, the owner works on golf tours all around Asia. I have got to know at least six Canadian long stayers for about nine years that are mad keen golfers escaping your crazy weather good bunch of guys.

Ask golfing questions in the relevant forum and you will find all the information you need. Kendo.

[Gérard]

After BKK, Pattaya is certainly the worst city in Thailand and there are many industrial estates beginning only 15 km north, around Laem Chabang deep sea port, much closer than Map Ta Phut (50 km south-east).
Huahin is much better, no doubt, far from big industrial estates, but still a thriving city with much traffic, not the cleanest place if you choose to live in town.

[HHTel]

I think you'll find that the worst air quality is in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. Mae Hong Son was recently reported with an Air Quality Index of 219. Anything above 100 is unacceptable. 219 is at an emergency level and will affect the whole population there. Of course this isn't caused by industry but by wildfires and happens every year, each year being worse than the previous year.

[Gérard]

HHTel is quite right, the city of Chiangmai is bad for your health, especially from end of january when they begin to burn the fields everywhere in the North. I visited the North a few times in November/December and it was OK, but one time in March, it was awful.
Pattaya will be the same all the year round.

[Spitfire]

This site gives real time air quality stats in a few places, not only in Thailand but all over Asia. It looks like there isn't an official air quality measurement device in Hua Hin yet but I'd guess the quality of air is reasonably good due to the large amount of land that is owned by the armed forces and a very famous residents that really likes the place. The site does do quite a few places in the north, south and central areas of Thailand though.

For what it's worth.........pick your place and zoom in on the map,

http://aqicn.org/map/

[SamAndrews]

It's a lot worse in Chiang Mai. Slash and burn and choke.

[Gérard]

I was surprised to see that vehicle in Pattaya nearly 5 years ago (it belongs to Pattaya municipality).

AIR QUALITY MONITORING

[Name Taken]

The air quality in Bangkok and Pattaya is usually pretty bad, I take a Strepsils lozenge everynight to prevent sore throat.

[keke]

The air quality in Bangkok and Pattaya is usually pretty bad, I take a Strepsils lozenge everynight to prevent sore throat.

This year during my 6 weeks I had 3 different sore throats and I developed a nasty cough that stayed with my for the entire trip. It was very frustrating. Last year I had problems but this year it was worse. I noticed a lot of people with the same raspy cough as I had at the resort I was staying at,so I know I was not alone with these symptoms.

[socal5252]

This is one of reasons I joined here, you need a set of iron lungs to live in BKK, CM, and now at least for me I'm having to cross PTY off my list. Suffered a very bad respitory infection last time in PTY, seemed like everywhere I walked there was a Chinese tour bus with those exhaust pipes the diameter of a bowling ball aimed right at your face.

Sounds like HH (as I've never been) is a much kinder place for air quality.