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If you are an experienced long stayer in Thailand, you know how visa runs can get on your nerves. Although studying at Koh Samui Language School lets you enjoy all the benefits of an ED visa, sometimes you do need to go out of the country. For example, you have to leave Thailand to get your first ED visa, in case you didn’t do that before coming here, or to get a new ED visa if you want to study another language and stay here for another year.

Get a visa, travel and explore!

While Penang in Malaysia is the most popular destination for a visa run from Koh Samui, there are other places to look at.

Our students have had a positive experience in getting a visa in Thai embassy in Hanoi, the magnificent capital of Vietnam, so now we can recommend it as a good alternative.

How to get there?

There are direct AirAsia flights from Bangkok and connecting flights from Surat Thani available for about 3500THB and 7000THB respectively.

Thai Consulate in Hanoi

85 Ly Thuong Kiet Str., Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Working hours: Mon – Fri 8:30 –12:00

Thai consulate in Hanoi is located within walking distance from the Lake of the Restored Sword, which is one of the popular attractions in the city. So, once you are done with all your visa paperwork, you can go sightseeing right away.

What to see?

Hanoi is one of the most ancient capitals in the world and boasts beautiful colonial architecture,  peaceful pagodas, excellent cuisine and a unique spirit.  Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of rumbling and rattling of its entangled narrow streets and don’t forget to taste the famous pho bo!

Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword)

It is located in the historical centre of Hanoi and is a focal point for its public life. Take a stroll in the shade of sprawling trees along the shore and don’t miss the Temple of the Jade Mountain on Jade Island.

Old Quarter

Swarming with scooters, cyclists, pedestrians and sidewalk vendors, Old Quarter is probably the most unforgettable area in Hanoi. Get ready to face local hectic traffic and enjoy the excitement of this truly historic and yet lively place. It is here that you will find the best pho bo (beef noodle soup) and spring rolls in the city.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square is one of the most visited attractions in Hanoi. It is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, the most iconic and popular leader in Vietnam.

Lenin Park

On the way from the Hoan Kiem Lake to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, in Dien Bien Phu street, you can see a big statue of V.I. Lenin, a Russian communist revolutionary. Surprising, isn’t it?

Long Bien Bridge

Long Bien Bridge is a historic cantilever bridge across the Red River and is 1.68 kilometres long! It was heavily bombarded during Vietnam War, the evidence of which can still be seen despite the restoration. Now it is a great place where you can take a long walk, contemplate the beauty of the Red River and its banks and get absorbed in your thoughts as the water and motorbikes go by.

We hope, this information will come in handy if you decide to go to Hanoi.

If you have travelled to Hanoi for a visa (or just for fun), please, share your experience in the comments.

Koh Samui Language Schools

 

Look! here we found really useful school comparison list It’s in Russian, so we translated it into English.

Many people go to Thailand not only to relax, but also to learn something new.
This article explores options for learning languages on Koh Samui. 

 

By studying at a school in Thailand you can be granted a student visa, which is convenient in allowing you to live in Thailand for a longer period of time than a normal tourist visa. If a child’s parents study in Koh Samui, the child can also obtain a visa known as a Non-O visa, which is a visa for an accompanying family member. 

 

In order to get an education visa, you just need to follow a few simple steps. First and foremost, you must determine the school that you will attend. We will give you all the inside information in this article to help you make an informed choice. Once you have chosen your school, they will provide you with all the documents for the necessary visa and then you can get your head down and start learning. 

 

Below is a list of schools in Koh Samui that are licensed by the MOI (Ministry of Education), whereby admission into the school allows you to obtain a student visa. At the time of writing, July 2017, it was possible to find information about 7 schools issuing education visas in Koh Samui. Of these schools: 

  • Thai solutions has already closed 
  • Walen is closing due to financial loss and is not accepting any new students 
  • The school of Joy is under threat of visa being cancelled due to the sale of documents for an education visa without providing real lessons 

 

The information for each of the researched schools can be found below, followed by a price comparison table. 

 

Koh Samui Language and Vocational School


Address: 11/8, Moo 1, Maenam, Koh Samui, Surat Thani, 84330, Thailand,
tel. 077 248228077 248228 and 086 947 2883086 947 2883
In Maenam opposite store “75”
Website – http://kstvs.com/  
Group on vk – https://vk.com/kstvs 
Page on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kstvs 
Page on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kstvs/  


KSTVS are the oldest school on the island. They have the most students of all the schools and are recommended by the immigration office on Koh Samui. They are the only school on the island who regularly post training content in English, including video reviews from their students. 


Mind Your Language


Web site – mindyourlanguagethailand.com/ 
Address: 142/7 Moo 1, Bophut, Koh Smui, Surat Thani 84320
Working hours:  Monday-Saturday 9-18
Sunday: Closed
Phone: 077 962 088


Samui Language School

Samui Language School
Website: www.samuilanguageschool.com/ 
Address: 142 / 24-25, Moo 4, T. Maret, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84310 Working hours:
Working Hours: Monday to Saturday  9-18
Sunday: Closed
Phone: 077 960 103

 

A New Language School


Address: 123/152 Moo 1, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320
Working hours: Monday-Saturday 9-18
Sunday: Closed 
Phone: 077 426 981 

 

 

Walen


A branch of a famous network of language schools in Thailand.
You can learn Thai, English, Chinese, and Spanish.
Address: 17 / 11-12 Bophut Road,
telephone +66 (0) 77 310 724 + 66 (0) 77 310 724 and 077310-725,
e-mail: [email protected]
The general site of this network of schools is http: www.thaiwalen.com/?lang=en 

The school is not accepting new students and is sending new students to KSTVS. All existing students will finish their paid courses. 


The School of Joy


Web site – www.theschoolofjoysamui.com
Address: Surat Thani, Donsak Pier – Koh Samui,  Tambon Bophut
Working hours: Monday – Saturday  9-18
Sunday: Closed 
Phone: 077 960 776 

According to rumors, there is a risk of visas being cancelled for those buying visas only and not attending real classes. During the last two inspections, the officers did not see any classes at the school and were not satisfied.

 

 

We spoke with a student who is currently registered with The School of Joy. They told us: 

“If you are not going to study, but just want to get a visa, the price is only 15,000 baht”

We also spoke with the immigration department who, in accordance with the law, stated: 

“The minimum standard for obtaining an annual visa is 400 hours of training. If requirements are not met, visas will be cancelled” 

Please view the table below for a comparison of the cost of education in language schools in Koh Samui. They take into account the individual features of pricing and duration of studies in different schools in Koh Samui. For ease of comparison, it is displayed as the cost of education per hour (60 minutes) in THB.

Lt Gen Sakda Chepakdee, high ranking member of the recent Coup and currently acting commissioner in charge of Thai immigration has recently confirmed that Russians can in fact enter Thailand as often as they like, under the last agreement between Russia and Thailand on visa exemption rules.

After the Russian foreign Ministry recently responded to the new changing of the ‘border run’ rules, by stating that Russia and Thailand have a ‘specific’ agreement which states that Russian citizens may enter Thailand visa-free as often as they like, each time using the free 30 day entry stamp, since the agreement has not been deemed invalid by either the Thai or Russian government. Effectively this allows Russians to continue to use the recently banned “out-in” border runs, and they can use it “as many times as they like”.

However this comes with a gentle reminder that the rules are being strongly followed since the Coup, with Gen Sakda adding that “They need to show proof that they are entering for tourism purposes”, a gentle reminder that anyone in the country live or working on a tourist visa will be routed out. Going on to say “We have found that [a lot] do not come for tourism purposes. Lots of them are working illegally and are doing ‘out-in’ visa runs”… in order to carry on living and working illegally in the Kingdom.

Despite Russia and Thailand’s ‘close’ friendship, Gen Sakda points out that Russians will have to follow the rules like everyone else, and nothing was agreed which states Russians will not undergo the same entry tests as everyone else. With Lt Somchai Jitsa’ngop, Deputy Commander of immigration point out that, “the normal conditions for tourists who want to travel in Thailand apply. Russia is not a special case. If Russian tourists want to travel in Thailand, they have to ask.”

The rules clearly state that the re-entering Russian ‘tourist’ will have to show proof of hotel bookings and sufficient funds to support themselves while in county, if they do not have this they will not be allowed in. Lt Somchai mentioning that “Tourists can come to Thailand but they have to inform us about their accommodation plans.” This type of strong, rule following talk is typical of the governing body since the overthrowing of the last government, which Thailand under their rule was thought to be ‘corrupt’.

We will just have to wait and see what happens to this agreement, most likely the temporary Thai government won’t interfere with any prior international agreements or treaties, but instead clamp down on the illegal actions, a noble course of action the military have claimed to be their main ambition of their Coup-de-tar.