The knowledge of Thailand products
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Shopping Treasures
In the wake of unprecedented economic growth, Thailand has become one of Southeast Asia's most popular shopping centres. With a host of department stores, smart plazas, and exclusive shops, Bangkok has now joined Singapore and Hong Kong as a mecca for the dedicated shopper.
With commodities as well as markets becoming more sophisticated, the serious shopper can expect to find not only Thailand's well-known host of handicrafts, but also a good choice of genuine luxury buys. Notably, Bangkok offers excellent opportunities for purchasing silk, gems and jewellery, and collector-quality Oreintal antiques.
Thai silk is perhaps the country's best known quality product, available in an enormous range of colours, designs and widths. Not only does this fabulous material lend itself to haute couture, it is also ideal for curtains, wall coverings, and other interior design uses. Silk can be bought by the length, as tailormade outfits, or in a huge variety of accessories and decorative items.
Thai, Chinese, Burmese, and Khmer antiques are further excellent buys. If you spend the time to look around and shop wisely it is possible to find items of museum quality. There is an export ban on certain pieces, while some others require an export license, but any reputable dealer will advise on restrictions and any necessary documentation.
Bangkok is not, of course, all serious shopping an on the fun side inveterate browsers will enjoyinjg the city's numerous traditional markets. Pak Kong Talaat, for example, overflows in tropical fruits, fabulous flowers and fresh produce of all kinds. The Weekend Market, on the other hand, is packed with stalls selling just about everything from pootted plants to pets, from yesterday's antiques to the latest pop T-shirts. Alternatively, street stalls mushroom nightly along Silom Road and other major thoroughfares to offer a colourful array of fun buys.
As a final note on shopping, bear in mind that while fixed prices are the norm in department stores and some of Bangkok's larger shops, bargaining is not only acceptable, but also expected at most other places. There are no hard-and fast rules for bargaining, but patience and a broad smile will serve you well in enjoying shopping as an art.
Thai export products
From being an agricultural nation, today Thailand is moving to join the rank of the newly-industrialized countries (NICs). Manufacturing has now become the leading factor in Thai economy. Due to its abundance of natural resources, fertile land and ideal growing conditions, Thailand's exports have enjoyed an impressive growth in recent years.
Apparently, in the past 10-20 years Thailand was an exporter of traditional products, now the country has shifted from being a main exporter of agricutlural and lavour-intensive products to skill-intensive and sophisticated products involving higher technological development. Actually, this successful shift was partly due to the inflow of foreign investment especially from Japan. There is a trend that new waves of foreign investment will continue to flood into Thailand.
Today,among Thailand's top manufactured export products are: textiles and garments, gems and jewellery, crafts,leather goods and footwear, computer and components, integrated circuits, plastic products, toys, electronics and electrical appliances, and automobiles.
In fact, Thailand's remarkable achievements in her export performance are due to its competitiveness in terms of price and quality, backed up by skilled, flexible and efficient labour force.