Why nobody talks about coworking space noise levels in Southeast Asia

I tried working from a popular coworking spot in Chiang Mai last month thinking it would be perfect. The WiFi was fast and the coffee was cheap, but the noise was way worse than I expected. People take calls right at their desks without headphones and the staff plays loud pop music all afternoon. I ended up getting almost nothing done for two days straight. What I learned is that I need to check a place out in person during busy hours before committing. A quiet cafe with slower internet actually worked better for me in the end. Has anyone else had trouble finding quiet workspaces in places like Thailand or Vietnam?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahj492d ago

Yeah cafes are way quieter in my experience.

ward.diana2d ago

My friend actually tried one of those social coworking spots in Bali once and ended up leaving after an hour because someone was live streaming next to her. Cafes are definitely the safer bet for peace and quiet.

beng512d ago

Wait, did you try checking what kind of coworking space it was first? From my experience, the popular ones in Chiang Mai that blast loud music and let people take calls at their desks are usually the social type, not the quiet work type. I made the same mistake in Bangkok once and learned to look for spaces that specifically advertise as "quiet zones" or "library style" coworking. The social ones are great for meeting people but terrible for getting actual work done. If you go during a busy time and see people wearing headphones and not talking, you're probably in the right spot. The quiet cafe route can work but the internet can be spotty, which is a trade off.