Built by someone who has lived in both worlds
SawasdeeLife is run by Health Vitality Co. Ltd, a Thailand-registered company founded and led by Vanisa Bulpakdi.
Vanisa's story
Vanisa Bulpakdi is a Thai-Australian dual citizen — a native Thai speaker who is also fluent in English, and someone who has genuinely lived on both sides of the experience SawasdeeLife is built around.
Before founding SawasdeeLife, Vanisa ran a TEFL internship program in Bangkok, managing groups of young foreigners living, working, and travelling together in Thailand for months at a time. That experience — helping people settle in, find their feet, deal with the unexpected, and build a community of friends in a new country — is the foundation of how SawasdeeLife works today.
Vanisa is based in Australia, where she runs information and screening sessions for people considering a program, and travels regularly to Thailand to lead the launch of SawasdeeLife's founding cohorts — building the community from the ground up. The SawasdeeLife team, based in Hua Hin, delivers the day-to-day program support once clients are settled in.
She founded SawasdeeLife after noticing the same pattern again and again: Australians nearing or in retirement who loved the idea of spending part of the year in Thailand, but who held back — not because of the cost or the logistics, but because of the thought of doing it alone.
— Vanisa Bulpakdi, Founder & Managing Director
What makes us different
Australian-focused
Every program is designed specifically around the needs, expectations, and concerns of Australians aged 55–75 — not adapted from a generic international package.
Thailand-based and Thai-speaking
We're not a travel agent overseas selling a Thailand product. We're based in Thailand, we speak the language, and we deal directly with local landlords, hospitals, and authorities on your behalf.
Real experience managing foreign groups
Vanisa's background running a foreigner internship program in Bangkok means she has genuinely done this before — managing the day-to-day of a group of people living together in Thailand.
The cohort community model
We're not aware of another operator combining all of the above with a cohort model — small groups of Australians moving and living together, by design, to solve the loneliness problem head-on.
A named local team, not a call centre
If something comes up while you're in Hua Hin, you're not calling an overseas hotline. You're contacting people you've already met — on the Welcome Tour, at orientation, and throughout your stay.
- Support available Monday–Saturday, 8am–8pm Bangkok time
- A local team who can accompany you to appointments, viewings, or the hospital
- Direct lines of communication established from day one of the Welcome Tour
Sue — Operations Lead
Sue keeps the behind-the-scenes running smoothly — accommodation shortlists, vendor relationships, visa paperwork, and making sure every arrival goes as planned. She's the person who has already sorted things out before you even knew they needed sorting.
Yui — Client Care Lead
Yui is the person most of our clients talk to most often. She knows your name, remembers what you mentioned in your first call, and is there when you just need someone to help sort something out. She's on the ground in Hua Hin throughout your stay.
The company behind SawasdeeLife
SawasdeeLife is a trading name of Health Vitality Co. Ltd, registered in Thailand (Registration No. 0125568014875).
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