I'm flying to Vietnam tomorrow. My original plan was to get a tourist visa at the Hanoi embassy but the available appointments for next week all disappeared when it was time to book (I moved too slowly!). Decided to go Vietnam anyway and return on a visa exemption.
Does this mean I might actually be able to apply for a visa? My return flight is on Friday 11th so I realise I may be cutting it too short
People come to Thailand on more than 2 visa exemptions a year. I know the website says that but it doesn't reflect the reality of what people are doing all the time here.
The general rule (written or not) has in recent years been 2 visa exemptions via land border a year, and unlimited visa exemptions by air BUT you'll always be at the mercy of the immigration officer and can be turned away if you're thought to be abusing the visa exemption scheme.
I always book the cheapest flight out of Thailand. If you go on Skyscanner you can set your destination as "Everywhere" and it will show you the cheapest flights to neighbouring countries. It's usually Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam etc.