You don’t expect a lesson on sustainable business to begin with a pub crawl and end with a royal blessing. Yet that’s exactly what our trip to Thailand delivered. A unique combination of formal learning and cultural wonder. What started as a study trip evolved into an experience filled with company visits, history, and spontaneous discoveries. With twenty students, we departed under the guidance of the StudyTour Committee of Asset | Financials to Bangkok to investigate how the textile industry, deeply rooted in Tilburg as well, operates within the globalized economy of Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on sustainability. What we encountered went beyond business models and sustainability data. We discovered how culture shapes business, how history can feel unexpectedly close, and how a cooking class or a ceremony can sometimes teach more than a lecture hall. This was no ordinary excursion, but a lesson in global thinking, economic interdependence, and human difference.
Why Bangkok? The Context of the Trip
The choice of Bangkok was no coincidence. The city plays an increasingly important role in high-end textile production for the international fashion industry, an interesting counterpart to Tilburg, which has a historical connection to textiles. This shared sectoral background formed the starting point of our exploration. During the trip, we engaged with organizations that combine Thai traditions with international orientation. This provided insight into current themes such as labor, production, and sustainability within a completely different context. The trip also offered the chance to experience how business and collaboration take shape in another culture, sometimes fundamentally different, sometimes surprisingly familiar.
Business in Bangkok: Learning to Do Business in a Different Culture
During our trip, we spoke with various organizations shaping Thailand’s economic landscape, including the Dutch Embassy, the Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Baker Tilly Thailand, Mahanakorn Partners, the Investory Museum, and Chulalongkorn University. Each visit provided a new perspective on doing business in Thailand. What stood out immediately was the hierarchical business culture. Decisions come from the top and are rarely contested, not from ignorance, but from respect and a desire for harmony. While open debate is common in the Netherlands, the Thai style requires patience and sensitivity to indirect communication. HR policies also differ. Employees often belong to a close-knit “company community,” with strong loyalty and staff retention, even when economic benefit is limited. Stability here often outweighs efficiency. This approach is also evident in the Thai textile sector, which, contrary to our expectations, is not focused on large-scale mass production, but rather on the high-end segment. Quality, design, and collaboration with international fashion houses are central. Sustainability is on the rise, particularly among young and internationally-oriented entrepreneurs, though it still doesn’t hold the same priority as in Europe. For students in finance, economics, and accounting, this offered valuable insights, from business models to intercultural communication and implicit decision-making. The Thai labor market also appeared open to Western professionals, with strong demand for financial expertise. In this way, theory and practice converged, making it clear how closely economy and culture are intertwined.
Culture & History: The Informal but Unforgettable Side
In addition to the formal program, the trip offered ample space for informal activities, moments that proved just as educational and memorable. From temple visits and cooking classes to spontaneous group evenings. Each element contributed to our understanding of Thailand. During a cooking workshop, we learned that Thai dishes like pad thai and green curry are surprisingly simple to prepare. What started as a tourist activity became a lesson in teamwork and local customs, through scent, taste, and rhythm. Early in the trip, we visited temples and the royal palace. The richness of detail and the serene atmosphere stood in stark contrast to modern Bangkok and raised questions about religion, power, and tradition. Shortly afterward, we attended the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, where the Thai king inaugurates the rice season. This gave the event a solemn, almost spiritual significance. Near the end of the trip, we visited Kanchanaburi, where the history of the Burma Railway and the fate of Dutch prisoners of war left a deep impression. What at first seemed like a tourist site turned out to be a poignant reminder of war and connectedness. Informal group moments, from pub crawls to exploring the nightlife, also played a significant role. Outside the formal program, there was space to relax and get to know each other better. These moments strengthened the group dynamic and completed the experience
What This Trip Taught Us
A study trip like this confronts you with more than just economic structures or sustainability issues. You experience how deeply culture is woven into business operations, communication, and decision-making, and how that affects your functioning as a future professional. One of the most striking insights was the role of hierarchy. While equality and direct communication are standard in the Netherlands, Thai business is built on formality and restraint, not less efficient, but fundamentally different, requiring listening, interpretation, and sometimes silence. It also became clear that sustainability does not have the same priority everywhere. While it’s a key focus in the Netherlands, awareness is growing in Thailand but often still plays a secondary role. That difference forces you to think outside your own frame of reference. Furthermore, opportunities for graduates in finance, economics, and accounting stood out. Many organizations showed interest in international expertise, and Dutch professionals are valued for their openness and language skills. For those able to adapt, opportunities abound. In short, this trip was not a vacation with an economic angle but an experience in which theory, practice, and context merged. It showed that working in an international environment requires not only knowledge but also flexibility, adaptability, and cultural curiosity. Recommendation: Why You Should Do This Too
A trip like this is more than a résumé booster. It broadens your view of studying, working, and the world around you. The strength lies in the combination of content, culture, history, and interpersonal connection, a mix that ensures what you learn truly sticks. For students in finance, economics, or accounting, it’s a unique chance to explore how markets operate outside Europe, how companies are managed, and how culture influences business relationships. Insights you won’t gain in a lecture hall, and an encounter with opportunities beyond the Netherlands, provided you’re open to different ways of thinking. Socially, the trip also delivered a lot. You get to know fellow travelers in a different light and share unforgettable experiences, from a meeting with the Thai king to evenings at the pool or exploring nightlife. Those moments made the trip more than just a content-driven program. For those who are unsure: sign up. Not just because it’s enjoyable, though it certainly is, but because it pulls you out of your bubble. Sometimes you learn more from a temple than from a spreadsheet, and that’s precisely what makes this trip so valuable
