Straight outta Taipei, ‘Mai Tong Klua’ delights Thai listeners

A new catchy single by a Taiwanese singer who borrows heavily from Thai culture to either celebrate or mock it was winning praise in the kingdom today.

Mai Tong Klua, a new single and music video by Show Lo, has earned a million views today for its easy to follow lyrics and sendup of Thailand.

In the video, Show Lo wears Thai traditional clothes while playing with Thai phrases that sound similar to Chinese such as mai mee (“buy rice,” in Mandarin), mai chai (“buy vegetables”), and mai tong klua (“buy a hatch”). While the scenes lean heavily into stereotypes, it seems intent on being a silly homage.

The video is chockablock with scenes of Thai tropes including tuk-tuks, familiar street markets, temple fairs, milk tea, and coconut water.

Thais have flocked to the comments to praise the video, which was clearly designed to appeal to the Thai market and…