My review of Whizdom Craftz Samyan and Culture Chula

If you did not already know, Chulalongkorn University is the top university in Thailand. It is situated in the heart of Bangkok. The closest BTS stations are BTS National Stadium and BTS Siam. It is within walking distance from MBK Center. While we do see quite many university students in these touristy areas which are north of the university, the lesser-known fact is that the more popular areas for the students are south of the university. The closest train station is Samyan MRT which is located along Rama 4 Road.

Whizdom Craft Samyan and Culture Chula are both located in this area. As mentioned in my previous review, My review of Ideo Sukhumvit-Rama 4, Aspire Sukhumvit-Rama 4 and Oka Haus, Rama 4 Road is a very long stretch that leads into the Sathorn Financial District. This is the part that is in the financial district. I had previously also reviewed Culture Chula but I have slowly moved towards comparing two separate developments in the same area together. This is so that readers can have context as to how different developments stack up against each other in the area.

Details about the developments

Whizdom Craftz Samyan is a freehold condominium by Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC). The development consists of 1 building with 55 stories and 4 basement levels. There are a total of 418 residential units with 1 shop and 4 SoHo units.

The development mix is as such:

1 -Bedroom 30-39 sqm
1 -Bedroom Loft 46-57 sqm
2 -Bedroom 53-66 sqm
2 -Bedroom PLUS 77-89 sqm
2 -Bedroom Loft 70-90 sqm
3 -Bedroom 96-105 sqm
Duplex 99-100 sqm
Penthouse 188-223 sqm

Culture Chula is a freehold condominium by Ananda Development Limited. The development consists of 1 building with 32 stories. There are a total of 612 residential units and 2 retail units.

The development mix is as such:

1 Bed 1 Bath 25 sqm
1 Bed Plus 1 Bath 25-33 sqm
2 Bed 1 Bath 32.5 sqm
2 Bed 2 Bath 42.5 sqm
2 Bed 2 Bath 1 Powder 48 sqm
3 Bed 2 Bath

Where are the developments located?

The walk from Sam Yan MRT to Whizdom Craftz Samyan

Whizdom Craftz Samyan is located along the main Rama 9 Road. The development is 550 meters from Sam Yan MRT Station. The walk will take 8 minutes. You will walk past Samyan Mitrtown, a community mall with an office building next to it.

The walk from Sam Yan MRT to Culture Chula

Similarly, Culture Chula is also located along the main Rama 4 Road. It is 350 meters away from Sam Yan MRT and will take 5 minutes to walk.

In both cases, the walks are generally unsheltered. The walks are quite scenic and safe even at night. This is located in the business district and you would expect the surroundings to be very safe both in the day and at night.

Sam Yan MRT Station is located 1 station away from Si Lom MRT Station. There you can change to the Dark Green BTS Station and that will be 2 BTS Stations away from Siam BTS.

This location is extremely central. It is in the financial district and yet it is close to the shopping belt. If you frequent Bangkok as a tourist, you would know where Siam Paragon and MBK are located. Sam Yan MRT Station is located just north of MBK and right on the edge of the Sathorn Financial District. There are many offices and most major companies like banks, law firms and large MNC head offices are located in this area. If I could think of a downside it would be that this area, at certain times, can be extremely congested in terms of traffic.

The major tenant pool would be from both the university as well as those working in the Sathorn Financial District. This is really prime location. I have walked from the area around Sam Yan MRT Station to the King Power Mahanakhon before and it took just over 15 minutes. On Google Maps, it shows the distance as 1.3 kilometres which would take 18 minutes.

My thoughts about the developments (selling points and investment potential)

Once again I cannot stress the importance of buying from a good developer. Both MQDC and Ananda are both large Thai developers and are listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. I do expect some fallout from what is happening in the Chinese property market to affect the Chinese developers in Thailand. Many buyers should know that there are many Chinese developers in Thailand.

Whizdom Craftz Samyan

Pricing 4/5

Prices for a 1 bedroom in Whizdom Craftz Samyan come up to about THB 8 million. The rental demand and pricing in this area would similarly be higher and this works out to a gross yield of about 4.5% per annum. I am very confident that the demand from tenants for units in this area is very strong.

Location 4.5/5

The Sathorn Financial District is a very congested area. Traffic wise. Whizdom Craft Samyan is located at the edge of the financial district where the congestion is not as severe. If you work in the middle of Sathorn, you will understand what I mean. The congestion is so bad that buses have their paths away from general traffic. This is Bangkok’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. It essentially is moving down a straight road and yet the buses have to be segregated away from the general traffic.  The area around Sam Yan MRT is ideal. It is also located close to MBK and is just one parallel main road away from the main Sukhumvit shopping belt. Oh and when walking back to the development from Samyan MRT, you would pass by Samyan Mitrtown. Many would argue that this is the “correct” side of Sam Yan MRT for a development to be located at.

Quality 4/5

If you are purchasing from one of the large Thai developers, this should not be an issue. MQDC is a very large developer. It jointly developed IconSiam. That project cost THB 54 billion. There should not be an issue with Whizdom Craft Samyan.

Culture Chula

For my rating, please visit my previous review of Culture Chula here: https://daryllum.com/my-review-of-culture-chula/

Between the two, I would slightly lean towards Whizdom Craftz Samyan. It is closer to Samyan MRT, although not by a lot, and it is closer to Samyan Mitrtown.

Yours Sincerely,

Daryl Lum