Arthid Duangsri, a 38-year-old man from Chiang Rai, Thailand, has become famous as the “Thai Vin Diesel”, a persona he has been carefully cultivating for almost a decade.
If you ever find yourself in Chiang Rai, the northernmost major city in Thailand, and see Vin Diesel drive by in his iconic black muscle car, know that you have had the privilege of seeing the Thai Vin Diesel in the flesh. That’s almost as cool as seeing the actual Hollywood star, as the people of Chiang Rai will tell you. The 38-year-old man is perhaps the most famous person in the city and has built this notoriety through years of trying to emulate Diesel and his Fast and Furious character, Dominic Toretto, as best he could.