Finnish roots. Local knowledge. A meeting place in Pattaya.
From Helsinki to Pattaya: 43 Years Behind ICU Sport Lounge
How Jukka Koivistoinen turned a holiday into a life in Thailand, rebuilt his business after the pandemic and created a meeting place with a distinct Finnish connection.
ICU is a restaurant, sports lounge and meeting point shaped by Jukka Koivistoinen’s 43-year relationship with Thailand — and by a business career built on language, persistence and local relationships.
The beginning
A holiday that became a life in Thailand
Koivistoinen did not arrive in Thailand with a long-term plan. In Finland, summer holidays had often meant motorcycle trips around Europe, followed by two spring visits to Daytona Bike Week in the United States. Then a friend asked whether he would join a trip to Pattaya. The answer was simple: why not?
At the time, Koivistoinen owned a taxi in Helsinki. By arranging another driver for the car, he could take time away and return to Thailand. What began as a holiday gradually became a permanent part of his life.
He spent 28 years in Bangkok before moving to Pattaya, where he has now lived for more than 15 years.
“I have always enjoyed warm weather, good food and a relaxed atmosphere, and Thailand had all three in abundance.”Jukka Koivistoinen
A life between Finland and Thailand
Language and local knowledge became lasting advantages
During one winter in Bangkok, Koivistoinen attended a Thai-language school. Learning to speak and read Thai became one of the most valuable investments he made in building a life and conducting business in the country.
The language helped him understand everyday life, build trusted relationships and navigate situations that can otherwise be difficult for a foreign entrepreneur. That local knowledge later became an important part of the service customers receive at ICU.
Entrepreneurship
An entrepreneur long before ICU
ICU was not Koivistoinen’s first business. Alongside his work in the taxi trade, he co-founded a Finnish clothing company with Juha Saarinen. Koivistoinen says the company grew over roughly two decades from zero into a business generating millions of euros in annual revenue.
In 2011, he sold his share in the company and moved to Pattaya. There, he became the operator of the first ICU Bar in the former Made in Thailand entertainment area.
The name was chosen almost casually during a conversation with his then-partner: ICU — “I see you”. The original venue was a smaller, more traditional bar, but it built a loyal customer base of Finnish regulars and international visitors.
Rebuilding after the pandemic
When the old bar disappeared, ICU grew larger
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed Pattaya’s hospitality industry. The original ICU closed, and the Made in Thailand bar area was later cleared by the landowner. Koivistoinen could have treated that as the end of the business. Instead, he began searching for a new location nearby.
He found an empty property and built what is now ICU Sport Lounge & Restaurant. The timing influenced the new concept: bars faced severe operating restrictions, while restaurants could open on a limited basis. Adding a full kitchen therefore gave ICU a practical route back into business after the renovation.
A bigger and more versatile ICU
The current venue is around four times larger than the original bar. It was designed as a restaurant, sports lounge and event space that can accommodate larger groups, show several kinds of sport and host birthdays and private celebrations.
A Finnish connection in an international venue
Finnish roots without closing the door to others
A large share of ICU’s customers are still Finnish, but Koivistoinen does not market the venue only as a Finnish bar. The Finnish connection appears naturally in the sports shown, the menu and the familiar faces who return year after year.
Finnish ice hockey, including Liiga matches and major national-team games, gives ICU a point of difference from many other Pattaya sports bars. The programme also includes Formula 1, MotoGP, English football and other events requested by customers.
The kitchen follows the same approach. Finnish favourites such as sausage and fries, meatballs and salmon soup sit alongside European dishes and Thai food. The aim is not to reproduce Finland in Pattaya, but to make Finnish visitors feel at home while remaining welcoming to an international audience.
More than Finnish ice hockey
Liiga, national-team games, Formula 1, MotoGP, English football and other events requested by customers.
Finnish, European and Thai food
Finnish favourites sit alongside European dishes and Thai food, with the kitchen open daily.
Practical local services
Customers can ask about scooter rental, airport transfers and selected trips to regional sporting events.
A Finnish product in Thailand
Building a market for the original Finnish Long Drink
Another Finnish connection began with a simple customer question: could ICU serve genuine Finnish lonkero? In the early years, Hartwall Long Drink was sometimes available in Thailand through small-scale and inconsistent supply arrangements. The product was not always in stock, while alternatives imported from elsewhere could not match the demand for the genuine Hartwall product among Finnish customers.
Koivistoinen decided to approach Hartwall directly. Reaching the people responsible for international business took time, but his network eventually helped open the right conversations. According to Koivistoinen, his business has worked for more than ten years as an authorised importer and distributor of Hartwall Long Drink in Thailand.
Importing alcoholic beverages into Thailand requires specialist knowledge and local support. Koivistoinen says the business became possible after he found experienced local professionals who understood the necessary procedures. The operation has grown gradually, and the customer base now includes people from outside the Finnish community.
Customer demand
Finnish customers kept asking for the original product, but supply in Thailand was inconsistent.
Direct contact
Koivistoinen used his network to reach the people responsible for Hartwall’s international business.
Market growth
The range expanded from Original to seven varieties and reached customers beyond the Finnish community.
The selection today
Seven varieties from Finland
ICU currently carries seven varieties of Hartwall Long Drink supplied from Finland. The selection has grown from the original grey can to include six additional flavours.
Koivistoinen says many customers still regard the Original as the classic choice.
Experience on the ground
Experience, relationships and a clear head
After four decades in Thailand, Koivistoinen describes his approach to business in straightforward terms: think long term, work hard, act honestly and take care of the people who walk through the door. He also believes that speaking Thai and building trusted local relationships have helped him navigate situations that can otherwise be difficult for a foreign entrepreneur.
“Running your own business takes persistence, hard work and honesty. I enjoy running the bar because every day I meet old friends and new customers who are in Pattaya to have a good time.”Jukka Koivistoinen
Koivistoinen himself rarely drinks alcohol. In his view, keeping a clear head has been one of the reasons he has been able to remain in control while spending most evenings at the venue.
His route from a Helsinki taxi and a Finnish clothing company to Bangkok, Pattaya and ICU has never followed a single plan. It has depended on adapting whenever circumstances changed. The present-day ICU Sport Lounge is the clearest result: a business rebuilt after a crisis, expanded on a larger scale and rooted in more than 40 years of experience in Thailand.
At a glance
ICU Sport Lounge & Restaurant
A meeting place in Pattaya
Built for regulars, newcomers and good evenings
ICU combines sport, food, events and practical local knowledge in one relaxed venue. For Koivistoinen, its appeal remains simple: meeting people, welcoming returning friends and helping new visitors enjoy their time in Pattaya.