Bangkok’s Chinatown, also widely known as Yaowarat, has been a prosperous economic district for more than 200 years. This neighborhood has various business types and offers the most prominent gold trading center in Thailand.
It is a bustling and never sleeps location, and is also one of the oldest Chinese settlements in the world outside mainland China, and has an aura of history, culture and a unique old town. Also, the hub of trading in all ritual utensils related to Chinese life. Most businesses here tend to have a business nature inherited from their ancestors.
Located in Samphanthawong District, this old town was founded in 1782 during the establishment of Rattanakosin in the reign of King Rama I. The area was the beginning of the legend of Chinese businesses overseas for many generations in the Land of Smiles.
Both sides of the main road still have old buildings with Sino-Portuguese architecture to see, and some shops have evolved to blend in with modern civilization perfectly. Most of the Chinese people here are Teochew Chinese.
There is a convenient public transportation system, with the MRT station ‘Wat Mangkon’ located in the heart of the town. It is the subway terminal with a unique Chinese style decoration.
Every day tens of millions of money flows from the gold and street food businesses. This place is very famous and outstanding in street food, and it is the source of the most delicious and diverse food in the country that has it all. The food here is famous because there are many delicious restaurants of various price levels and tastes.
Most shops have a recipe that has been passed down from their family, plus the selection of good quality ingredients has made the cuisine here very famous. The taste is pleasing to the general public, with quality and standard, attracting Bangkok residents and tourists from all over Thailand and abroad.
The Yaowarat Road, built in King Rama V’s reign, is 1.5 kilometers long and has been dubbed the “Dragon Road” due to its curved shape like a slithering dragon. It started from the Royal Jubilee Gate (Odean Circle) as the head of the road and ended at the Mega Plaza intersection (Peerapong intersect with Mahachai and Chakphet Road).
During the day, it turns to the gold street with more than 130 gold shops, which is the most significant handcrafted gold jewellery in the world. It has become a giant food street with over 1,000 restaurants at night, and several restaurants have been awarded Michelin, attracting both Thais and foreigners, come to buy and eat. During the Chinese New Year festival every year, there are significant cultural events and celebrations.
This area is surrounded by company offices, commercial properties for rents, 4-star modern and contemporary Chinese style hotels, old buildings from the early Rattanakosin period, commercial banks, museums, gold shops, old markets, Chinese temples, shrines, museums, ancient opera houses, tea houses, coffee shops, cafes, traditional Chinese restaurants, shark fin restaurants, bird’s nest shops, luxury eateries, qipao shops, lamp shops, and chestnut panel.
Moreover, you can find sukiyaki, seafood, ancient noodles, rolled rice noodles, dry food, herbals, fruits, antique desserts, raw materials, hawkers, fried oysters, dim sums, tao tungs, souvenirs, jewelleries, ceramics, auspicious, strange products, and countless other things.
To get the whole experience of Yaowarat, many avid shoppers often explore the Sampeng Market, a famous wholesale market in Bangkok and Thailand’s largest wholesale gift shop.
