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Located by the Tachine River in Suphan Buri’s Bang Pla Ma district, Kao Hong market was established during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910 [King Rama V]).
Established within the Kao Hong community by Boonrod Liangpanit, a Chinese merchant originally known as Hong, the neighborhood quickly became a strategic trading hub with a growing cluster of ‘floating stores’, trading products among locals and vessels traveling up or down the river.
Hong got off to an entrepreneurial start by selling utensils for the use of monks, as well as agricultural equipment from his boat. After his wife was killed during a robbery on board the vessel, he moved his business onto dry land, pioneering the switch as others quickly followed.
A head for heights
By 1934, amid a dramatic expansion in trade in the neighborhood,
robbery was becoming widespread. Again taking the initiative, Hong came
up with the idea of building a surveillance tower so the community
could more easily prevent attacks or catch those fleeing the scene of a
crime more easily.
The five-story structure offers an excellent panoramic view, affording
the guard on duty every opportunity of monitoring day-to-day life in
the locality. Although the tower is no longer used, it remains the
pride of the community given its historic importance to the area.
I was particularly impressed by the practical design of the tower and
the incredible scope it offers those tasked with providing security in
days gone by.
Well-preserved characteristics
Kao Hong market includes an upper area, which has a well-preserved,
two-story wooden building, and a central area, which is a renovated
rice warehouse featuring Chinese architectural influences.
The area has been used as a scene in numerous Thai period productions
since there are only a limited number of buildings of this kind in such
good condition.
The lower part of the market is the oldest and it’s here that Hong first set up his store.
Taste of the past
As well as operating as a market, visitors can take a sentimental
stroll back in time since part of the site has been given over to the
Kao Hong Museum, which features displays of products from yesteryear,
old photographs of agricultural equipment, as well as some old printing
machines.
I was particularly impressed by the authentic Thai foods available at
stalls within the market, and would particularly recommend Grandma
Jook's Rad Na ('Stir-fried crispy noodles in a thick gravy'), which was
utterly delicious. Many of the vendors are fairly elderly and so the
recipes have a particularly authentic feel, having been passed down
from one generation to the next. Grandma Jook's noodles, for example,
remained incredibly tasty despite having been completely soaked in the
sauce.
For further information on Kao Hong market, contact Tel: +66 (0)81 704 2183.
Transport connections: Car: From
Bangkok, take Highway 3351. About six kilometers before reaching Suphan
Buri municipality you'll see a sign for Kao Hong market. Take this road
and continue for another 3 km. Once you cross the bridge across the
Tachine River, you'll reach the Kao Hong community, where there is car
park right in front of the market.
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