Bangkok’s Chinatown, known as Yaowarat, is a vibrant and bustling district that blends Thai and Chinese cultures. Established in the 1780s, it is a maze of narrow streets and colorful shopfronts filled with gold shops, herbal pharmacies, and diverse markets.
Food is a major highlight, with street vendors offering a variety of dishes like dim sum, fresh seafood, satay, spring rolls, and mango sticky rice. Cultural landmarks such as Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Temple provide serene escapes.
The area is adorned with decorations and lively performances during festivals like Chinese New Year. Chinatown is a must-visit for those seeking history, culinary delights, and a unique cultural experience in Bangkok.
Exploring Chinatown:
Chinatown in Bangkok, known locally as Yaowarat, is a bustling and vibrant district that offers a unique blend of Thai and Chinese cultures. Located in one of the oldest parts of Bangkok, Chinatown is a labyrinth of narrow streets, hidden alleys, and colorful shopfronts that teem with life from dawn until late into the night.
The area is famed for its rich history, having been a hub for Chinese immigrants since the early 1780s, and it retains much of its traditional charm and character.
Visitors to Chinatown can expect a sensory overload as they navigate through the crowded streets lined with gold shops, herbal pharmacies, and markets selling an array of goods ranging from exotic fruits to traditional Chinese medicines.
The air is thick with the aroma of street food, and the soundscape is a cacophony of sizzling woks, bargaining vendors, and the hum of traffic.
Food is undoubtedly one of Chinatown’s biggest draws. During the day, the area is filled with vendors selling everything from dim sum to fresh seafood, while at night, the streets transform into a gastronomic paradise. Street stalls set up shop, offering an incredible variety of dishes, including the famous grilled satay, crispy spring rolls, and the iconic mango sticky rice.
For those looking to explore beyond street food, some numerous traditional Chinese restaurants and teahouses serve authentic cuisine in a more relaxed setting.
Cultural landmarks are another highlight of Chinatown. Temples such as Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, one of the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temples in Bangkok, offer a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the streets.
During festivals like Chinese New Year and the Vegetarian Festival, Chinatown becomes even more vibrant, with elaborate decorations, dragon dances, and a myriad of street performances that attract visitors from all over the city.
Whether you are a history enthusiast, a food lover, or simply looking to experience a different side of Bangkok, Chinatown offers an unforgettable journey into the heart of the city’s multicultural heritage.
Things to do in Chinatown:
1. Talat Kao Old Market:
Talat Kao Old Market is a Thai-Chinese market that is a little alleyway, barely more than two blocks long.
It is Bangkok’s oldest market and a perfect place for photographers. It was established in the late 1700s and is located near the Suphan Buri and Tha Chin Rivers. This market is colorful, and appetizing and the vendors are friendly.
This market is full of fresh seafood of all varieties such as fish, shrimp, prawns, and sea cucumber. You will also find vendors selling dried food such as red dates, dried persimmons, dried fish, dried fish stomachs, roast ducks, and roast pigs.
The must-try dishes in this market are Pia desserts, Puffs, Kao Krisp Pak Mo, Coffee Boats, and traditional noodles topped with sauce. It is located in the heart of Chinatown which makes it crowded all day around and especially on Chinese New Year.
2. Sampeng Market:
Sampeng Market is located on Soi Wanit 1. This is a very busy day-time market that offers a wide range of goods. The narrow lane, pushcarts, overflowing trucks carrying fresh produce, and worn-out vespers make this place a chaotic and hectic place to visit.
This is one of the cheapest markets in Bangkok. Here you can shop for silk sarongs, jewelry, women’s shoes, home decor, appliance, toys, handicrafts, and dried food. You can also try the local street food at a very affordable price.
The must-try dishes are moo ping, Kanom buang, mango sticky rice, fish cakes, spring rolls, and sang kaya. There is a Sampeng Lane which is just an extension to Sampeng Market, where you can shop for wholesale fabrics. The market opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 6 in the evening.
3. Yarowat road:
Yarowat road is the main street and main artery of Bangkok’s Chinatown. This road is a 1.5 km long street having a lot of street food vendors. Chinese food is one of the primary reasons to visit here. Apart from lots of food stalls, you will find plenty of gold shops and herbal pharmacies.
This place hosts a lot of festivals throughout the year such as the Chinese New Year and Vegetarian Festival. During the daytime, Yarowat Road bustles with stores, shophouses, and street vendors selling food. At night, street food vendors come up and light up the street’s sidewalks and dark alleys. You will see hundreds of food stalls serving a wide range of local dishes.
4. Jek Pui:
It is a very famous food stall located along the beginning of Mangkorn road, near the famous Dragon Flower Temple. This food stall was established 50 years ago. This is popular among tourists because of its iconic no-table, red-plastic stool-only dining concept.
You must have the charming experience to sit on a red plastic stool on street with a plate of yellow curry or something else from the Khao Kheng menu in one hand and the fork in another.
The stall opens at 4 in the evening and closes at 9 at night. This stall serves Yellow curry with pork, green curry with chicken or fishballs, red curry with beef, stir-fried crab, roasted pork rib, sweet pork, and chicken with fried bamboo shoots.
Dishes are served with accompaniments such as kecap manis, chili sauce, chilies, and vinegar to add. You will find all these on a plastic stool. If you don’t know what, when, and how to add, just follow the local’s lead. This place made its presence in Netflix’s “Street Food Show”.
5. Crocodile Temple:
Wat Chakrawat Temple is also famous as Crocodile Temple because of its resident family of crocodiles living in the caves and ponds on the grounds. It is located on the edge of Chinatown. When you will enter the temple you will see a staircase to the left leading to a platform containing a Mondop and Prang.
The Mondop contains a relic of the Buddha’s footprints. Nearby you will find a reclining Buddha image and a small statue of a fat monk. The alligator pond is located next to the mount on which the Mondop sits. You can have a look at the crocodiles from behind the railed fence. This temple has 4 crocodiles. The crocs are fed every day at 5 pm by the monks.
The temple opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 5 in the evening.
6. Temple of Gold Buddha:
Wat Tramit is known for housing the world’s largest 5.5-tonne statue of a seated Buddha. It is located about 450 meters west of the Hualampung Railway Station. The gold statue of Buddha is locally known as Phra Buddha Maha Suwanna Patimakorn.
The gold structure was made in the 13th century and is nearly 5 meters in height. The Sukhothai-style Buddha image was originally covered in plaster, but its original facade was revealed after movers accidentally dropped it and the plaster got damaged.
The pieces of plaster are still kept on display in the temple. Wat Tramit also has a temple on the 3rd floor where you can learn more about the history of the Golden Buddha. The 2nd floor of Wat Tramit has a 3D presentation detailing the history of the Chinese traders in Bangkok.
The temple opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 5 in the evening. The admission fee is 100 Baht per person and additional 40 Baht per person to view Golden Buddha.
How to reach Chinatown:
1. Get into MRT:
To get to Chinatown from Bangkok, get a 383-MRT going towards Chachoengsao Junction. Get off the MRT at Urupong. Walk for 750 meters and you will reach Bobar Market.
Get into an MRT going towards Thian Fah Foundation. Get off the MRT at Wongwain 22 (Mitphan side). Walk for another 600 meters and you will reach Chinatown.
2. Get a taxi:
Chinatown is about 2.5 km away from Bangkok’s city center. Getting a taxi is the most convenient way to reach Chinatown. The taxi will take 9 minutes to take you from Bangkok city center to Chinatown.
