INCREDIBLE FLOATING MARKET IN THAILAND, A MUST VISIT MARKET, Damnoen Saduak,

3,328 views · Published 27 November 2017 · 30:15 · Indexed 27 September 2026

Channel: GIRL IN PARADISE · 2017 · People & Blogs

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INCREDIBLE FLOATING MARKET IN THAILAND, A MUST VISIT MARKET, FLOATING MARKET, Damnoen Saduak, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market,  Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thai: ตลาดน้ำดำเนินสะดวก) is a floating market located in the Damnoen Saduak District, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest of Bangkok, Thailand.[1][2] It is established primarily as a tourist attraction and relies on this industry which includes both domestic and foreign tourists.[1][2][3][4][5] It is often considered the most famous floating market.  From 1866 to 1868, by order of King Rama IV, the 32-kilometre (20 mi)-long Damnoen Saduak Canal was constructed to connect the Mae Klong and Tha Chin rivers.[4][6] Many floating markets arose from the canal, and about 200 ancillary canals were dug by villagers.[4][7] The main floating market was called Lad Plee market (ลัดพลี, rtgs: Lat Phli) which adjoined a Buddhist temple and remained active until 1967, when the development of roads replaced the need for water transportation.[4] This pattern was seen with other old floating markets which disappeared by the mid-twentieth century due to the development of modern land infrastructure.[4]

In 1971, the Tourism Organization of Thailand (now Tourism Authority of Thailand) made the Lad Plee market a tourist attraction for foreigners.[4] The market had boat vendors and shops on the canal banks.[4] In 1981, a new road was built to Ton Khem canal, and private entrepreneurs established the modern Damnoen Saduak Floating Market along this canal.[4]

Description[edit]
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market consists of a maze of narrow khlongs (canals), and can be navigated by boat.[1][8] Female traders, often wearing traditional mo hom apparel (blue farmers' shirts) with wide-brimmed straw hats (ngob) use sampans (small wooden boats) to sell their wares, often produce that comes directly from farms.[1][8][9] These boats are often full of vegetables and colorful fruits that are photogenic, and these images are used for tourism promotion.[2] The market is often the busiest in the morning around 7 am to 9 am, and is active until noon.[1][9]

The floating market comprises three smaller markets: Ton Khem, Hia Kui, and Khun Phitak.[1][8][10] Ton Khem is the largest market and is on Khlong Damnoen Saduak.[1][8] Hia Kui is parallel to Khlong Damnoen Saduak and has souvenir shops on the canals banks to sell goods to larger tour groups.[1][8] Khun Phitak is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Hia Kui and is the smallest and least crowded market.[1][8]

The floating market is crowded with tourists and is considered a tourist trap.'[11] As such, the wares tend to be overpriced.[11] Bargaining is a common practice, although usually the prices of souvenirs and food are generally fixed within a few Thai baht. Canoe cooks can be found preparing and selling boat noodles.[8][5] The floating market also has been noted to lack cultural authenticity, although it remains a popular destination for both foreign and domestic tourists.[4][10][11][5]

The market has been featured in several films. A canal chase scene in The Man with the Golden Gun with Roger Moore as James Bond was filmed at the market,[12][7] and the 2008 film Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicolas Cage includes a scene that takes place at the market

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