Khlong Damnoen Saduak ( th, คลองดำเนินสะดวก, ) is a
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
in western central Thailand. It links the
Tha Chin
The Tha Chin river ( th, แม่น้ำท่าจีน, , ) is a distributary of the Chao Phraya river, Thailand. It splits near the province of Chai Nat and then flows west from the Chao Phraya through the central plains, until it empt ...
and
Mae Klong rivers, and has a length of approximately 35 km. The canal was built by order of King
Mongkut
Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...
. It was finished in 1868.
The most famous site along the canal is the
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. At the mouth of the canal to the Mae Klong is the catholic
Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral, the principal church of the
Diocese of Ratchaburi
The (Roman Catholic) Diocese of Ratchaburi (''Diœcesis Ratchaburensis'', th, สังฆมณฑลราชบุรี) is a Latin suffragan diocese of the archdiocese of Bangkok in western central Thailand.
The diocese covers an area of ...
.
Khlong Damnoen Saduak is the longest straight man-made canal in Thailand, throughout the length of the canal, there is a
milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
indicating the distance, which has a total of eight milestones. The distance of these milestones has also become the name of variously communities settled down along the waterways, such as Lak Sam (third milestone),
Lak Ha
300px, Procession of Buddha by boat along Khlong Damnoen Saduak in Lak Ha area
Lak Ha ( th, หลักห้า, ) is a neighbourhood belonging to Ban Phaeo District of Samut Sakhon Province and Prasat Sit Sub-district, Damnoen Saduak Distri ...
(fifth milestone) in
Ban Phaeo,
Samut Sakhon, etc.
In addition to connecting the Tha Chin and Mae Klong rivers, Khlong Damnoen Saduak is also bridged to
Khlong Phasi Charoen
Khlong Phasi Charoen ( th, คลองภาษีเจริญ, ) is a canal west of the Chao Phraya River in the Thonburi area of the Bangkok conurbation. The canal links the Tha Chin River to Khlong Bangkok Yai. It starts at Khlong Bangk ...
as well, which is the route leading to the
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Et ...
in Bangkok. In the past, some vendors rowed boats from
Damnoen Saduak or neighbouring districts to sell their goods at the pier in front of
Wat Kanlayanamit
Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara ( th, วัดกัลยาณมิตรวรมหาวิหาร, , ) is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is located in Wat Kanlaya sub-district, on the Thonburi bank of the Chao ...
in Bangkok's Thonburi side.
Damnoen Saduak
Canals opened in 1868
{{Thailand-transport-stub