Pak Nam Pho ( th, ปากน้ำโพ, ) is a '' tambon'' (sub-district) in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province, upper

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central plain) or more specifically Siam (also known as Suvarnabhumi and Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by ...

Toponymy and history

Usually, Pak Nam Pho means Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, the capital district of Nakhon Sawan. But implicitly refers to the whole province of Nakhon Sawan. The word ''Pak Nam Pho'' is believed to be a distorted name from the word ''Pak Nam Phlo'' (ปากน้ำโผล่, "estuary emerges") due to it is the confluence of the Ping and the Nan Rivers to form 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 ...

, the main artery of the central region of Thailand. Another explanation believes that "Pho" is the former name of the Nan River, hence ''Pak Nam Pho'' means "the mouth of the Nan River", ''Pak Nam'' also spelled ''Paknam'' means "estuary" or "river mouth". Another old name of Pak Nam Pho, given by the visiting King Rama V, is ''Ban Yon Tawan'' (บ้านย้อนตะวัน), meaning "a settlement that faces the morning sun". The locals are often called ''Ban Chon Tawan'' (บ้านชอนตะวัน). In that era, even if Pak Nam Pho was a downtwon, but it is full of wild animals such as deer and tiger. Tigers often hunt deer or even village dogs for food. Pak Nam Pho is home to many ethnic

Chinese immigrant Waves of Chinese emigration have happened throughout history. They include the emigration to Southeast Asia beginning from the 10th century during the Tang Dynasty, to the Americas during the 19th century, particularly during the California g ...

s, including Teochew, Hainan,

Hoklo The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other related terms such a ...

, Cantonese and Hakka. Until now, they still keep the traditional culture intact, such as folk music, by passing it on to the new generation. Pak Nam Pho is also the place where the grand

Chinese New Year celebration Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival () as ...

s are held, with a period of up to 12 consecutive days and nights.

Administration

Pak Nam Pho is under the administration of Nakhon Sawan Municipality like other nearby sub-districts.

Toponymy and history

Administration

References

Further reading