300px, Thoet Thai Road is the main thoroughfare of Talat Phlu quarter Talat Phlu or Talad Phlu ( th, ตลาดพลู, ) is a community and

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

by the canal

Khlong Bangkok Yai Khlong Bangkok Yai ( th, คลองบางกอกใหญ่, ; lit: 'Big Bangkok Canal') is a historic '' khlong'' (คลอง; canal) of Bangkok. The current length is 6 km (about 3 mi), through various canals as far as it term ...

in Talat Phlu subdistrict,

Thon Buri district Thon Buri ( th, ธนบุรี, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. On the west bank of Chao Phraya River, it was once part of Thon Buri province. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bangkok Yai, Phr ...

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

side of Bangkok.

History and present

Talat Phlu has a history of over 200 years since

Thonburi Kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Thai people, Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin ...

, in the reign of King

Taksin King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew dialect, Teochew: Dên ...

after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. Thonburi side, being used as the new capital of Siam (name of Thailand at that time). Talat Phlu was a community of

overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...

Thai-Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...

, including Muslims and

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * An ...

. Until the reign of King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Tha ...

, he moved the capital across 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 ...

to the Phra Nakhon side. Most of the Chinese moved to live in

Sampheng Sampheng ( th, สำเพ็ง, ) is a historic neighbourhood and market in Bangkok's Chinatown, in Samphanthawong District. It was settled during the establishment of Bangkok in 1782 by Teochew Chinese, and eventually grew into the surroundi ...

, but some of them are still here and descend to the present day. The name "Talat Phlu" originated this area in the past was the vast ''phlu'' (

betel The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plan ...

) plantations of Thai-Chinese, spreading along Khlong Bang Sai Kai to Khlong Bang Phrom as far as Khlong Bang Waek areas. The collected phlu were sold in the area starting from the dyke in front of Wat Ratchakhrue till Wat Intharam temples, turning this place to be the big and main wholesale market of ''mak'' (''

Areca catechu ''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in sou ...

'') and phlu. Hence the name "Talat Phlu" (betel market) in Thai. Today, although planting a betel have disappeared, the name Talat Phlu is still used for this area. At its heyday (around 1950s–1960s), Talat Phlu was a bustling district, which spawned the phrase ''"

Yaowarat Yaowarat Road ( th, ถนนเยาวราช, ; ) in Samphanthawong District is the main artery of Bangkok's Chinatown. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the main centre for trading ...

is how, Talat Phlu like that"'', because Talat Phlu is considered to be another of Bangkok's Chinatowns apart from Yaowarat. Nowadays, Talat Phlu is the famous scrumptious

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

place. Besides, there are many

shophouse A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...

s and buildings with delicate stucco and wooden fretwork decorations in Chinese style along the road beside the canal worth being observed.

Geography

Neighbouring subdistricts are (from the north clockwise): Wat Tha Phra in Bangkok Yai District (Khlong Bangkok Yai is a borderline),

Bang Yi Ruea Bang Yi Ruea ( th, บางยี่เรือ, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (sub-district) in Thon Buri district, Thonburi side of Bangkok. It has a total area of 1.523 km2 (round about 0.588 mi2). History Originally, this area was called "Bang Sakae ...

in its district (Khlong Bang Nam Chon is a borderline), Bukkhalo and Dao Khanong in its district with Bang Kho of Chom Thong District (Ratchaphruek Road, Khlong Bang Sakae, Khlong Yaek Bang Sakae 13 and Khlong Wat Mai Yai Nui 1 are the borderlines), Bang Kho of Chom Thong District and

Pak Khlong Phasi Charoen Pak Khlong Phasi Charoen ( th, ปากคลองภาษีเจริญ, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Phasi Charoen District, Bangkok's Thonburi side. Geography Its name "Pak Khlong Phasi Charoen" meaning "mouth of Phasi Charoen ...

Phasi Charoen District Phasi Charoen ( th, ภาษีเจริญ, ) is one of the 50 districts (''Khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by other Bangkok districts (from north clockwise): Taling Chan, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok Yai, Thon Buri, Chom Th ...

(Khlong Dan is a borderline), respectively. Talat Phlu has a total area of 1.823 km² (about 0.703 mi²). The name "Talat Phlu" could be taken in a broad sense to encompass the areas of Talat Phlu (

subdistrict A subdistrict or sub-district is an administrative division that is generally smaller than a district. Equivalents * Administrative posts of East Timor, formerly Portuguese-language * Kelurahan, in Indonesia * Mukim, a township in Brunei, In ...

), Bang Yi Ruea, Bukkhalo, Dao Khanong, it is more often used to refer to the subdistrict only.

Demography

Talat Phlu had a total population of 15,440 people and 14,735 households (December 2020).

Transportation

Talat Phlu can be reached by the

State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) ( th, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was ...

(SRT)'s Talat Phlu Railway Station on Mae Klong Railway Line. The area is close to Talat Phlu BTS station on the

BTS Skytrain The Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS Skytrain ( th, รถไฟฟ้าบีทีเอส '' TS'), is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL (BTSC), a ...

Silom Line The BTS Silom line ( th, รถไฟฟ้า สายสีลม) or Dark Green line, is an elevated rapid transit line of the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL (BTSC), a subsidiary of BTS Gr ...

, as well as Pho Nimit BTS and

Wutthakat BTS station Wutthakat BTS station ( th, สถานีวุฒากาศ, ) is a BTS skytrain station, on the Silom Line at Thon Buri and Chom Thong District boundary, Bangkok, Thailand. The station is located on Ratchaphruek Road over Dan canal. It is ...

s. Ratchadaphisek and Thoet Thai Roads are the main street of the area.

Soi ''Soi'' ( th, ซอย ) is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street (''thanon'', th, ถนน). An alley is called a ''trok'' ( th, ตรอก). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by th ...

Phet Kasem 23 (Soi Punyalit Seni) is a shortcut to reach Talat Phlu from

Phet Kasem Road Phet Kasem Road (, , )ราชบัณฑิตยสถาน. ''อ่านอย่างไร และ เขียนอย่างไร ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน.'' พิมพ์ครั้งที่ ...

in Phasi Charoen area.

References

External links

* {{coord, 13, 42, 59.36, N, 100, 28, 25.9, E, display=title Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Thon Buri district Road junctions in Bangkok Retail markets in Bangkok Chinese-Thai culture category:Food markets