Talat Noi or Talad Noi ( th, ตลาดน้อย, ) is a historic neighbourhood in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. It roughly occupies the area of the sub-district of the same name in

Samphanthawong District Samphanthawong ( th, สัมพันธวงศ์, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown, it is the smallest district in area but has the highest population density of Bangkok's districts. ...

. On the periphery of

Bangkok's Chinatown Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, who ...

, Talat Noi has been home to various

ethnic Chinese The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...

communities since soon after the foundation of Bangkok. Several historic buildings are found in the area, including the Holy Rosary Church, the Talat Noi Branch of Siam Commercial Bank, and the

So Heng Tai Mansion The So Heng Tai Mansion ( th, บ้านโซวเฮงไถ่, from zh, 蘇恒泰) is a nineteenth-century Chinese courtyard house in the historic neighbourhood of Talat Noi in Bangkok. It was built by Phra Aphaiwanit (Chat, of the So ( ...

. Talat Noi has a long history predating the founding of Bangkok. The first ethnic group to settle here were the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

from

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

. They built a Portuguese church in 1786, today known as the Holy Rosary Church or, in Thai, ''Wat Kalawa''. Later, other ethnic groups came to live in Talat Noi, not only Chinese but also Vietnamese and Khmer. The area was Bangkok's first port, and was where immigrants landed. Talat Noi was the birthplace of Dr. Puey Ungphakorn, former Governor of the

Bank of Thailand The Bank of Thailand (BOT) ( Abrv: ธปท.; th, ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย, ) is the central bank of Thailand. History The Bank of Thailand (BOT) was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank ...

. He was influential in Thai society in the 1970s. The name ''Talat Noi'' means 'little market'. It comes from the name of the daughter of Jao Sua Niam or Jay Sua Niam (เจ้าสัวเนียม, เจ๊สัวเนียม), a landowner in the past. So, Chinese who living here are often referred to in Thai term in

Teochew dialect Teochew or Chaozhou (, , , Teochew endonym: , Shantou dialect: ) is a dialect of Chaoshan Min, a Southern Min language, that is spoken by the Teochew people in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong and by their diaspora around the world. I ...

''Tuk Luk Kia'' (ตั๊กลักเกี้ย; zh, 噠叻仔) Today, Talat Noi is a cultural attraction. Locals retain their form of speech,

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

, and

folk beliefs In folkloristics, folk belief or folk-belief is a broad genre of folklore that is often expressed in narratives, customs, rituals, foodways, proverbs, and rhymes. It also includes a wide variety of behaviors, expressions, and beliefs. Examples of ...

as in the past. Houses and lanes are lathered with graffiti that makes the place popular with teenagers, hipsters, and foreign tourists who want to experience a traditional Chinese quarter. It is convenient to other attractions in the adjacent historic Bang Rak neighbourhood on

Charoen Krung Road file:Charoen Krung Road April2021 ถนนเจริญกรุง.jpg, Shophouses along Charoen Krung road with the Sathorn Unique Tower in the vicinity (2021) Charoen Krung Road ( th, ถนนเจริญกรุง, ) is a major road i ...

Captain Bush Lane Captain Bush Lane, now officially known as Soi Charoen Krung 30 ( th, ซอยเจริญกรุง 30), is a side-street (''trok'' or ''soi'') branching off Charoen Krung Road in Bang Rak District of Bangkok, Thailand. It was hom ...

and House No.1, the Old Customs House, Bangkok General Post Office, and Assumption Cathedral. Talat Noi is origin of the '' kuaitiao khua kai'' (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวคั่วไก่), a popular stir-fried noodle dish. It was adapted from dried chicken

congee Congee or conjee ( ) is a type of rice porridge or gruel eaten in Asian countries. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

{{coord, 13, 44, 0, N, 100, 30, 50, E, type:adm3rd_region:TH-10, display=title Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Samphanthawong district category:Chinese-Thai culture category:Tourist attractions in Bangkok Subdistricts of Bangkok Populated places on the Chao Phraya River Historic districts in Thailand

See also

References