Thong Lo ( th, ทองหล่อ, , ; also spelled ''Thong Lor''), officially named

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 ...

Sukhumvit Sukhumvit Road ( th, ถนนสุขุมวิท, , ), or Highway 3 ( th, ทางหลวงแผ่นดินหมายเลข 3), is a major road in Thailand, and a major surface road of Bangkok and other cities. It follows ...

55, is a road and neighbourhood in Watthana District,

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 ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. ''Thong Lo'' literally translates as 'molten gold'. Its name comes from that of a naval officer, Thonglo Khamhiran, a member of the

Khana Ratsadon The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon ( th, คณะราษฎร, ), was a Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's government a ...

(People's Party), a 1932 revolutionary group. He owned land and houses in the area. In pre-

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 ...

Thailand, the area along Sukhumvit Road to the

Bang Na District Bang Na ( th, บางนา, ) is one of the fifty districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbors, clockwise from the north, are the Phra Khanong and Prawet Districts of Bangkok and Bang Phli, Mueang Samut Prakan, and Phra Pradaeng D ...

was suburban Bangkok and quasi-rural. Much of the area was occupied by the navy. Thong Lo runs from the Thong Lo BTS Station on Sukhumvit Road north to

Phetchaburi Road Phetchaburi Road ( th, ถนนเพชรบุรี, ) is a main road of Bangkok. It starts at Yommarat Intersection near Yommarat Railway Halt and Uruphong Intersection and ends at Khlong Tan Intersection, passing through four districts ...

. Originally housing car dealerships and

dowdy Dowdy is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adam Dowdy (born 1975), American baseball umpire * Bill Dowdy (born 1933), American musician * Cecil Dowdy (1945–2002), American football player * Helen Dowdy, American actress * H ...

shops, during the early-2000s it became increasingly trendy. New boutiques, restaurants, and cocktail bars sprang up, creating a demand for new condominiums in the area, partially driven by a significant Japanese expat community. In 2017, to the dismay of many, the

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( th, กรุงเทพมหานคร; ) (BMA) is the local government of Bangkok (also called ''Krung Thep Maha Nakhon'' in Thai), which includes the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand. The governme ...

(BMA) cracked down on the neighbourhood's street food vendors.

Transport

* Thong Lo BTS Station on the

Sukhumvit Line The Sukhumvit line ( th, รถไฟฟ้า สายสุขุมวิท) or Light Green line, is an elevated metro rail line of the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok, Thailand. From the central Siam Station, where it connects with the Silom Lin ...

of the

Bangkok 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), ...

is at the intersection with

Sukhumvit Road Sukhumvit Road ( th, ถนนสุขุมวิท, , ), or Highway 3 ( th, ทางหลวงแผ่นดินหมายเลข 3), is a major road in Thailand, and a major surface road of Bangkok and other cities. It follows ...

. *

Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat The Khlong Saen Saep boat service is a water bus operating on the Saen Saep Canal in Bangkok through the city's commercial districts. The Khlong Saen Saep boat service has been in operation since 1990. The 18 kilometre route is served by 10 ...

– Thong Lo pier is at the bridge crossing

Khlong Saen Saep Khlong Saen Saep (, ) is a canal ''( khlong)'' in central Thailand, connecting the Chao Phraya River to Prachinburi Province and Chachoengsao. A portion of the canal is used for public transport by an express boat service in Bangkok. The 72&nbs ...

, at the opposite end of the street, near the New Phetchaburi Road intersection. * The planned

Grey Line (Bangkok Rapid Transit) The BMA Grey Line (Watcharaphon - Thong Lo) is a planned monorail line in Bangkok, Thailand. The route would provide a vital north - south link for a distance of 16.25 km with 15 planned stations and is expected to cost 27 billion baht. The l ...

is projected to run along Thong Lo.

References

{{Attached KML Streets in Bangkok Shopping districts and streets in Thailand Watthana district