Baan Mai Riverside Market

Baan Mai Riverside Market has been a local market of Chachoengsao since the reign of King Rama V of Rattanakosin. The market has been run for over 100 years. Previously, Thai people use boat ride as the main transportation. This is because the center of the community and the market are mostly the area along the river. Chachoengsao people count Bang Pakong river as the main river that has a long history related with local’s Chachoengsao. The river flows from Chanchoengsao through Prajeenburi River with distance of 230 kilometers. So, it can be said that the main venue for trading and exchanging materials is the area along Bang Pakong River. In the globalization world, the new technology made the transportation easier for people nowadays, while, it lessens the importance of traveling by boats. Thus, Chachoengsao could not run away from this cycle as well. The town has been changed a lot as well as there are new markets opening in town. The boat ride was replaced by the car ride and the market area was abandoned. Some of the buildings still got tenants living to maintain and keep the beautiful mixed cultures between Thai and Chinese cultures. Later, when tourism became the main factor that boosts national economy, people yearn for nostalgia. And, this is an inspiration to renovate and reconstruct the market once again. The Baan Mai Market conservative association was initiated in this period and the main duty of this association is to take care of more than 120 shops at the market under the Baan Mai development project. The project is as well under the office of Tourism and Sports: Chachoengsao. Besides, the Tourism Authority of Thailand also cooperated in supporting the project by publicizing the scheme and setting up the official opening ceremony on October 23rd, 2004.