For a long time, Song Wat Road was one of those neglected streets in Chinatown, while the main avenue, Yaowarat, alone concentrated most of the attention in this separate district of Bangkok.
It must be said that Song Wat, lined with old warehouses and a few shops overflowing with bags of spices placed directly on the sidewalk, did not really encourage one to linger at first glance.
And yet, by taking the time to observe, I could clearly see a visual potential, if only architectural, with old buildings hidden behind the apparent disorder, and even the remains of old Chinese houses, at the turn of a hidden alley.
For some time now, however, the scenery has been changing and a dynamic has been set in motion. A transformation still in its early stages, but visible enough to give Song Wat Road a completely different look, with the appearance of independent cafes, small restaurants and commercial buildings rehabilitated and open to the public: Song Wat is gradually becoming a place where people come to stroll and take photos.
Song Wat Road: a street shaped by river trade
To understand what shaped this street and why the historic buildings are located there, here is a summary.
When the city became the capital at the end of the 18th century, the Chinese community settled on the site of the future Grand Palace was moved further east, along the canals and banks of the Chao Phraya. Sampheng, its official name, then became a dense district, focused on trade and commerce, giving birth to the Chinatown we know today.
With the rapid growth of activity and the problems posed by overly dense urban planning – particularly fires, which were frequent at the time – new roads were laid out during the reign of Rama V, at the beginning of the 20th century. Song Wat Road was thus created, running alongside the river and offering direct access to river transport, which was then essential.
Its name is directly linked to its creation: Song Wat is written in Thai Drawing. The what This is not the one that refers to the famous temples (written measure), omnipresent in Thailand, but วาด, which means draw ou draw.
This is therefore a direct reference to the planned layout of the street at the time of its creation.
For decades, the street became a major import-export artery in Bangkok. Warehouses, commercial offices and unloading docks followed one another, in a constant bustle of trucks, agricultural goods and products from all over the region.
Although activity has largely declined since then, this commercial vocation has profoundly marked Song Wat Road. Many old buildings are still standing, as are some warehouses and specialty shops, recalling the central role this street long played in the economy of historic Chinatown.
source: https://www.silpa-mag.com/songwad-century/article_75881
Song Wat Road, a street that has long remained in the shadows
Now that I've explained the origins of the street, I invite you to discover what Song Wat was like before its transformation began. Let me take you back to the Song Wat of yesteryear. If you're arriving from the west, you can easily reach Song Wat by boat, using the famous Chao Phraya Express.
Get off at the N5 "Ratchawong" stop and you'll find the start of the street just 100 meters further on, on the right. It's at the corner of this street that you'll come across the first historic building, with its distinctive architecture.
It's not in the "usual" Sino-Portuguese style, but some elements are reminiscent of Indian architecture, particularly that seen in Gujarat (the westernmost Indian state, north of Mumbai). It's worth noting that this part of Chinatown is next to Prahurat, one of Bangkok's Indian neighborhoods.
I've walked past it many times, wondering about its history. And it turns out that the building in question (since renovated, although I don't have a very recent photo) belonged to an Indian businessman who had settled in Thailand before World War II.
Very quickly, we came across shops filled, as I mentioned in the introduction, with spices but also bags of rice, black or red bean seeds and other "dry" products intended for wholesale.
After 200 meters, you come to a Chinese shrine, the San Chao Lao Pun Tao Kong, located in front of a private school teaching Chinese (originally the Teochew dialect, then Mandarin) since 1920.
We can also already see, under the cables that line up in front of the facades, some buildings with interesting architecture.
In particular, there are two long buildings facing each other, one of which is nicknamed the "Fruit Building". They are both believed to date from the same period (roughly a century old) and to be inspired by the architecture then in vogue in Singapore and... George Town, in Penang.
In a side alley, one then discovers the yellow facade of the Masjid Luang Kocha Ishak, a mosque with a surprisingly European style. Originally built of wood, its popularity — linked to the many traders of diverse origins settling in the area — prompted its founder, Luang Kocha Ishak, to transform the building into a more durable construction.
He then reused bricks from old houses in the Bang Lamphu district (around Khao San Road) and of Thon Buriand designed this religious building in the style that was fashionable at the time, hence its European look.
As an aside, when you know the price per square meter in the city today, it's strange to know that there's a large plot of land behind it that has remained "empty" of construction, since it serves as a cemetery.
From there, I plunged into a tiny alleyway, with its own unique atmosphere. I found some old Chinese shops and an old house with a spiral staircase, visible through its gate. The place was completely dilapidated and abandoned.
Although everything I've just described took place during a specific walk, which I did alone to take photos, I wasn't quite at the end of Song Wat yet. After passing through the dilapidated alley, I was heading to Yaowarat that day, then back towards the old city (to see, in particular, the Museum of Siam).
During another walk in this part of Chinatown, with Jitima this time, we had arrived on the other side of Song Wat, not far from Wat Traimit (known for its solid gold Buddha) and the main gate of Chinatown.
Our first visit had been the Wat Pathum Khongkha Ratchaworawihan, a fairly classic Buddhist temple, but which, as is often the case in Thailand, can surprise, especially with its fuchsia green protective “lions”.
Also note that within the temple grounds, and right next to it on the riverbank, are several renowned hotels and restaurants. For accommodation, there is the Loy La Long Hotel, with its old-world charm (but not cheap).
On the restaurant side, I had recently tried the NAAM 1608 : a shoe-free dinner (shoes are removed at the entrance), in a chic setting overlooking the Chao Phraya, at a still reasonable price.
Opposite the temple, the facades are more typical of the 40s and 50s, like those seen elsewhere in the old town and Chinatown, but this already sets the mood. The murals were already there, with some large "paintings," including one that covered an entire facade.
Just after, you come to an open space, a crossroads where Song Wat splits in two. The main part is straight ahead. If you turn right, it leads to Yaowarat, but you also have the entrance to a small street called Soi Wanitwhich I invite you to browse before returning to Song Wat.
Soi Wanit 1 is lined with a group of shophouses, an old photo of which I came across immediately reminded me of this street.
It is also a historic street since it is THE original street of Chinatown, the first axis through which the Chinese community moved when they left the area of the future Grand Palace to settle here after 1782.
Continuing along the main Song Wat, you quickly come across one of Chinatown's iconic murals, visible from the river as it's located on a building facade at the entrance to a parking lot, in an open space adjacent to the Chao Phraya River. It's a work by the Belgian street artist ROA, simply titled Elephants.
Opposite the elephants, there is another equally imposing work, this one depicting bicycles. While the elephants are still present, this bicycle mural has since changed.
Right after, there are beautiful colorful facades and a small street leading to the Chao Phraya, which was still private and inaccessible at that time.
In the same vein, we find the multicolored facades, including a series of red, beige and blue facades with identical fronts (you will see what has become of one of them since...).
Shortly after, it joins the area of the mosque and aligns with the "Fruit Building." It was during this visit that we went into the small alley I mentioned earlier. I remember telling Jitima how much potential this spot had if it were renovated… Little did I know how right I was.
When hotels and cafes begin to be established
A short paragraph to mention the transition phase. You have to see that just a few years ago, being a shopping street, you would come across quite a few banks, many pickup trucks circulating and parked along the street to load and unload goods, as well as workers hauling their hand truck (the cart, of course).
Try it on Google Maps Street View, it's quite obvious.
It was first and foremost a street where one observed an almost "ordinary" daily life: people working, professional businesses with locals doing their business, but where one did not linger any longer than that.
One of the things that made me realize Song Wat was going to change was the arrival of a hotel. At the time, this was all the more striking as it included a cafe (which has since disappeared, paradoxically due to competition).
Because having a café on a street isn't as insignificant as it might seem. It's no longer just a street with "nothing" to offer the average visitor passing through. It implies that people can stroll along it, that the place invites them to stop, or even stay—hence the hotel. The potential was there; it just needed to be tapped.
From my observations, this shift began to take place around 2018. So it's not a "brutal" change in itself, rather something discreet at the beginning.
To be more specific, the photos illustrating the "before" part date from 2019 and 2021. At that time, cafes and restaurants were starting to appear, but there were still few of them, although you could already guess that a change was beginning.
This was particularly noticeable in the improved upkeep of the buildings: repainted facades, renovated facades, and a growing desire to beautify the street. It's not the same angle, but to illustrate, here's the same building a few years apart:
Another development, the one that truly made me understand the ongoing renewal: the opening of an art gallery in the neighborhood. We're moving away from the realm of the "raw," of the simple everyday, and entering a kind of quest for contemplation. Yes, I'm getting a little philosophical now… (and no, I don't need ChatGPT for that).
These signs were, for me, clear evidence of the impending transformation. If I had had the soul of an investor (and the resources), I would have clearly sensed the opportunity. After Covid, and especially after 2022, things accelerated, giving birth to a "new" Song Wat, with a completely transformed dynamic.
Song Wat, v.2: the "new" face of Bangkok's Chinatown
The genesis of this article is that, seeing the street evolve little by little, this is precisely what led me to return to take proper photos, in order to have a real element of comparison before it changes completely.
Because although I had been there before, a bit like everyone else in the end, I had never really devoted more time to it than that.
For the past few weeks, I've been seeing numerous tags and posts mentioning a small alley in Song Wat that has become the new darling of Instagrammers. But I thought at the time that it was limited to this particular alley, and not to the whole of Song Wat, which seems to have undergone a more general transformation.
The trigger that made me want to see what it was all about was the recent release of the latest season of Stranger ThingsYou might ask: what's the connection? Netflix does very well in Thailand, and promotions there are often carried out with significant resources (just look at the events organized for the first two seasons of...). Squid Games).
And it just so happens that Song Wat was chosen as part of the promotion for this new season of Stranger ThingsEntitled "One Last Adventure", the operation took the form of an invitation to "experience" the upside down, through several installations scattered along the street, the main one being located in the open parking lot, the very one where the elephant mural is located.
I thought it was the perfect opportunity to check it out.
In the end, I found myself going twice in 48 hours. The first time, therefore, was as part of this event. Stranger ThingsThen, as I was telling her where I'd been that afternoon, she wanted to take a look too. As a result, I went back with Jitima the very next day.
Song Wat x Stranger Things
It was late afternoon when I went there, since the main event was at 17pm. I arrived at the temple (Wat Pathum Khongkha) around 16:30pm. I thought to myself that it was fine, I had a little time.
On the opposite sidewalk, I see a long queue. I think to myself that there must be a star nearby or something, without realizing for a moment that it is actually the queue for the very event that brings me here… How naive.
Walking along said queue, I arrive in front of the parking lot set up with a "cube", and a fence at the entrance indicating "Welcome to Hawkins" (if you are not familiar with the series, this is where the story takes place).
Ah… I now understand that people are waiting to access this famous cube, a temporary attraction called "One Last Ride." As an aside, I'm glad I didn't count on using this parking lot to park there.
No way I'm waiting for that; I'm not that big of a fan. So, I'm continuing my exploration of Song Wat. After all, there are other attractions along the street that don't require queuing.
The first spot I come across, clearly linked to the revitalization of Song Wat, is literally next to the parking lot. A former private area, redeveloped with restaurants, a tea room, and even a nail salon: Maha Pho River View.
As its name suggests, the place is right next to the river. That day, an impromptu bar with beach chairs had been set up facing the Chao Phraya. The sky was surprisingly overcast for late December, but it's always pleasant to watch the activity on Bangkok's legendary river.
I continued my stroll back along the main street. And a few meters further on, the shock. Remember the three colorful houses I mentioned earlier? Imagine my face when I saw the new color of the old "blue" one, now... fluorescent green. And above all, what it now houses: a shop Longchamp.
It was at that moment that I truly realized the aesthetic and artistic shift in the street. What also struck me was the number of people on the sidewalks, which were usually almost deserted (there wasn't even any street food here before, that's how bad it was).
After seeing some photos, I think it was partly due to the "One Last Adventure" promotion, plus the end-of-year period; but clearly, it was different from my previous visits. The sidewalks weren't very wide, so you often had to walk in the road, but that's fairly common in Thailand.
However, every step brings its share of discoveries. Gone are the closed gates that used to line this street: now I come across bakeries, souvenir shops, cafes, bars… It feels really strange…
It is not yet on the scale of a street that has also been completely transformed like Banthat Thong, near the Siam district, but we are getting there.
I also noticed several small pieces of street art scattered here and there, including a large mural on a wall at the entrance to the alley leading to the mosque. An alley that, were it not for the mosque's recognizable yellow facade at the end, I might not have recognized, so radical is the change.
Everything has been renovated, and the old houses have been transformed into places to eat and drink: cafes, ice cream parlors, restaurants. A quick before/after comparison to give you a better idea!
That day, I didn't linger there any longer. Night falls quickly in the late afternoon, and I mainly wanted to see THE street that triggered — or at least contributed to — this craze for Song Wat.
To do this, I pass in quick succession by three installations related to Stranger ThingsFirst, at the level of the " I Wanna Bangkok ", with posters — including one depicting Vecna — adorned with roots from the upside down and an inverted sign, referencing the upside-down world of the series.
Just a little further on, the interior of a building is decorated like the living room of Joyce Byers, Will's iconic mother, while a neighboring facade features a demogorgon emerging from the wall. I pass by other installations, but what I didn't know before coming is that some were only accessible with a ticket.
Since these improvements were just a pretext for me to come to the area, I won't dwell on them or focus on them any further.
I finally arrive at the famous alley, the origin — or consequence, I'm not quite sure — of Song Wat's growing popularity. On Google, it's listed in Thai as "Song Wat's Centennial Gate," because this once-private area is accessible through an old wooden gate.
Along the 70 meters of this alley which joins the edge of the Chao Phraya, one finds the typical effervescence of a small pedestrian street, with shops, cafes, bars, restaurants, and even a crêperie on each side (opinions differ regarding the latter).
It has to be said that, combining the circumstances of the day—Stranger Things and Christmas Eve—there were indeed quite a few people. However, it wasn't exactly packed, and I imagine that on a "normal" weekday, the atmosphere is much calmer.
But the place clearly has its charm. I understand the appeal: this mix of old buildings, street art, cool and trendy shops, and of course a very photogenic aspect that attracts the younger generation… but not only them.
Once satisfied with this first ride and with the photos I needed, I calmly headed back to the parking lot. I walked along the queue again, still there to access "One Last Ride", the attraction in the Song Wat parking lot, as the sun, hidden behind the clouds, began to announce the end of the day.
Back to Song Wat, with the sun
This time, under a beautiful sky, I was able to revisit Song Wat. I took far fewer photos, though, because I had already taken quite a few the day before yesterday.
This did not prevent us from lingering a little, if only to give the lady time to take her photos and discover the place in turn.
We also tried one of the new restaurants on the street, The Malittawhich offers tapas and Spanish dishes (yes, it's a far cry from the world of Song Wat). We treated ourselves to a little Christmas indulgence, because it's clearly not the place to go if you're on a tight budget (and while the food was good, I didn't find the owner, a foreigner, very friendly...).
When you arrive in the alley at the century-old gate, there are already fewer people than two days ago, but it remains lively, just like the rest of Song Wat, which remains very lively.
But aside from the beautiful weather we're enjoying, it's when I realize I was right to come back with Jitima. Because, when we arrived at the alley leading to the mosque, Jitima was curious enough to rush in and continue along the "hidden" alley that runs alongside, where the old, dilapidated Chinese house used to be.
And once again, a "shock"! The street is now clean and bright, the walls repainted, the row of old shops completely renovated, and the old house entirely refurbished. The photos I'm showing you are before and after, so it's clearer that way.
The remains of the annex building have been skillfully rehabilitated into two separate rooms, including an ice cream parlor and a Pasaya shop (a company specializing in home furnishings and interior decoration textiles, including curtains and sheets).
They are presumably the ones behind this spectacular renovation (it has to be said, it required considerable resources). Having known the place "before," it's truly strange to see it brought back to life.
The main house has been converted into a restaurant on the ground floor (burgers!), while the upper floor houses a cafe (very good, but in a rather high price range).
You may or may not like the result, but when I spoke of potential here, this perfectly illustrates my feelings during my first visit a few years ago. However, one of the reasons the path leading to this area is brighter is that one of the two banyan trees that stood alongside the old structures had to be cut down.
After taking all the necessary photos in the area (including one from the same gate as a few years ago), we strolled back to the parking lot. This time, we stopped at the crossing. Maha Pho River View, whose wall, adorned with a series of posters at the entrance, attracts poseurs for a souvenir photo.
In the end, I took fewer photos, but we stayed for a good hour, longer than my whirlwind visit 48 hours ago, since this time I was more in "visitor" mode than "blogger." Overall, allow between one and two hours to properly explore Song Wat and its surrounding streets, such as Soi Wanit.
Talat Noi, a scenario that repeats itself?
It's hard not to think of Talat Noi while walking through Song Wat today. The same gradual dynamic, the same mix of old buildings, street art and trendy spots, before the area became an attraction in its own right.
If you want to see what the complete evolution of a Chinatown neighborhood can look like, I discuss it in detail here:
→ Talat Noi: a walking tour to discover an unusual side of Bangkok
To better visualize all the places mentioned in this article, I have grouped the different points on my personal map of Song Wat.
Song Wat, today… and tomorrow?
Today, Song Wat is forging a new identity. Having known Song Wat “before”, I already saw the appeal that the street could have, but the desire to stroll, to sit or to take photos is even stronger today as the street now offers the possibility, which was more limited before.
It remains to be seen what will become of Song Wat in the coming years. Talat Noi has shown one possible trajectory, Banthat Thong embodies another, rather radical one. Song Wat currently finds itself somewhere between the two.
You can still find "old-fashioned" shops, modest street restaurants and that inseparable jumble of cables.
What happens next will likely depend on the pace of the transformations, the stakeholders involved, and the real estate pressure that will—or will not—ultimately materialize. For now, the street remains in this interesting in-between state, still in transition, and perhaps that is precisely what makes it so appealing today.
But as is often the case in Bangkok, it's lively, it's constantly changing, and what defines a neighborhood today can very well be turned upside down tomorrow.
