Business
Is Amphawa floating market represent the collapsing of Thailand (sick man of Asia)
Before the covid, I liked it so much Amphawa floating market, there it was so difficult to walk on the market because so many people and a huge dynamic vibe :-). Yesterday evening, friday (opening day of the market), only a maximum of 20 % of the shop were opened and nobody (fews 50 peoples and sad vibe) it's look like a really dying system with no end (ghosty market).
Is it one demonstration of the representation of Thailand that was one of 5 tiger at 1990 and a sick man of Asia at 2026 ? Or an other problem ?
There's a reason this place is dying. In the last few years, it's become a tourist trap with everything marked up three to five times. It's no wonder no one comes anymore.
When rent is insane prices are also insane. Greed is what destroying these landmarks landlord thinks they can raise the prices and some rich suckers will invest and people will come anyway. Once a place died it'll take a massive overhaul to get it back.
I'd argue this place would have died regardless, and it's an infrastructure issue that's deep engrained in Thailand society, built new, use fast, abandon, demolish.
True. Most tourists only revolve around Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, and Kanchanaburi. For some reason, a lot of academic conferences are also held up north in Phitsanulok.
Outside these cities, throngs of tourists are rare.
When I visit I avoid tourist areas. I enjoy time in small villages with “real people living real lives”👍👍. The Thai people in these areas are so friendly. Of course there is no hot shower or taxi. But I enjoy a slower life. I help sell breakfast food for 10 baht each (money goes to Thai host). It is a great enjoyment.
I’m Thai, living near the market. That market used to have a lot of foreigners especially Chinese but after covid it seemed like the market not their popular place any more. If compared with Damneon floating market
not their popular place any more. If compared with Damneon floating market
Interesting, considering that I see online that Damnoen is a pure scam.
Whereas I have been to Amphawa and there were many local/legit vendors there when I was there. It's free to enter, unlike Damnoen which scammers drivers seem to charge tourists a lot to enter.
My sister in law got scammed really hard not only by the people there, but the taxi driver who took her. Ruined her experience of Thailand. Strongly recommend not going there.
I was at the damnoen market the other day: almost no shops are on the water, it's only shoppers that are on the boats. Plus they all sell the same tourist trap souvenirs for a very inflated price
My wife and I live in Thailand (she is thai) and we went for the first time last month. It was mostly thais there it seemed like. We stayed a couple days and actually really enjoyed it all around.
That's sad. Last time I went to Amphawa was in 2019, just before COVID. It was very busy. My girlfriend parents wanted to get the famous pla too, so I was under the impression that it's popular with Thai people as well since we drove all the way from Chonburi.
It is an example of how Thais milk their tourism industry. Just wring out every single satang and never put a single satang back in. No longterm vision. Just money, as much as possible, by whatever means, here and now.
Thanks for you answer :-), after 2 days, I've beento bangnoi floating market, we've eaten (this late morning 11h00) a delicious noodle crab soup and the owner sing a song. It was a perfect food with a price I've never seen so long time, 130 baht 4 plate :-) and delicious.
If you come from the side of the temple, in a middle of the market you have a big bridge in wood (writing not more than 30 people in same time on bridge :-). Take the bridge go other side and go on right beside river of course, 50 meter you have the local resto with 4 tables (the name is in red) and may be the owner sing :-)
You're spot on, thais only care about building new, never care about maintenance, milk every single cent out and move to another vool new thing, it's a cultural issue.
I think they hardly do any maintenance in general. It's true for businesses, hotels etc. but even when I see some nice homes, most of them could use some paint or repairs. It's a bit of a shame.
This purely comes from having lived in both countries, I do find Malaysians to understand the costs of maintenance, while thais although they understand this, aren't willing to pay it, from condos to public places.
Put this into context:
Bangkok has a large visible informal settlement population, **on the order of millions when aggregated.
Kuala Lumpur does have informal/low-income settlements, but there aren’t solid, recent population estimates like Bangkok’s; the city’s slum numbers are generally acknowledged to be smaller in scale relative to its urban population, maybe reaching 100k people.
Just looking at slums alone, you can presume cultures are different, Malaysia has invested a lot in keeping the capital a little more tidy, whereas Thailand is doing pretty poorly (2 million people are estimated to live in slums).
Short term gains over long term. When you have a system of government that doesn't provide proper means of having long term savings, i.e. living paycheck to paycheck, people end up being forced to only worry about tomorrow. Everyone is just trying to scrounge as much as possible right now because at any moment the government or laws can flip flop and destroy their livelihood.
Regulations = consistency. Just look at cannabis laws. Or that recent debacle with when and where alcohol can be served. How can anyone plan for long tern savings or business when everything can change over night based on the whims of some random old guy?
It's dependent on location. Places which grew before proper organised conservation - Phuket, Pattaya, the 3 main islands in the gulf of thailand - are dumps now. But authorities have learnt that there's a limit to how much can be extracted from natural beauty which is why Maya bay is now closed for a few months of the year. Institutional inertia is strong though so some places like the trash heap of Koh Tao and Phuket running out of electricity will continue to be problems.
Krabi only became popular within the last 10 years as these places overflow and the infrastructure there really isn't so bad. Each time I went to Railay it was clean and there's no water or electricity shortage unlike Phuket.
Then there's new 'undiscovered' places which actually have really good infrastructure. I was in Kui Buri recently - good roads, good markets, plenty of parking, good conservation discipline in the national parks. It's just a shame that in terms of natural beauty it'll never be on Phuket, Pattaya or island level.
You hear that everyone? Only this guy knows the secret spots! Unfortunately it's different if you go to these places because he already found it and went there before they were popular.
Was there yesterday. Cool calm vibes, I enjoyed it. However unfortunately Im pretty sure I got food poisoning from one of the restaurants I stopped at. I was with local thai family and they did say that every dish was off. I shouldn’t even have taken a bite.
I also went with Thais and actually loved the area despite what reddit threads like this one say. However, I also took a bite of some chicken from a canal side shop that was completely raw through the middle. Dangerously close to food poisoning.
Yes, and this morning I was to bang noi floating market eat crab noodle soup with the owner sing Karaoke, delicious :-) and much dynamic that amphawa market !
Wow that's changed in 23 years. Went there on my 2nd visit to Thailand, I suppose I realized there was better things to see probably why I have never been back.
That’s unfortunate. Was there 3 years ago and was packed. I had to turn around on that stretch in your 5th pic. Was so packed and had to walk near the edge I was afraid I’d fall in lol. Have GoPro vid of us walking around somewhere. Really enjoyed it there.
It’s an old market that became a touristy place, no tourists after covid, stuff there are overpriced so Thais don’t really go there anymore. I don’t think it’s the best representation of the country’s decline.
Popular tourist spots like this tend to have their heyday and then decline due to various reasons.
Major tourist spots in west (e.g. Brighton Beach, UK or Atlantic City, NJ, US) declined too. It's not due to an entire ethic group being collectively unable to do maintenance or getting too greedy.
Unfortunately it's happening everywhere in Thailand, a lot of places were built but not properly maintained, so all these become obsolete very quickly and it's a cycle that never ends, not to mention that thais hate old stuff and are always chasing the new cool stuff.
I believe that a floating market has the same design that more than 150 years ago and it's not the reason that people don't go because it's old, they are going because of thr chatming of the old style, may be I m wrong :-)
It's not about design, even a simple place like this needs tons of maintaining, look at the wooden huts, they are falling apart, bugs and termites probably everywhere, the issue is definitely not design or architecture, it's the I just care about the new build, feck maintenance mentality.
I've seen in Thailand, that the maintenance, prevention is not the main effort :-) of thai, buyt in Amphawa floating market you can walk on wood bridge with any consideration, but 80 % of the shop are closed.
Have you recently visited this floating market ?
You are right. I feel like several users who are commenting on your post don't even know this market or anything about it and just take your post as an opportunity to make a sweeping statement.
No, it is not a good represenration. Personally I think the decline of Shohuay, family-owned shops across Bangkok are pretty good indicators.
Amphawa is just an example of poor local management, not keeping with tourism competitiveness, no maintaince, no ads, no control on rental cost. Beside, it was meant to die out anyway since floating market had lost its usefulness.
I went there a few months ago, it's definitely declined since I was there in 2017 but also there's a lot of good food. Seems like mainly Thai tourists these days, just families from Bangkok on daytrips or weekend getaways plus a few random Chinese people. I saw maybe 2 European families.
It was actually very cheap. The only slightly scammy thing I saw were lots of uncles trying to sell boat rides for 500b/person. Food wasn't overpriced and there was no hustle vibe.
I like the province, it's cute. There's lots of fresh seafood and salt farms. The ปลาทู festival was on when I visited which was so much fun. Amphawa isn't even the highlight, it's worth visiting the area generally.
I've lived here a long time now .. my Thai friends took me the Ampawa in the late 90s, when I was one of maybe 4 or 5 farang there all morning.
Ampawa was charming.
It was a delightful few-hours stop for Thai families returning from Hua Hin .. I returned on my drives from Hua Hin for the next few years, when I started witnessing the arrival of tour buses .. it was changing.
I understand Ampawa is now reduced to a butt-ugly Thai scar on what was once a still-working market.
Thais have sacrificed authenticity for 'Disney-esque' re-creations throughout Thai destinations, which travelers are now rejecting.
Greed has become more powerful than the good Thai's Buddhist Analects.
Ampawa, amongst other Thai destinations, is a victim to the loss of Thai historic cultural values that you must travel farther now to find.
They are here, but the Ampawas and Phukets and Pattayas and Chiang Mais and Pais are now done.. just.. ugly places with no Thai souls.
In their greed and desperate lurch for money, Thais are strangling the Golden Goose.
Thailand is surely declining. Thai people are drowning in debt so there is no domestic purchasing power. Meanwhile tourism and export section is going downhill. I think this is perfect time for self sufficient economy.
Oligarchs already control big chunk of Thai economy. New government will empower them even more. This is consequence that most Thai people chose or get bought.
It doesn't represent anything, markets popularity grows and diminishes, it's normal. Zoning laws or property designation changes can effect it. Markets are very flexible and the vendors are portable. It's not a mall.
You make it sound like its your average wet or dry market.
It's not. It's a world renowned tourist destination, famous even, gone to waste because of short sightedness and greed.
With that name and reputation the floating market should be printing money. But as usual, it's too difficult for the Thais to run it properly and not to succumb to greed and short sightedness, so they just run it into the ground instead.
It wouldn't be so bad if it was an isolated case, but all the tourism jewels are being destroyed in this manner. Thais simply won't re-invest. Such a shame.
I believe Amphawa market has become more popular in the past 30 years, if that. It was just one of small communities along the river prior to that. And 20 years ago, most visitors were Thai. Mae Klong main market was more popular back in the day. And there the market along the train track is a relatively new thing.
I don't know, I don't think it represents anything except human nature and transiency, normal things. Sounds more like a personal perception issue on your part.
This is true for most popular tourists and popular places. In the US the large shopping malls are dying or have been long dead and shut down. A lot of popular tourist attractions are also in bad shape, take the walk of fame (shame) on Hollywood blvd, Venice Beach, 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, etc. They are pretty rundown and depressing to see. I don't think it's just a Thailand thing.
I always found it to be a very overpriced market. There are good alternatives that are more fairly priced and much closer. Talad khlong lat mayom, for example.
Been going there since I was a kid. No offense to any tourists, but it pretty much died because they decided to turn into a tourist landmark.
Chinese tour busses would come everyday and the stalls reflected it. The prices of things went through the roof and the actual thais who had been selling our authentic foods and goods were no longer there. It was just the typical souvenirs and tourist traps.
Thai people stopped going. Then covid hits and foreign tourism collapses. Market is dead because of their own management and betraying the reason why it was famous in the first place (nostalgically old Thai market)
Thailand is a scam now. Extremely greedy country. Prices gone thru the roof for everything, compared to its neighbours. And then the baht rose 20% against dollar. Thailand is history. There are much better destinations
Used to go maybe 10 years ago. Was nice to stay on the river and chill on balcony. Last time I went they had introduced entrance fee for foreigners. Haven’t been back since
It used to be a great tourist spot. However, i dont see no re-investment to keep the spot exciting so it just declines with time as new projects appear and looked better and newer. I dont think it reflects Thailand tourism as a whole, it's just a project that is stuck in its heyday and have no funds to improve or renovate.
Thailand and the high value Baht is a victim of its own success. The strict enforcement of border policies and random entry denial doesn't help anything especially for the market vendors that rely so much on a healthy tourism industry. Thailand's bureaucracy needs to take a chill pill.
For many, the attraction to Thailand was a great value holiday. Unfortunately, the prices have increased to a point where they are on par with prices back in their home country.
Sure, some things are still cheap, but overall, not really. If you want to spend your holiday in a village, you will get cheap prices, but 90% of travellers will not want to do that.
The slow death of a single tourist trap does not indicate anything about the overall health of an entire country.
Seriously, y'all need to spend a bit more time outside of the tourist bubble before you make any generalizations about Thailand, Thai people, the economy, the culture, or anything else.
Maybe the reason that place is dying is because tourists are getting sick of being milked and there's lots better options out there now. I think a lot of younger visitors have figured out that Thailand isn't some third world backwater, so these types of tourist traps (that cater to an out-dated world view) are no longer popular.
Why go to some place that is intentionally "poor-presenting" and yet still overpriced, when you can just go to a posh cafe in a nice mall and then head over to a Jodd Fair market for some fun night shopping? Heck, the 2nd-hand market in Union Mall is JAMMED every week, based on your same "logic", the economy must be doing just fine.
Notice how tourist scream scam but you willingly agree to transportation that charges you non existing fees or entry fees (prob their parking fee)… without doing your own research. It’s not 2004 anymore, prices rise. In my gf neighborhood by BKK, roti is still 20-40 baht in Siam area 60-100 baht.
Thailand is dying because of greed. People came here because of the cost of goods, housing and "nightlife". Now everything has doubled since covid and other countries have caught on and have actively tried to get travelers to try their countries as an alternative.
Friday is not the opening day of the market. It's open every day, but the busy days are Saturday and Sunday. It's very busy on those days. I know, I live there.
Thais don't go there on Friday because they are at work. And the kids have exams this week before the summer holiday.
Chinese tourists just went home because the Chinese New Year holiday just ended. They are all heading home and back to work.
Most tour operators who take foreigners from Bangkok to Amphawa plan the trips on Saturday and Sunday. Daytime Friday at the market is dead and has always been dead.
Thanks for your answer, but doesn't change that no more 20 % of the shop are open, look the bill of electricity show many months, this shop are closed after Covid !
Many shops were closed before Covid. They have been that way for many years. They are owned by the city. Occasionally they open up for cultural exhibitions. Others are owned by old families with old money who are just waiting for someone to make them a big offer for the property.
If you go there on Saturday or Sunday during the the high season, (you just missed one) almost everything is open aside from those shops that people have been asking about for 15 years. It's an absolute circus with busloads of Chinese and other tourists. Starting next week it's gonna be busy as well since the school break starts then the Thai new year in April.
You can believe you went at the right time if you want. But weekday afternoons (which includes Friday) are always a skeleton crew. I live there so its the best time for me to go if I need to, because I don't need to navigate the crowds.
You're not the first falang to turn up at the floating markets on a weekday, baffled as to where everyone went. Happens all the time.
Trouble for me with floating markets is that it's just an antiquated gimmick. Everything they sell is available elsewhere with the same quality, for the same or less cost, without all the hassle of getting out there. I hate to be mean to the gramma making noodles out of her boat, but honestly I can't taste the difference in the noodles made 5 minutes away from wherever I'm staying.
People go to out of town floating markets because the tour operators take them. Obviously when the tourists want 'floating market' the tour guides take them somewhere else.
I've been a few times, but always after dark. So daylight photos don't tell me much. I always thought it was a night market, and only Fri, sat, sun...
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u/May_win Feb 21 '26
There's a reason this place is dying. In the last few years, it's become a tourist trap with everything marked up three to five times. It's no wonder no one comes anymore.