Pattaya, Thailand

The history of Pattaya

In fact, only 40 years ago Pattaya as we know it today, didn’t even exist. On the stretch of coast between Sriracha and Sattahip, there were only a small number of fishing villages and in Pattaya bay itself, there were just a few fishing families who had settled here because of the calm waters and the safety of the bay, protected headlands to the North and South and by mountains behind. Their nearest neighbors lived just around the headland to the north, where, in the old days salt used to be produced (Naa-Klua = salt fields) but where there were now mainly fishing families. People traveled about by foot or by bullock carts because, except for the main road from Bangkok to Sattahip, only a few dirt roads and tracks existed.

Nevertheless, the bay and nearby islands provided good, safe fishing and more and more families came here to settle down, Gradually a village developed. At first, was known as Tupphraya the general name for the area which dated back to the time when Pharaya Taksin (Duke Taksin) camped near here with the followers he had gathered to help free Thailand from the Burmese (Tupphraya – the Pharaya’ – army)

As the village grew, the villagers wanted to give it a separate identity, so they adopted the name of Pattaya, which was the name they used for the strong winds which came from the South West at the beginning of every rainy season.

The pace of life was slow and it seemed as if Pattaya would remain an out-of-the-way place forever. Even up to 30 years ago there were only a few buses serving the 100 or more families who lived here and visitors from elsewhere were few and far between. But things were destined to change and as usual, it was a war (the Vietnam War) that changed them. The U.S.A. sent soldiers to build the air base at U Tapao and many of these took to spending their leisure time and money in Pattaya.

The beaches were clean in those days and the sea breezes made it pleasant and cool. People in the surrounding areas were quick to spot the business opportunities and bars and guesthouses began to spring up. The fisher – folk probably resented this intrusion, but it provided a good market for their catches and they soon got on the bandwagon by offering fishing trips to Koh Larn for about 50 Baht per head. Gradually, visitors from Bangkok also began to use the resort at weekends, although the trip was a tiring 3 to 4 hours on the two-lane road.

Later the US Military based in Thailand began to use Pattaya for rest and recreation (R&R) and bigger hotels and entertainment places (including the oldest profession of them all) were built to cater to them. Thus the 60s and 70s saw the most rapid change and development. In 1964 in view of its new importance, Pattaya was raised to the status of a village and in 1979, elevated to that of a Teasban Nakhon (Municipality), responsible now for its own administration.

Today Pattaya is Thailand’s premier beach resort and attracts annually more than a million tourists from all over the world. Pattaya provides high-standard hotels, restaurants, sports, entertainment, and shopping facilities. The resort is Thailand’s most important diving center and the east coast is also a paradise for golfers.