Samut Songkhram — Samut Songkhram is preparing to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Amphawa canal-side community receiving the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation, with the launch of the "Amphawa Riveritage" and "Amphawa Yang Mee" events, inviting Thai people and tourists to experience the charm of this living old town, learn about traditional community ways of life, history, and the food culture of the Mae Klong river basin, throughout August 2026.
Lieutenant Patcharodom Unsuwan, Executive Committee Member of the King Rama II Memorial Foundation under Royal Patronage, disclosed that Amphawa is an old-town community more than 100 years old, distinguished by its Thai-style houses, floating houses, wooden shophouses along the waterfront, and piers that reflect the way of life of people who have long been bound to the river.
The Amphawa canal-side community conservation project received a Commendation under the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation on 11 August 2008, and on 11 August 2026 will mark the 18th anniversary of receiving this prestigious award — a source of pride for the people of Amphawa and for Thais nationwide.
To celebrate this occasion, Amphawa Subdistrict Municipality, together with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Samut Songkhram Office, is organising the Amphawa Riveritage event from 8–12 August 2026 at the Amphawa Chaipattanaruksa Project, Chaipattana Foundation, with the aim of raising awareness and reaffirming the value of this living cultural heritage community.
At the same time, 2026 also marks the 22nd anniversary of the drive to conserve Amphawa Old Town. The "Amphawa Yang Mee" activities are therefore being held during the periods of 31 July–2 August, 7–12 August, 14–16 August, and 21–23 August 2026, from 15:00–20:00, in the Amphawa Old Town area, inviting visitors to discover the charm of an old town that "still has" much of value to learn.
The event presents the identity of Amphawa through four dimensions: local specialties, crafts, traditional ways of life, and new stories. The Craft & Coffee zone conveys the story of quality coffee and the art of blending coffee beans with local ingredients, while the crafts zone brings together handcraft works that reflect the wisdom and distinctiveness of the community.
In addition, tourists will be able to experience the traditional way of life of Amphawa's residents, including charcoal-stove coffee shops, tofu soup and pa thong ko pushcarts, curry-and-rice shops, long-established hair salons, garden produce sold at the front of homes, and the sight of monks rowing boats on their alms rounds — a rare and captivating scene that is hard to find elsewhere.
Another highlight is learning about Amphawa's history as "Bang Chang," the former residence of King Rama II, as well as the stories of Queen Amarindra and Queen Sri Suriyendra, which reflect the area's deep historical and cultural roots.
Lieutenant Patcharodom concluded by saying that Amphawa is not merely a floating market, but also the birthplace of the food culture of the Mae Klong river basin, rich in quality local produce such as pomelo, lychee, mackerel, freshwater prawns, fish sauce, shrimp paste, coconut sugar, and salt — all of which form the foundation of the field of Gastronomy that connects food, history, culture, and the way of life of its people. He extended an invitation to everyone to come and discover that "Amphawa… still has" a great deal of value waiting to be experienced and carried forward together.
