At Wat Nimmanoradee’s 100-year-old market, in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district, memories of life along the canals remain vivid among longtime residents, even as the landscape around them has continued to change.
For 73-year-old Orawan Wanasabodeekul, who has lived opposite Wat Nimmanoradee all her life, the canal was once a place to watch sunsets, stars and boats passing by.
“I used to sit on the bridge with my legs dangling and watch the sunset,” she said. “Now the view is blocked by condominiums. The natural beauty and atmosphere we used to have are gone.”
Orawan recalls a time when the area functioned as a floating market, with boats bringing fresh vegetables and other food to local residents in the mornings. Later in the day, vendors sold cooked dishes, noodles, steamed fish and sweets, continuing into the evening.
The canal itself was once rich with fish and shrimp. But as roads were built, the area became more reliant on land-based transport, while pollution and changing living conditions gradually brought the floating trade to an end.
“It was so much fun back then,” Orawan said. “Those things are gone now. Land is expensive and everything is more expensive. As development comes in, people sell their homes.”
Despite the changes, some traditional businesses remain. Cheng Siaojarern, 97, owner of Peng Nguan shop, has sold red-pork rice at the market for more than 70 years. A plate once cost just one baht, with a child’s portion priced at 50 satang. Today, it costs 40 baht.
“I’m the only one left selling here,” Cheng said. “Business is good, very good.”
Phasi Charoen district has sought to revive the area’s old floating-market atmosphere, but Orawan believes recreating the past is not straightforward.
Many modern floating markets, she said, are designed primarily for tourism, with carefully staged scenery that differs from the community’s traditional way of life.
“This is a residential area,” she said. “When it was a floating market, some households complained about noise and loss of privacy.”
While Orawan supports local commerce and hopes to see the area develop, she also wants elements of its old character to survive.
“Sometimes I want to see the old atmosphere come back a little,” she said. “People shouldn’t expect to shop a lot here. Come to see the atmosphere — you can’t find this kind of ambiance in Bangkok anymore.”
The area has been designated a conservation zone, preventing properties from being demolished or re-developed without permission. Orawan supports the protection, saying preserving the community could eventually create opportunities for local residents.
“Perhaps in the future someone will restore or develop it well,” she said. “Then people in this community could have jobs and extra income. That would be good.”
The story reflects the simple, close-knit way of life cherished by the market’s older residents, many of whom remain determined to preserve the community’s original character rather than simply follow modern trends. For them, the market’s uniqueness lies precisely in its authenticity — a reminder that heritage can endure without having to change to fit the times.
