Eastern · Thailand
Chanthaburi · จันทบุรี
Gem markets, Oasis Sea World, waterfalls and Vietnamese riverfront.
- Region
- Eastern
- Population
- 538,000
- Area
- 6,338 km²
- Stories filed
- 0
About Chanthaburi
History
Chanthaburi has been Thailand's gem capital since the sixteenth century, when rubies and sapphires from its volcanic hillsides drew traders from Burma, Ceylon, and Persia to the riverside market still active today. The province was occupied by France from 1893 to 1905 as a diplomatic hostage in the Siamese-French frontier negotiations over Laos and Cambodia. The French left behind a colonial-era riverfront neighbourhood and, most enduringly, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception — the largest Catholic cathedral in Thailand — built on the west bank of the Chanthaburi River.
Landscape & geography
Hilly, heavily forested, and among the wettest provinces in Thailand; high annual rainfall feeds the rambutan, mangosteen, and durian orchards that blanket the interior hills, producing some of the kingdom's most prized fruit. The Chanthaburi River flows through the old town past the cathedral and gem merchants' shophouses. Khao Khitchakut and Namtok Phlio national parks protect the forested escarpment above the fruit valleys.
Why visit
The Chantaboon waterfront — a street of nineteenth-century shophouses where Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai traders mingled — is one of Thailand's most atmospheric old towns, best explored on foot with time for the Sri Chan gem market. Come in June or July for durian season, when roadside stalls pile the spiny fruit in pyramids and the province smells of nothing else. Namtok Phlio's stepped waterfall and the Khao Khitchakut crystal-rock hiking trail reward a full-day drive from Bangkok.
Stories from Chanthaburi
Articles, reviews, and itineraries tagged to this province.