Having lived in Bangkok, Thailand, most of my life I have seen it develop from essentially a place for backpackers to an international hub for tourism and business.
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Golden City of Prosperity
A visit to the residential and exhibition district of Muang Thong Thani recently made me think how far the SE Asian nation has come since the early 1980s when I first stepped bewildered off the train at Hua Lamphong Station into my Brave New World.
Muang Thong Thani – Golden City of Prosperity – is a city within a city in the area known as Nonthaburi in northeastern Bangkok, the Thai capital.
Originally rural land it started to be developed primarily as a residential area to cater to the city’s burgeoning population.
Row after row of 20 storey tower blocks sprang up. It contributed to the nation’s major economic growth, particularly in the area of Thailand exhibition. But more of that later.
Offices and commercial centres
Offices and commercial centres mushroomed through the boom years of the early 1990s though the so-called Tom Yum Kung crash of 1997 – Asia’s financial meltdown with its source in Thailand – put the mockers on things for a while.
As the economy recovered and a semblance of political stability returned to the Kingdom, Muang Thong was part of a broader trend of modernisation and urbanisation with the area quickly becoming known for its infrastructure, shopping centres and entertainment venues.
For a place purpose built, it sure has developed a sense of community. In the country of my birth “estates” are often maligned and have little character or sense of community.
Muang Thong is anything but; it is a place that has a true community feel and pride and where businesses are proud to present their brand.
Focal centres for community activities
This is unusual for a place with so much high rise. But perhaps it is the many focal centres for community activities that have helped create a sense of community.
Nowhere else is this exemplified more than in the “Thunderdome” where the local football team and their mad fans “The Ultras” support their League 1 side with the kind of fervour previously reserved for Liverpool, Man Utd or the Thai National Team!
Both national and international
These days Muang Thong has become a huge hub for exhibitions both national and international at the Impact and Challenger Arenas, vast exhibition spaces that rival anything in Thailand or the entire region for that matter.
For this writer these arenas have been visited regularly for the International Motor Show usually held in December as well as Home Furnishing Expos, Food Expos and, particularly for my children, exhibitions showcasing every conceivable pet and pet product you can imagine.
Seeing Thais with their dogs and cats dressed up in pushchairs like little babies is a delight not to be missed!
For international businesses the infrastructure in Thailand, its relative stability in an unpredictable world, and its plethora of exhibition venues in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya in particular make it an ideal place to showcase products and build businesses.