Brief History
Centre for Trading Trang is one of the oldest towns in southern Thailand. Over 2000 years ago, it was an important port with the town standing on the mouth of the river, where Kantang is today. Goods were landed here by merchants from India and Arabia and transported across the narrow peninsular to Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat to be exchanged for the silks and treasures of China. This avoided having to circumnavigate Singapore, through pirate infested waters.
The trade supported a number of maritime empires, which controlled the region from Sumatra to Indochina, with Trang as a link point. This changed when Ayuthaya became capital of Thailand and a powerful Siam regained control of the region. The region once again grew in importance, when the great King Chulalongkorn visited in 1890.
Interesting Architecture In 1915, the town was moved from the coast (Kantang) to the current safer inland location. Today it is still possible to see traces of the original character, with shop houses and villas reflecting a tropical SinoPortuguese style of architecture. The traditional Kantang Market in Trang is also worth a visit with an interesting combination of fruit and vegetables and some local fabrics, including sarongs. In addition, there are a number of interesting Buddhist and Chinese temples in the town. Trang has a strong Chinese community and the atmospheric Tamkonjiea Chinese temple, is a good place to observe people at worship.
If you visit Kantang, the beautiful railway station is particularly quaint. The nearby wooden villa of a former city father, Phraya Rassada, is also quite charming and now houses a small museum with many fascinating old photographs of former times. Kantang is also an excellent place to check out the catch of the day as fishermen bring a shore baskets full of freshly caught fish.
