Khlong Ong Ang Walking Street

Khlong Ong Ang was dug in the reign of Rama I as part of the moat system around the new capital, and by the late twentieth century it had been built over by the Saphan Lek market - a warren of illegal structures selling electronics and toys that covered the water entirely and had stood for around thirty years. The city cleared it in 2015 and 2016, evicting around five hundred vendors in a contested operation, dredged the canal and built a promenade along both banks with murals by Thai and international artists. It won a UN-Habitat Asian Townscape Award in 2020. A weekend walking street runs along it with stalls, food and live music, and kayaks are available on the water. The eviction remains a live grievance for the traders who lost their livelihoods, and the district around it is still ordinary working Bangkok rather than a heritage zone.

What to look for

• The reopened canal - water uncovered after thirty years under a market.
• The murals - painted along both banks by Thai and international artists.
• The weekend street - stalls, food and music along the promenade.
• The Rama I moat - the original purpose of the waterway.

When to go

November to February. The walking street runs Friday to Sunday evenings, which is when it is liveliest; weekdays it is a quiet promenade. One to two hours.

Good to know

Quiet and fairly empty outside the weekend evenings. The clearance that created it evicted around five hundred traders and remains contested locally. The canal water is not clean.

Nearby

Phahurat is west; Yaowarat and Chinatown are east.