Mueang Samut Sakhon district


Mueang Samut Sakhon is the capital district of Samut Sakhon province, central Thailand.

History

Mueang Tha Chin dates back to the Ayutthaya Kingdom and was once administered by the Ministry of Defence. During his reign, King Maha Chakkraphat ordered the establishment of Mueang Sakhon Buri. Later, King Mongkut renamed the city Samut Sakhon. In 1897, it was formally designated as Mueang Samut Sakhon District.
Despite the official name, locals still commonly refer to Mueang Samut Sakhon as Mahachai.
In addition to Mahachai, the city is also known by the Teochew name Lang-Ka-Su, which literally means "home of dragon descendants". This name has been recorded in Chinese historical texts for over a thousand years, suggesting that Samut Sakhon has long been home to Chinese settlers and people of Chinese descent. Its strategic location at the mouth of the Tha Chin River made it a prime site for maritime trade. To this day, Lang-Ka-Su remains a widely recognized informal name for the area.
In September 2013, the wreck of an ancient Arab trading ship was discovered at a shrimp farm in Phanthai Norasing Subdistrict, Mueang Samut Sakhon District. The ship was named the "Phanom-Surin Ship" after the couple who owned the land. It is considered the oldest shipwreck archaeological site ever found in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
The ship is believed to date back to the 9th century, corresponding to the Dvaravati period, and serves as compelling evidence that the Tha Chin River was once a key maritime route linking the Dvaravati Kingdom with the wider world.

Geography

The general topography of the district is a coastal lowland about 1 meter above sea level. There are no islands, mountains or minerals. The main watercourse of Samut Sakhon, Tha Chin River flows into the Gulf of Thailand at Bang Ya Phraek subdistrict.
Neighbouring districts are : Mueang Samut Songkhram of Samut Songkhram province; Ban Phaeo and Krathum Baen of Samut Sakhon province; and Bang Bon and Bang Khun Thian of Bangkok. To the south is the Bay of Bangkok.

Environment

Samut Sakhon province has more than 6,000 small- and medium-sized factories, many of them in this district. Soil and water samples from the industrial area of Mueang district were found to be contaminated with high levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, zinc, copper, and nickel. High levels of persistent organic pollutants, byproducts of industrial processes, were present in eggs from free-range chickens. An egg tested by researchers was found to have 84 nanograms per kilogram of dioxins and furans, a level 33 times higher than the safety limit observed by the European Union.

Administration

Provincial government

The district is divided into 18 subdistricts, which are further subdivided into 116 villages.
No.SubdistrictsThaiVillagesPop.
1.Mahachaiมหาชัย-40,986
2.Tha Chalomท่าฉลอม-7,570
3.Krokkrakโกรกกราก-4,665
4.Ban Boบ้านบ่อ98,514
5.Bang Tho Ratบางโทรัด108,500
6.Ka Longกาหลง84,501
7.Na Khokนาโคก63,639
8.Tha Chinท่าจีน710,984
9.Na Diนาดี928,338
10.Tha Saiท่าทราย832,566
11.Khok Krabueคอกกระบือ610,492
12.Bang Nam Chuetบางน้ำจืด615,694
13.Phanthai Norasingพันท้ายนรสิงห์842,851
14.Khok Khamโคกขาม1024,918
15.Ban Koบ้านเกาะ819,715
16.Bang Krachaoบางกระเจ้า911,448
17.Bang Ya Phraekบางหญ้าแพรก626,216
18.Chai Mongkhonชัยมงคล64,101
Total116305,698

Local government

As of December 2024 there are: seven municipalities, of which Samut Sakhon itself has city status and covers the combined area of Mahachai, Tha Chalom and Krokkrak subdistricts. Phanthai Norasing is a town municipality and covers the whole subdistrict. Bang Pla is a subdistrict municipality which covers only village 4 of subdistrict Ban Ko. Four subdistricts completely form a subdistrict municipality: Bang Ya Phraek, Na Di, Tha Chin and Khok Krabue. The non-municipal areas are administered by ten subdistrict administrative organizations - SAO.
Samut Sakhon
city mun.		Pop.03740102
Mahachai40,986
Tha Chalom7,570
Krokkrak4,665
Total population53,221

Subdistrict municipalityPop.LAO codewebsite
Bang Pla7,65005740103
Bang Ya Phraek26,21605740104
Na Di28,33805740105
Tha Chin10,98405740106
Khok Krabue10,49205740114

Healthcare

Hospitals

There are in the district: Samut Sakhon Hospital with 600 beds, Ekachai Hospital with 142 beds, Mahachai 3 Hospital with 180 beds, Jesada Vechakarn Hospital with 10 beds and Metropolitan Hospital Tha Chalom.

Health promoting hospitals

There are total twenty-three health-promoting hospitals in the district, of which; one in every subdistrict, but Ban Bo, Ban Nam Chuet, Khok Kham, Ban Ko, Ban Krachao and Bang Ya Phraek each have two and Phantai Norasing has three.

Religion

There are seventy Theravada Buddhist temples in the district.
One in Krokkrak, two in Tha Chalom, Na Di, Khok Krabue and Bang Nam Chuet, three in Ka Long, four in Ban Bo, Na Khok, Tha Sai, Khok Kham, Bang Ya Phraek and Chai Mongkhon, five in Mahachai, Tha Chin and Bang Krachao, six in Phanthai Norasing and Ban Ko and seven in Bang Tho Rat.

Transportation

The district is the intersection of highway 35 eastbound, highway 35 westbound, Ekkachai road .
There is Maeklong Railway a Wongwian Yai - Mahachai train service, starting from Wongwian Yai station, Bangkok, to Mahachai station every day from 05.30-20.00 hrs, and a Tha Chalom - Mae Klong train service, starting from Ban Laem station, Tha Chalom subdistrict, to Maeklong station, Samut Songkhram.