Hugging the banks of Mae Nam Chanthaburi is this charismatic part of town, filled with restored houses and elderly residents sitting around reminiscing about their Chanthaburi tales with each other. The Learning House displays neighbourhood photos, paintings and architectural designs, including upstairs drawings of intricate ventilation panels that feature Chinese characters and French fleurs-de-lis.
Around 300 years ago, farmers and merchants started trading alongside the river, which provided easy transport links. Later, Chinese and Vietnamese traders and refugees came to the area. Today, the 1km-long street scene still includes many private homes, but the emerging art galleries, coffee shops and tasty snack stalls entice visiting Thais at weekends.
