Jump to content

Patpong

Coordinates:13°43′42″N100°32′00″E/ 13.72833°N 100.53333°E/13.72833; 100.53333
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patpong
Patpong in 2021, amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
Patpong is located in Bangkok
Patpong
Patpong
Location within Bangkok
LocationBang Rak,Bangkok,Thailand
Coordinates13°43′42″N100°32′00″E/ 13.72833°N 100.53333°E/13.72833; 100.53333

Patpong(Thai:พัฒน์พงศ์,RTGS:Phat Phong,pronounced[pʰátpʰōŋ]) is anentertainment districtinBangkok'sBang Rak District,Thailand,catering mainly, though not exclusively, to foreign tourists and expatriates.[1]While Patpong is internationally known as ared light districtat the heart of Bangkok'ssex industry,it is in fact only one of several red-light districts with some catering primarily to Thai men while others, like Patpong, cater primarily to foreigners.[1]

A busynight marketaimed at tourists is also located in Patpong.[2]

Location and layout

[edit]

Patpong consists of two parallel side streets running betweenSilomandSurawong Roads[3]and one side street running from the opposite side of Surawong. Patpong is within walking distance from theBTS SkytrainSilom Line's Sala Daeng Station, andMRT Blue Line's Si Lom Station.

Patpong 1 is the main street with many bars of various kinds. Patpong 2 also has many similar bars. Next to these lies Soi Jaruwan, sometimes referred to as Patpong 3 but best known as Silom Soi 4. It has long catered togaymen, whilst nearby Soi Thaniya has expensive bars with Thai hostesses that cater almost exclusively toJapanesemen.

History and ownership

[edit]

Patpong gets its name from the family that owns much of the area's property.Luang Patpongpanich(or Patpongpanit), an immigrant fromHainan Island,China,purchased the area in 1946.[4]At that time it was an undeveloped plot of land on the outskirts of the city.[5]A smallklong(canal) and a teakwood house were the only features. The family built a road – now called Patpong 1 – and several shop buildings, which were rented out. Patpong 2 was added later, and both roads are private property and not city streets.[5]Patpong 3 and Soi Thaniya are not owned by the Patpongpanich family. The old teak house was demolished long ago and the klong was filled in to make room for more shops. Originally Patpong was an ordinary business area, but the arrival of bars eventually drove out most of the other businesses.

By 1968, a handful of nightclubs existed in the area, and Patpong became anR&R(rest and recuperation) stop for US military officers serving in theVietnam War,[5]although the main R&R area for GIs was along New Petchburi Road, nicknamed "The Golden Mile".[6]In its prime during the 1970s and 1980s, Patpong was the premier nightlife area in Bangkok for foreigners, and was famous for its sexually explicit shows. In the mid-1980s the sois hosted an annual Patpong Mardi Gras, which was a weekend street fair that raised money for Thai charities.[7]In the early-1990s, however, the Patpongpanich family turned the sidewalks of Patpong 1 Road into a night market, renting out spaces to street vendors.[8]

The consequence was that Patpong lost much of its vibrancy as a nightlife strip, becoming crowded with tourist shoppers who ignored the nightlife.Nana PlazaandSoi Cowboydrew away many of Patpong's thrill seekers. Patpong became a designated "entertainment zone" in 2004, along withRoyal City Avenue(RCA) and portions ofRatchadapisek Road,where the largest commercial sex venues are found. This designation allows its bars to stay open until 02:00, instead of the 24:00 or 01:00 legal closing times enforced in other areas.[9]

In October 2019 thePatpong Museumopened in Patpong Soi 2, housing a collection ofart,antiquesanddisplayscovering 70 years of Patpong's history. The privately owned museum is located on the 2nd floor of building 5 oppositeFoodlandsupermarket and below Black Pagoda, and is open from 10am to 10pm.[10]

In media

[edit]

Many Western films have featured Patpong, includingThe Deer Hunter(1978).[11]The final part of the musicalMiss Saigon(1989) is set in the Patpong bar scene.[citation needed]

InSwimming to Cambodia,Spalding Graydiscussed the red light district of Patpong and its prostitutes, saying there wasn't much else to see in Bangkok save theGold Buddhaduring the day and the whorehouses at night.

The songWelcome to Thailandfrom the 1987 studio album of the same name by theThai rockbandCarabaocontains the lyrics:"Tom, Tom, where you go last night?... I love Meuang Thai. I like Patpong".The song complains thatFarangtourists (Westerners) are often attracted to the sleazy side of Thailand (the sex tourism of Patpong and Pattaya).[12]

The movieBarakafeatures several shots of strippers in Patpong.[13]

The 1994 bookPatpong Sisters: An American Woman's View of the Bangkok Sex WorldbyCleo Odzerdescribes the experiences of an anthropologist doing field research in Thailand.[14]

Patpong: Bangkok's Twilight Zone(2001, byNick Nostitz) is a photographic depiction of aspects of the Patpong night life.[15]

The 2008 bookLadyboys: The Secret World of Thailand's Third Genderpaints a portrait of Thailand'skathoeys.[16]

Patpong operais a collection of songs written by Kevin Wood, manager of Radio City, to tunes of modern rock songs. Together they tell the story of the people in Patpong.[17]

Patpong serves as part of the setting in Tom Robbins' bookVilla Incognito.[18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"Patpong Opinion - including the ping pong scam!".Bangkok112.19 December 2015.Retrieved19 December2018.
  2. ^"Bangkok Nightlife 2018 (UPDATED!)".Bangkok-Nightlife.Retrieved2018-10-20.
  3. ^"Patpong in Bangkok - Bangkok Go Go Bars".bangkok.Retrieved19 December2018.
  4. ^Slow, Oliver (2020-10-30)."When the CIA Ran Covert Operations From Bangkok's Red-Light District".VICE.Retrieved2024-09-06.
  5. ^abc"Patpong night market - the one amid the red light district".Experience Unique Bangkok.18 July 2016.Retrieved19 December2018.
  6. ^Janssen, Peter (29 November 2019)."Patpong: the rise of Bangkok's most famous red light district charted at new museum, complete with mock-up bar room and 'X-rated' area".South China Morning Post.Retrieved24 December2019.
  7. ^"The Patpong Mardi Gras".UPI.19 February 1983.Retrieved19 December2018.
  8. ^Michael Backman.The banana plantation turned sex zone,The Age,2005-09-21
  9. ^Itthipongmaetee, Chayanit (2018-02-13)."Why Bangkok's Fun is Ending at Midnight Again".Khaosod English.Retrieved19 February2018.
  10. ^"'Patpong Museum' opens in Bangkok's original soi of sex ".Coconuts.28 October 2019.
  11. ^"7 Movie Locations in Bangkok - Bangkok Magazine".bangkok.Retrieved19 December2018.
  12. ^"เวลคัมทูไทยแลนด์ Welcome to Thailand".carabaoinenglish.Retrieved22 January2019.
  13. ^"Patpong, Bangkok, a filming location from the film Baraka".barakasamsara.3 November 2011.Retrieved19 December2018.
  14. ^Odzer, Cleo (1994).Patpong Sisters: An American Woman's View of the Bangkok Sex World.Arcade Publishing.ISBN978-1559702812.Retrieved19 February2018.
  15. ^Nostitz, Nick (2001).Patpong: Bangkok's Twilight Zone.Westzone.ISBN978-0953743827.Retrieved19 February2018.
  16. ^Aldous, Susan; Sereemongkonpol, Pornchai (2008).Ladyboys: The Secret World of Thailand's Third Gender.Maverick House.ISBN9781905379484.Retrieved19 February2018.
  17. ^Wood, Kevin."Bangkok".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-11.Retrieved19 February2018.
  18. ^Robbins, Tom (2014).Villa Incognito(in German). Rowohlt E-Book.ISBN9783644039810.
[edit]
  • Media related toPatpongat Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patpong&oldid=1244268125"