Pak Nam Pho (, ) is a ''

tambon ''Tambon'' (, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' of Bangkok, whi ...

'' (sub-district) in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District,

Nakhon Sawan Province Nakhon Sawan (, , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''). It lies in lower northern Thailand, neighbouring the provinces of Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Phetchabun, Lopburi, Sing Buri, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani, and Tak (cl ...

, upper

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central Plain) (historically also known as Siam or Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by the Phetchabun Mount ...

Toponymy and history

Usually, Pak Nam Pho means Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, the

capital district A capital district, capital region, or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politic ...

of Nakhon Sawan, but it implicitly refers to the whole province. The word ''Pak Nam Pho'' is believed to be a distorted name from the word ''Pak Nam Phlo'' (ปากน้ำโผล่, "estuary emerges") due to it is the confluence of the

Ping Ping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Ping, a domesticated Chinese duck in the illustrated book '' The Story about Ping'', first published in 1933 * Ping, a minor character in ''Seinfeld'', an NBC sitcom * Pingg, a ...

and the

Nan River The Nan River (, , ; , ) is a river in Thailand. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. Geography The Nan River originates in the Luang Prabang Range, Nan Province. The provinces along the river after Nan Prov ...

s to form the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

, the main artery of the central region of Thailand. Another explanation believes that "Pho" is the former name of the Nan River, hence ''Pak Nam Pho'' means "the mouth of the Nan River", ''Pak Nam'' also spelled ''Paknam'' means "estuary" or "river mouth". Another old name of Pak Nam Pho, given by the visiting King

Rama V Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his ...

, is ''Ban Yon Tawan'' (บ้านย้อนตะวัน), meaning "a settlement that faces the morning sun". The locals are often called ''Ban Chon Tawan'' (บ้านชอนตะวัน). In that era, even if Pak Nam Pho was a downtown, but it was full of wild animals such as deer and tiger. Tigers often hunt deer or even domestic dogs for food. Pak Nam Pho is home to many ethnic

Chinese immigrant Waves of Chinese emigration have happened throughout history. They include the emigration to Southeast Asia beginning from the 10th century during the Tang dynasty, to the Americas during the 19th century, particularly during the California go ...

s, including Teochew,

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

Hoklo The Hoklo people () are a Han Chinese subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to southeastern Fujian in China, and known by various related terms such as Banlam people (), Minnan people, Fujianese people or ...

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

and

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

. Until now, they still keep the traditional culture intact, such as

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

, by passing it on to the new generation. Pak Nam Pho is also the place where the grand Chinese New Year celebrations are held, with a period of up to 12 consecutive days and nights.

Administration

Pak Nam Pho is under the administration of Nakhon Sawan Municipality like other nearby sub-districts.

Toponymy and history

Administration

References

Further reading