Sai Mai (, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It is bounded by (from north clockwise): Lam Luk Ka district of

Pathum Thani province Pathum Thani (, ) is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise): Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Chachoengsao, Bangkok, and Nonthaburi. The province is north of ...

; Khlong Sam Wa,

Bang Khen Bang Khen (, ) is one of the List of districts of Bangkok, 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bounded by other Bangkok districts (from north clockwise): Sai Mai district, Sai Mai, Khlong Sam Wa district, Khlong Sam Wa, Khan Na Ya ...

and Don Mueang of Bangkok.

History

Sai Mai was the name of a ''

muban Muban (; , ) is the lowest Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet (place), hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74 ...

'' (village) in ''

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)

Khu Khot file:วัดสายไหม1.jpg, 250px, Lam Luk Ka Road in the area of Wat Sai Mai temple near Khu Khot BTS station Khu Khot (, ) is a ''tambon'' (sub-district) in Lam Luk Ka district of Pathum Thani province, Bangkok Metropolitan Region, ...

, Lam Luk Ka District, Pathum Thani Province. It was transferred to Bang Khen district and promoted to subdistrict (''

'') in 1940. Due to the growth of population in the area, Sai Mai was elevated to district status effective 21 November 1997 to improve service and administration. The name of the village "Sai Mai" ("late or not?") is believed to come from a story told in the past as the area was very far from the downtown. Hence, passing by people often ask, "Will it be late to get here?". It is not related to ''

Roti sai mai ''Roti sai mai'' (, ; ''sai mai'' meaning 'silk thread') is a Southeast Asian dessert from Thailand. is an Indian Muslim-influenced dessert served by wrapping cotton candy in sweet roti. The rolling floss or cotton candy is thin, silky strings ...

'' in any way. The dominant feature of the district is

Khlong A ''khlong'' (, ), alternatively spelt as ''klong'' () commonly refers to a canal in Thailand. These canals are spawned by the rivers Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, and Mae Klong, along with their tributaries particularly in the low-lying areas of ce ...

(canal) Lat Phrao. The canal is thought to have been dug in the early period of the

Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932) The Rattanakosin Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Siam after 1855, refers to the Siamese kingdom between 1782 and 1932. It was founded in 1782 with the History of Bangkok#Rattanakosin, establishment of Rattanakosin (Bangkok), which repl ...

. Khlong Lat Phrao is one of nine canals in Bangkok that drains rainwater flowing into the city from northern Thailand, but it has been neglected for decades and clogged with refuse. In January 2016, 1.6 billion

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

was allocated to rehabilitate the canal, widen it to 38 metres and deepen it to four metres. Construction is to be completed by June 2019.

Administration

The district is divided into three sub-districts (''

khwaeng A ''khwaeng'' (, ) is an administrative subdivision used in the fifty districts of Bangkok and a few other city municipalities in Thailand. Currently, there are 180 ''khwaeng'' in Bangkok. A ''khwaeng'' is roughly equivalent to a ''tambon'' in ot ...

'').

Places

Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital () is a hospital located in Sai Mai District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is a military hospital operated by the Royal Thai Air Force#Directorate of Medical Services, Directorate of Medical Services, The Royal Thai Air Forc ...

Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy The Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy () (NKRAFA) is a military academy for officer cadets of the Royal Thai Air Force. History In 1950, the Royal Air Force (RTAF) started recruiting officers who completed their training fr ...

Rittiyawannalai School Rittiyawannalai School (Rit-ti-ya-wan-na-lai) () is a public secondary school, elementary school (Grades 1–12) and nursery school in Bangkok, Thailand . It was established by Air Marshal Luong-Thevalit Punluk on 18 September 1947. Overview * A ...

* Saphan Mai

Transportation

There are three BTS Skytrain Sukhumvit line stations in Sai Mai:

Royal Thai Air Force Museum The National Aviation Museum of the Royal Thai Air Force is located in Don Mueang District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is located on the Phahonyothin Road just to the south of Wing 6 of the domestic terminal of the Don Mueang International Airport, Don ...

, and Yaek Kor Por Aor. All stations are on the Phahonyothin Road, the westside border to

Don Mueang district Don Mueang (, , ; ; ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bounded by (from north clockwise): Mueang Pathum Thani and Lam Luk Ka of Pathum Thani province; Sai Mai, Bang Khen and Lak Si of Bangkok; and Pak Kret ...

References

External links

BMA website with the tourist landmarks of Sai Mai

(Thai only) Districts of Bangkok {{Bangkok-stub