Floating Market, Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand

In the past the areas adjacent to the rivers were the first to be populated. Thus most communities of Thailand were built at the sides of rivers. The waterways served as means of transportation and the center of economic activity as well. Boats were mainly used for both local and regional trade, bringing goods from those that produced to those that could barter and trade. Such ways of life of the riverside communities, especially in the Chao Phraya River Basin increase number of floating markets.
Floating markets became the hubs of the communities in the central plain of Thailand for centuries. In the Ayutthaya Period (1350-1767) due to the existence of several adjoining canals, which were suitable for trading, they helped to gain popularity for this type of market.
Early in the Rattanakosin Period (1782-1868) this kind of market was still lively with the crowds. Nonetheless, soon after the region grew and Bangkok began to develop, road and rail networks were increasingly constructed in place of the canals. This resulted in people chose to travel by land instead of by water. Therefore, some of the floating markets were forced to move onto the ground, some were renovated and some were closed down.