Talat Noi - ตลาดน้อย

Endless piles of well-organized scrap metal in countless forms are scattered along the main street Soi Wanit 2. Talat Noi, meaning "small market," is located on the outskirts of Bangkok's Chinatown along the Chao Phraya River and was the first port of the city and the epicenter of immigration by various ethnic groups. The main secondhand scrap area is called Xiang Gong and was started after the Second World War, selling mainly old military equipment.

The first group of settlers were the Portuguese in the late 18th century after the collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom to the besieging Burmese forces. Portugal was also the first European country to start trading and establish an embassy in Siam, or present-day Thailand.

Later groups of Vietnamese, Khmer, and especially Chinese Teochew, Hokkien, and Hakka migrants arrived. The district underwent swift growth following the signing of the Bowring Treaty in 1855. The treaty allowed free trade with foreign merchants, something that previously had been subject to heavy taxation.

Talat Noi, particularly Soi Flaet Sap Sin was famous for its large amount of opium or chandu dens, but in 1957 the Thai government established an absolute ban on manufacturing, sale, and consumption of opium. A number of modern restaurants and bars have opened up in recent years, meaning a slow change of the historic neighborhood once again.