It’s the norm to for people to have busy lifestyles in such a vibrant place like Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. There are many things going on everyday be it the heavy traffic or the crowds of people in subway. Bangkok is well-known for its street vendors and food. Some foreigners even say that Thai street food is the best! But all that is going to change on the streets of Bangkok…

After indicating countless times to clear out vendors from the streets, the government is serious this time. Starting from mid-2016, there were lots of outrages from street sellers after the government started carrying out their street clean-up project. The most popular excuse the street sellers use for asking to continue their business on the pavement is talking about how poor they are. Being a street vendor seems to be one of the easiest things for people who were not born in a high-class or middle-class family to making money for a living.

The reasons for this clean-up are a plenty and are in the interests of the public. Safety is a concert, as street stalls are setup along the sidewalks, pedestrians have difficulty walking on them and end up having to step onto the road to get pass, remember Bangkok has one of the heaviest vehicular traffic in the world! Another reason, cleanliness and hygiene. Street stalls tend to leave garbage on the pavement and some stalls have low standards of hygiene, though some may say that adds to the taste of the foods!

This year, the government still continues the clean-up campaign after receiving satisfaction from a lot of its people. Up to 235 street vendors in 50 districts have been cleared. The pavements of Bangkok now look clean and organized, but that does not mean that one cannot enjoy the feeling of shopping on the street. There are still popular and proper street markets, where they do not cause controversy or disturbance, places such as Chatuchak Market or Railway Market (Thalad Rod Fai) are awesome destinations for one to still experience street shopping and food.

There are varieties of night markets and weekend markets available in Bangkok for local people and foreigners to spend their time chilling on the street finding good foods and nice clothes at cheap price. The most popular street market in Bangkok is Chatuchak Market which is very convenient for people to go since it is located near both the sky train and subway. From tasty food to good clothes and souvenirs, they all can be found in this market. Another place that should be mentioned is Railway Market or Thalad Rod Fai. There are a few places of Thalad Rod Fai. One is at Ratchada road and the other one is at Srinakarin Road. It is a perfect place for vintage lovers because almost every shop is decorated in an old style and lots of classic things are sold there. Just keep in mind, if you have never been to a street market in Bangkok, you have never been to Bangkok!