Understand
Originally, Phahonyothin Road was named Prachathipatai Road à¸à¸à¸à¸à¸£à¸°à¸à¸²à¸à¸´à¸à¹à¸à¸¢ and it was just 22 kilometres, stretching from Victory Monument to Don Muang Airport. Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsonhkhram extended the road north all the way north to Sing Buri, and renamed it Phahonyothin Road in honor of General Phraya Pholphayuhasena, the second Prime Minister of Thailand commonly known as Phot Phahonyothin. Later it was extended even further, all the way to the Burmese border for a length of 1,005 kilometres! This article doesn't stretch that long, as it only covers that part of Phahonyothin Road that is actually within the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. But even then, Phahonyothin is a vast district by any means, stretching 30 kilometres from north to south.
Until 2006, nearly all visitors to Thailand landed here at Don Muang Airport. Don Muang has been an important airline hub, and for a long time held the title of second busiest airport in Asia by passenger volume. The first commercial flights in Don Muang Airport started in 1924; since then, the airport has been a commercial motor for the whole district, attracting many hotels and businesses. Because of this commercial activity, Bangkok mostly expanded northwards and Phahonyothin turned into one of the most developed suburbs of Bangkok. Many of Bangkok's residents live here and commute to downtown every day. Getting from the fringes to the southern part of Phahonyothin might take two hours or more, depending on traffic.
While the northern part is barely attended by foreign visitors, the southern part has some major highlights. Shopping is the main activity here; a visitor hasn't been to Bangkok without visiting the huge Chatuchak Weekend Market, the largest market in Southeast Asia with over 8,000 stalls. And while still off the beaten track to foreigners, Soi Ari turned into a hip artist-y neighbourhood with plenty of cheap dining options.
With the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2006, Don Muang Airport closed down completely for one year. After a big renovation, it was reopened in 2007 for non-connecting domestic flights, but still few airlines make use of it. The economic engine that Don Muang used to be suddenly stopped working. In a snap, five-star hotels turned into two-star hotels and airport-related businesses moved out of the far north. Luckily, 30 kilometres south, commercial activity is still alive and kicking.
