🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you drive south out of Trat town, keep going through Khlong Yai district, and follow the road until it simply runs out, you'll come to a stop at Ban Hat Lek, in Hat Lek subdistrict, Khlong Yai. This is the last village on the border, right up against Cambodia's Koh Kong province, about 90 kilometres from Trat town. It's the kind of place a lot of people deliberately drive all the way out to, just to tell themselves they've reached the eastern edge of the country.
Where is Ban Hat Lek, and why go?
Ban Hat Lek is a small fishing community on the coast, with boats large and small heading out every day for shrimp, shellfish, crab, fish, and mantis shrimp. It's a genuine border town that hasn't been dressed up for tourists — there's a permanent border crossing, a trade market between Thailand and Cambodia, and sea views with lovely sunsets in the evening. If you like quiet, uncrowded places and want to see border life kept simple, you'll enjoy it here.
- Location — Hat Lek subdistrict, Khlong Yai district, Trat, at the very end of the coastal road, right by the Koh Kong border crossing into Cambodia
- What stands out — the dawn border market, fresh-off-the-boat seafood, the boundary-marker photo spot, and the narrowest stretch of Thailand
- Who it suits — road-trippers, landmark collectors chasing the country's edge, and anyone who wants fresh seafood at border prices
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Ban Hat Lek border market — opening hours and what's on sale
The Ban Hat Lek border trade market is the heart of a visit here. It gets busy from first light, around 07:00, and gradually winds down by mid-morning, roughly 08:30–09:00, so anyone who wants to see it in full swing has to come early. This is where traders from both countries meet — Cambodians from the Koh Kong side cross over to buy rice, dry goods, and household items to take back and resell.
- Rice and dry goods — the main goods Cambodians come to trade, carried off by the sackful
- Produce, fruit and vegetables — fresh from the Thai side, sent across to resell every morning
- Fresh seafood — shrimp, shellfish, crab, fish, and mantis shrimp straight off the returning boats, cheaper at border prices than in town
- Odds and ends — perfume, jewellery, second-hand electronics, mixed in the way any border market is
Come early, no excuses
The market winds down fast. Arrive after about 9:30 and you'll find few stalls left, with the good seafood usually gone first. Plan to leave your accommodation early enough to get there around first light, so you catch the place at its busiest.
Food not to miss around Khlong Yai–Hat Lek
The draw for food around here is fresh seafood at border prices, because this is a fishing community right by the checkpoint — what comes off the boat this morning is sold this morning. If you love shrimp, shellfish, crab, and fish straight out of the water, you're in the right place. Most of it is local spots and market stalls rather than smart restaurants, but the flavour is real and the seafood genuinely fresh.
- Shrimp and mantis shrimp off the boat — buy from a morning-market stall and have a nearby shop cook it, or eat at a roadside seafood place; priced by weight, starting from the low hundreds of THB per plate
- Sea crab and fresh shellfish — blue swimmer crab, mud crab, cockles, oysters — the pride of the Trat coast, easiest steamed or grilled
- Rice soup and breakfast dishes — kuay rice-soup spots and old-school coffee shops along the Khlong Yai road, perfect before or after the market
- Dried-goods souvenirs — shrimp paste, dried shrimp, dried squid, fish sauce — proper Trat products to take home
Photo spots and the edge-of-the-country landmark
Ban Hat Lek permanent border crossing
The crossing's arch gate and border signs are the most popular check-in — a photo to say you've reached the eastern edge of Thailand. Straight across is Koh Kong, Cambodia.
Thailand's narrowest point
Around the km 81–82 markers near Ban Khot Sai, a sliver of land just about 450 metres wide runs alongside the Banthat mountain range. Drive through and you'll really feel how narrow it is.
The sea and sunset spot
The Hat Lek waterfront in the evening is a quiet place to watch the sun go down, with fishing boats as the backdrop — a nice way to end the trip before driving back.
How to get to Ban Hat Lek
Ban Hat Lek sits at the far end of the coastal route from Trat town, about 90 kilometres away. The road runs with the sea on one side and mountains on the other, with good views the whole way, and the drive takes around an hour and a half.
- Private car / rental — the easiest option; drive from Trat town through Khlong Yai to the end of the road, good surface, sea views all the way, with plenty of places to pull over for photos
- Bus / van on the Trat–Hat Lek route — services run daily from the Trat provincial bus station, roughly one an hour, taking about 1 hour 30 minutes
- Chartered ride / motorbike — rent a bike or charter a songthaew from Khlong Yai; handy if you'd rather not drive yourself
About the checkpoint and crossing the border
The Ban Hat Lek crossing is a permanent border point where you can travel to and from Koh Kong, but the border situation and the checkpoint's opening hours can change with policy. If you're set on crossing into Cambodia, check the latest news and paperwork before you travel. For a visit on the Thai side, walking the market and taking photos is fine as normal.
Accommodation in Khlong Yai town and around Hat Lek runs to small, affordable resorts and guesthouses — handy for an overnight stay if you'd rather wake up early and stroll the market at an easy pace, without rushing the drive from town. But if you do start early, it's an easy day trip there and back.
Want to see all of Trat — the old town, the islands, and the food
See the Trat travel guide →