🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Chachoengsao is just over an hour from Bangkok, and plenty of people drive out to make merit at Wat Sothon and grab souvenirs on the way home. The most famous thing to take back is piah, which traces its roots to the old Chinese communities along the Bang Pakong River — both in town and out in Bang Khla district. Each shop has its own filling recipe and its own idea of how thin the pastry should be. We've ordered them by reputation and how easy they are to drop into.
Piah and souvenir shops worth a stop
Tang Seng Jua
One of the oldest piah shops in Paet Riu, baking and selling out the front of the house since around 1932 and now in its third generation. The signatures are the big mung-bean-and-salted-egg piah — thin pastry, packed filling — and a pork-floss piah tuned to Thai tastes. There are now several branches across the province, in town, Ban Pho, and Bang Khla, and a few of them double as a sit-down souvenir cafe.
Ueng Muy Seng (Bang Khla)
The legendary Bang Khla piah shop that has been part of the market for over a hundred years. It's known for big old-style piah with the traditional salted mung-bean filling and the mung-bean, winter-melon and salted-egg combination. Beyond piah, there are minced-pork-and-salted-egg steamed buns at around 20 baht each if you need something to tide you over. The shop sits across from Bang Khla fresh market, with roadside parking out front.
Rin Thai Sweets
A Thai-sweet shop in Paet Riu going back more than 50 years, making palace-style and old-fashioned sweets — thong yip, thong yot, foi thong, met khanun, khanom chan, khanom mo kaeng, and dok lamduan. A good pick for a gift box for an event or for taking back to older relatives.
Piah at Ban Mai Market
Inside the 100-Year Ban Mai Market there are several stalls selling piah and old Thai sweets — Bang Khla-style mung-bean-and-salted-egg piah, khanom tan (palm cake), and khanom bai bua. You can buy a single piece to taste before committing to a big bag, which makes it ideal if you want to sample several makers in one spot.
Jao Maphrao Kaeo (candied young coconut)
A local sweet made from young coconut sprout simmered until clear — fragrant with coconut and pleasantly chewy. It's a souvenir Paet Riu locals buy a lot, sold at souvenir shops in town and at Ban Mai Market, and it boxes up easily to carry.
Dried mango & mango products
Chachoengsao is nam dok mai mango country, so the souvenirs that follow are dried mango, candied mango, and oven-dried mango, sold at souvenir shops and mango orchards. There's the widest choice during mango season, roughly March to May.
How to choose your piah
Thin-pastry, packed-filling piah keeps for less time than the thick-pastry kind. If you're buying it as a gift for someone in another province, ask the shop for the use-by date first, and go for the mung-bean-and-salted-egg filling, which lasts longer than the pork-floss kind.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Chachoengsao food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
100-Year Ban Mai Market — eating old sweets by the river
If you'd rather wander and taste several old Thai sweets in one place, the 100-Year Ban Mai Market on the Bang Pakong River is where to go. It's an old timber market that has been trading since the reign of King Rama V, still holding onto its wooden shophouses, old-fashioned coffee stalls, and Chinese-Thai street food. The draw is the long run of food — savoury and sweet — lining the whole walkway.
- Kuay teow pak mo (steamed rice-skin noodle rolls) — the market's signature: thin, soft skins wrapped around a packed filling, eaten hot as a light bite before you start on the sweets
- Khanom tan & khanom bai bua — steamed Thai sweets scented with pandan and palm, hard to find in the big cities; buy them one at a time to taste
- Bang Khla piah — several stalls in the market selling mung-bean-and-salted-egg piah to choose from
- Old-style coffee — traditional sock-brewed coffee, strong and sweet, sipped by the river for the atmosphere
Market opening times
The 100-Year Ban Mai Market is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, roughly 08:00–16:30. On weekdays most stalls are shut, so if you're coming specifically to walk the market, plan it for a weekend or holiday.
Old Thai sweets worth trying at least once
Beyond piah, Chachoengsao has held onto plenty of old Thai sweets that have been made the same way since grandma's day. Many are made fresh and sell out by the day, so if you like traditional sweets, don't skip them.
Khanom mo kaeng (baked custard)
A soft Thai sweet with a fragrant browned top, made from egg, flour, and coconut milk. You'll find it at Thai-sweet shops in town like Rin Thai Sweets, and you can buy a whole tray to give as a gift.
Thong yip, thong yot & foi thong
The egg-based palace sweets in golden yellow, perfect as a gift for an auspicious occasion. The old Thai-sweet shops in town make them up as sets.
Khanom chan & dok lamduan
Chewy, pandan-scented layered khanom chan alongside dok lamduan flavoured with scented candle — old-style sweets that younger generations find harder and harder to come by.
How to shop for Paet Riu souvenirs and get your money's worth
- Short on time? Just drop into a piah shop branch in town near Wat Sothon — easy to buy and easy to park.
- If you want the atmosphere and the chance to taste several makers, set aside time for the 100-Year Ban Mai Market on a weekend.
- For genuine Bang Khla-recipe piah, drive on out to Bang Khla district and stop at an originator like Ueng Muy Seng or the Bang Khla branch of one of the big names.
- Fresh items like khanom mo kaeng and kuay teow pak mo are best eaten the same day, while piah and dried mango keep longer and travel better over a long distance.
Plan a full day of eating and temple-hopping in Paet Riu
See the Chachoengsao guide →