Trok Rong Ya & Old Town
Uthai Thani

🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026

Trok Rong Ya sits in the middle of Uthai Thani town, in Uthai Mai sub-district, off Soi Rat Uthit, an easy walk from the Sakae Krang River and Wat Ubosatharam. The name "Trok Rong Ya" comes from its past as a Chinese community and a cluster of opium dens that operated legally until around 1957, before the government shut them down. The lane fell quiet for a long time, until the local community brought it back to life as a walking street. Its charm is that it wasn't made to look brand new — the original wooden shophouses and old buildings were kept as they were, and walking through feels like time stood still.

The quarter is tiny. Walking the whole lane takes under half an hour if you go straight through, but most people come for the slow-life pace — stopping to take photos, to eat, to sit at a cafe — and an easy half-day disappears. The one thing to know before you come: the walking street only runs on Saturdays, 4:00–8:00 PM. Come on any other day and you'll get a quiet lane that's fine for photos, but most stalls won't be open.

Trok Rong Ya walking street — Saturday evenings only

Saturday evening is when Trok Rong Ya is most alive. From around 4 PM the lane closes to traffic and becomes a walking street, both sides lined with local food, old-style sweets, handmade goods, crafts and cafe stalls. Some families open the front of their own wooden houses to sell. The mood is friendly and small-town, not cramped like the walking streets in big cities. You can graze your way down it and photograph the old buildings the whole way.

• Open days: Every Saturday, 4:00–8:00 PM (the lane is walkable on other days, but stalls are sparse)
• Food: Local dishes, old-style Thai sweets, fried and grilled snacks, most priced 20–60 THB
• Atmosphere: Narrow lane, wooden shophouses on both sides, warm lights at dusk — great photos around golden hour
• Free entry: You can wander and take photos with no admission fee

The opium-den museum — where the lane gets its name

The highlight that sets this lane apart from any ordinary walking street is the opium-den museum, which recreates the atmosphere of an old opium den inside one of the original wooden shophouses. There are smoking beds, lamps and everyday objects from the era, plus boards telling the story of the Chinese community that once thrived on trade along the Sakae Krang River. On some days a community volunteer is there to tell the stories. It's the spot that helps you understand why the lane is called "Trok Rong Ya" — it doesn't take long to look around, but it gives you the full context of the quarter.

Old buildings and wooden houses to seek out

The main charm of the Uthai Thani old town is the century-old wooden shophouse and Chinese-style architecture that's still genuinely in use — not just photo backdrops. Many are still homes that people live in, and some have opened as coffee shops or stores. Worthwhile spots to walk and photograph run both inside Trok Rong Ya itself and along the side lanes that connect out to the Sakae Krang River.

• Wooden shophouses in Trok Rong Ya — a row of two-storey wooden houses joined together, old wooden door panels and vintage shop signs, worth photographing the whole lane
• Lanes down to the river — walk from the lane out toward the Sakae Krang River, past wooden houses and quiet old-town corners with few people
• Wat Ubosatharam — an old riverside temple near the lane, with mural paintings and an old chedi, an easy walk on from the old town

Food in the lane & local specialties

Food is the main reason people come to walk Trok Rong Ya on a Saturday night. Most of it is local dishes and sweets made fresh, at small-town friendly prices. We've picked the kinds you'll run into often and that people talk about. Some things are sold only on Saturdays, and some you can also find at the morning market.

Cafes in the old town

Uthai Thani has turned into a slow-life cafe town over the past few years. Many shops have opened in old buildings or wooden houses around the old quarter — quiet, easy to sit at for a while — with most drinks running about 50–90 THB. We've chosen places that are actually open and that people talk about.

Sakae Krang riverside morning market

The pair to the Trok Rong Ya old town is the Sakae Krang riverside morning market, close enough to walk to. It buzzes from before dawn through to mid-morning, with local food made fresh — Vietnamese kuai chap, rice porridge, Thai sweets, old-style coffee — and fresh and dried goods to choose from. The draw is the riverside atmosphere, with houseboats and the everyday life of the Sakae Krang River in view. If you're in Uthai, it's worth getting up early to walk this market once — it's a completely different mood from the evening walking street.

• Hours: From before dawn to mid-morning, busiest around 6:00–9:00 AM
• Standouts: Vietnamese kuai chap, fish rice porridge, old-style coffee, fresh-made Thai sweets
• Photo spot: Houseboats and the bridge over the Sakae Krang River in the morning

Walking the old town the full route — a plan by the hour

Getting there & things to know

• Location: Trok Rong Ya is in the middle of Uthai Thani town, in Uthai Mai sub-district, within walking distance of the Sakae Krang River and Wat Ubosatharam
• From Bangkok: Roughly a 3–3.5 hour drive (via Nakhon Sawan), or take a coach/van straight to town
• When to come: Saturday night for the full walking street; on other days focus on photos and the morning market instead
• Getting around town: The town is small and the sights are close together — easy to walk or cycle, so wear comfortable walking shoes