BangKapi - Minburi Side Suburbs :: Description

Bangkapi and Minburi

The northeastern suburbs of Bangkapi and Minburi are residential, nonindustrial. They were originally a mix of middle class and affluent neighborhoods back in the 1980s, mixed in with a few leading academic institutions. Relatively very little industry has ever existed here. New, luxury neighborhoods continue to sprout up and more are planned. Many shopping centers, nice restaurants, and other commercial infrastructure have naturally followed.

A gated neighborhood (click for a bigger view):

The names "Bangkapi" and "Minburi" now refer to vast regions, but the main part of Bangkapi is along Ramkhamhaeng Road and Lad Prao Road. The Rama 9 elevated expressway (aka Si Rat Expressway) serves as an approximate southern border, the Ekamai-Ram Indra elevated expressway (aka Chalong Rat Expressway) marks an approximate western border, and the eastern ring road expressway cuts right through the region. Minburi is just further northeast of Bangkapi. Where one ends and the other begins is unclear.

The largest university in Thailand, an old, inexpensive and open university called Ramkhamhaeng (named after the founder of Thailand 800 years ago) claiming about 100,000 students, mostly from upcountry, had a major impact on the demographic and commercial character of the region.

Many of Thailand's musicians and TV and movie stars were known to live in this region, with some of the oldest studios scattered around here, though this changed as the new expressway system opened up in the late 1990s, resulting in a lot of dispersal. Nevertheless, this kind of social establishment also had an initial impression on the artistic character of the region.

Many foreigners chose to live in the spacious neighborhoods within this region in the 1990s, though building booms along the new elevated expressways after the year 2000 have resulted in these kinds of neighborhoods being available in many other regions as well, indeed on a more grandiose style. The main draw to Bangkapi now is its well established international schools, proximity to the new international airport as well as to industrial estates down the ring road and the Chonburi Motorway, and its abundance of shopping conveniences and infrastructure.

One of the oldest international schools for foreign children, Ruamrudee International School, established in 1956, is in Bangkapi. There are many others now as well, teaching the American, British, International Bacclaureate (IB), and Swiss-German curricula, such as Bromsgrove (formerly Windsor), Traill, Park Place, Lord Shaftesbury, Ascot, and others. Yes, with western expat kids as students.

Most of the schools are found along or near Sukhaphiban 3 Road, which is just outer Ramkhamhaeng Road.

The street just changes name as you go out. The soi signs still say "Ramkhamhaeng" with soi numbers over 100, but maps and other signs say "Sukhaphiban 3 Road". The word "sukhaphiban" means "good air". (Likewise, Lad Prao Rd. changes name to "Sukhaphiban 2 Rd.", aka "Seri Thai Rd.".) Ramkhamhaeng Road is actually the same as Sukhumvit soi 71, it just changes name when you cross Petchburi Road.

As you would expect, the parts of Bangkapi nearest to Bangkok are the oldest and have gotten crowded and congested, while you'll find the most spacious, newest and nicest neighborhoods as you go outwards. The air quality on lower Ramkhamhaeng is poor around the university due to all the buses and traffic. In the late 1990s they built a long flyover road almost resembling an expressway, which gives you a nice bird's view of the university and surroundings.

One of the last canals offering commuter boat service still operates with passenger capacity of a little over 100 people per boat to beat the street traffic. The 20 km journey goes along Klong Saen Saep, which runs parallel to Ramkhamhaeng Road and then turns parallel to Petchburi Road, ending near Central World in the city, with piers all along the way. However, be forewarned that the canal is very polluted, so if you take that adventure, try to get onto the front of the boat to avoid any water spray.

The leading shopping malls are Fashion Island, conveniently located at the corner of the Eastern Ring Road and Ram Indra Road (not the expressway), and The Mall Bangkapi on Lad Prao Rd. near where Lad Prao Rd., Sri Nakharin Rd., and Ramkhamhaeng Road converge. The latter features a nice water park on the roof. Immediately adjacent to The Mall Bangkapi is an I.T. center called Tawanna. In addition, there are many smaller shopping centers, small malls, and branches of the superstores Lotus, Carrefour, and Big C spread all over.

A great variety of standalone restaurants and speciality businesses abound all over this region. There's also plenty of nightlife spread around, though generally away from the residential neighborhoods, and for middle to upper class clientele. There's precious little on the lewd side, unlike the tourist hotspots in the city center (though "This Is Thailand" and various kinds of diversions can be found in some nooks and crannies off the beaten path).

You shouldn't miss Safari World or the huge Siam Water Park at least once, and there are several golf courses worth returning to, albeit not the best golf in the Bangkok region.

However, if you settle in near the Eastern Ring Road, then you're usually within 30-45 minutes of your exit in the city center (some people will say less, but this is more realistic), and about 20 minutes to the airport from a typical location.