History of Pattaya

As little as fifty years ago what we now know as the thriving city of Pattaya was no more than a  collection of basic huts housing a few dozen fishing families.

The area had been gradually inhabited by the fisherman, who recognised the advantages of the tranquil waters and the safety offered by the bay with its protected headlands to the north and south.  With the exception of the main road between Bangkok and Sattahip, only a few dirt roads existed at this time.

As more fishing families moved into the area, a village was eventually established and named Pattaya, in recognition of the strong south westerly winds which arrived at the beginning of each rainy season.

The Vietnam War Era

Around 1959 things began to change however. The United States army had a base in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima and off duty soldiers began to visit the Pattaya area to enjoy their free time - the GI’s had money to spend and the area began to prosper.  This relative prosperity resulted in Pattaya being granted full village status in 1964.

Things then expanded further when in 1965 work began on a new runway at the U Tapao Air Force Base, a few kilometres from Pattaya.

This represented the beginning of a major American troop deployment in the region and as the Vietnam War escalated the entire area around Pattaya became the centre for off duty GI’s spending their ‘Rest and Recreation’ time.  Hotels, shops, bars, restaurants and all manner of facilities and services quickly sprang up to accommodate the troops and the town began to grow rapidly.

Rapid Commercial Expansion

Around the time of the Vietnam War, Thai’s from Bangkok also began spending holidays and weekends in the area with many buying beach houses and bungalows.  Commercial tourism took off in the 1970’s and the town grew at an existential rate, finally being granted city status in 1979. 

The city of Pattaya as we know it today, was born.

The 1980’s and 90’s saw continued expansion with the introduction of a first class infrastructure and the ever growing tourism industry really taking hold.

 

Go to next section • Getting to Pattaya