Visit Lhong 1919 (Bangkok)

While perhaps best described as a cultural center, Bangkok's Lhong 1919 was once a kind of shopping mall set in a preserved historical location that combined art, crafts, and restaurants. Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, it consists of a rectangle of old siheyuan-style (Chinese architecture) sheds built in 1850 by Phraya Pisansuphaphol (Chuen), a wealthy Thai Chinese, to receive shipping from British Malaya, mainland China, and Hong Kong. The place's name is derived from the Huang Chung word Lhong used to refer to a steamship port, and 1919 marks the date the warehouses were purchased by the Wanglee family who own them today.

Long remained private and as is, it was in October 2016 that the family began to renovate it for an official public opening on November 2, 2017. Oddly enough, relatively unknown, it is nevertheless a place full of charm that allows a dive into history by walking through the buildings with their old murals and the sections of wall with superb works of Street Art whose style perfectly matches the spirit of this historic monument. To discover them, when you have the river behind you, on the left side, in the middle, between the two buildings, find the small alley and cross its door, you will then arrive at a small courtyard which for me is the somewhat hidden treasure of Lhong 1919. You will immediately have on the left wall, the most famous mural of the place and several others in the background. For those who find Asiatique The Riverfront , a large night market also set up in old warehouses, too artificial, I really recommend Lhong 1919, which is more authentic, more historic, more intimate.