Samut Sakhon
Previously known as Tha Chin, Samut Sakhon is located only 30 kilometers from Bangkok. A former trading port for the Chinese, the province was also home to a military recruiting center. In 1548 the city of Sakhon Buri was formed along the Tha Chin river. The name was changed to Mahachai when the the Mahachai canal was dug some 150 years later. Eventually the town became known as Samut Sakhon, by order of King Rama IV. It is still a major fishing port and a large manufacturer of brine salt.
Samut Sakhon is divided into three districts: Muang Samut Sakhon, Krathum Baen, and Ban Phaeo.
