Ban Phaeo (, ) is a district (amphoe) in the northwestern part of Samut Sakhon province, central Thailand and is located 14 km west of Bangkok.
History In 1925 the government split subdistrict (tambon) Rong Khe, Lak Sam from Ban Bo District and merged it with subdistrict Ban Phaeo to form the Ban Phaeo district. The new district was assigned to Samut Sakhon province. On 25 May 1999 the sanitary district of four subdistricts (Yokkrabat, Rong Khe, Nong Song Hong and Nong Bua) was established as Lak Ha subdistrict municipality (thesaban tambon) with an area of 78,481 rai ~ , the largest municipality in the province.
In early November 2020, an almost perfectly preserved skeleton of a Bryde's whale was discovered in Amphaeng subdistrict in Ban Phaeo district. Carbon dating by a paleobiological lab in the United States dated the skeleton to be about 3,380 years old, when the district was submerged under the sea. The National University of Singapore said that the skeleton added to evidence of significant sea level changes around 6,000 to 3,000 years ago in the Bay of Bangkok.
Geography Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise): Sam Phran of Nakhon Pathom province; Krathum Baen and Mueang Samut Sakhon of Samut Sakhon Province; Mueang Samut Songkhram of Samut Songkhram province; Damnoen Saduak and Bang Phae of Ratchaburi province.
The district is located in the plain area along the banks of Damnoen Saduak canal, which connects Tha Chin River and Mae Klong River. Ban Phaeo can be considered as "green zone of Samut Sakhon", because there are no factories in the area.
Toponymy In the past the district was covered with deep forest. Hunters who traveled to hunt wild animals there always lost their way, so they agreed to make meeting points by using phaeo flags. When people established a new village, they named their village Ban Phaeo.
Administration Provincial government The district is divided into 12 subdistricts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 98 villages (mubans). No. Subdistricts Thai Villages Pop. 1. Ban Phaeo บ้านแพ้ว 10 10,273 2. Lak Sam หลักสาม 13 16,818 3. Yokkrabat ยกกระบัตร 12 15,167 4. Rong Khe โรงเข้ 10 12,147 5. Nong Song Hong หนองสองห้อง 10 8,326 6. Nong Bua หนองบัว 9 6,656 7. Lak Song หลักสอง 7 4,553 8. Chet Riw เจ็ดริ้ว 5 4,027 9. Khlong Tan คลองตัน 5 5,502 10. Amphaeng อำแพง 7 7,334 11. Suan Som สวนส้ม 5 5,242 12. Kaset Phatthana เกษดรพัฒนา 5 5,108 Total 98 101,266
Local government As of December 2024 there are: three subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). Lak Ha subdistrict municipality cover the four subdistricts: Yokkrabat, Rong Khe, Nong Song Hong and Nong Bua. Kaset Phatthana covers the whole subdistrict of the same name and part of Khlong Tan. Ban Phaeo subdistrict municipality covers parts of Lak Sam and Ban Phaeo subdistricts. The non-municipal areas are administered by seven subdistrict administrative organizations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon - o bo toh).
Lak Ha subdistrictmunicipality Pop. 05740303 Subdistrict Yokkrabat 15,167 Subdistrict Rong Khe 12,147 Subdistrict Nong Song Hong 8,326 Subdistrict Nong Bua 6,656 Total population 42,296 Kaset Phatthanasubdistrict municipality Pop. 05740301 Subd. Kaset Phatthana 5,108 Subdistrict Khlong Tan 113 Total population 5,221 Ban Phaeo subdistrictmunicipality Pop. 05740302 Subdistrict Lak Sam 1,502 Subdistrict Ban Phaeo 1,270 Total population 2,772 Subdistrict adm.org-SAO Pop. LAO code website Lak Sam SAO 15,316 06740308 Ban Phaeo SAO 9,003 06740304 Amphaeng SAO 7,334 06740309 Khlong Tan SAO 5,502 06740305 Suan Som SAO 5,242 06740306 Lak Song SAO 4,553 06740307 Chet Riw SAO 4,027 06740310
Economy Ban Phaeo is a district that is well known as the area where young aromatic coconut trees are grown widely. In addition, Ban Phaeo is also the largest breeding place for snakeskin gourami fish in the country.
Healthcare Hospital Ban Phaeo district is served by Ban Phaeo General Hospital, the only hospital public organisation in Thailand with 323 beds.
Health promoting hospitals There are total nineteen health-promoting hospitals in the district, of which; one in Chet Riw, Khlong Tan and Suan Som, but Lak Sam, Yokkrabat, Rong Khe, Nong Song Hong, Nong Bua, Lak Song, Amphaeng and Kaset Phatthana each have two.
Religion There are thirteen-one Theravada Buddhist temples in the district. One in Khlong Tan and Kaset Phatthana, two in Ban Phaeo, Yokkrabat, Nong Song Hong, Lak Song and Chet Riw, three in Amphaeng and Suan Som, four in Lak Sam and Nong Bua, five in Rong Khe.
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