Country Thailand | Population 50,144 (2000) | |
Map of Trat
Trat is a town in Thailand, capital of Trat Province and the Mueang Trat district. The town is in the east of Thailand, at the mouth of the Trat River, near the border with Cambodia.
Contents
When the Vietnamese pushed the Khmer Rouge out of Cambodia in 1985, Pol Pot fled to Thailand and made his headquarters in a plantation villa near Trat. It was built for him by the Thai Army and nicknamed 'Office 87".
Morning food trat
Travel and Accommodation
Trat is at the south-east end of Sukhumvit Road, which connects it with Chanthaburi, Rayong, Chonburi, and Bangkok.
Trat Airport serves tourists who travel directly from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Ko Chang without passing through the town.
Trat town is the main centre for road travellers to the eastern islands of Thailand including Ko Chang, Ko Mak, and Ko Kood. There is regular bus service, taking 4–5 hours, to Bangkok Ekkamai for downtown Bangkok and Bangkok Mo Chit for other destinations in Thailand. Many tourists stop over in Trat before going to the islands from Laem Ngop or Leam Sok (15–20 km from Trat. There are ferry and speedboat services to the eastern islands, Ko Chang and Ko Kood.
Trat is also a transit point for people travelling to Cambodia, as it is a 90 kilometer minibus ride to the border at Hat Lek. After crossing the border there is a short journey to Koh Kong and service to Sihanoukville by road or by sea.
There are a number of new small beach resorts at beaches near Trat. Local seafood is plentiful.