Songkhla City
Songkhla is a vibrant city on the picturesque eastern coast of southern Thailand, with a multicultural population of 1.4 million, which serves as a hub for business, education, and transport. The city’s well-connected infrastructure includes an international airport, rail links to Bangkok and Malaysia, that draws in over three million international travellers per year. Songkhla is home to five universities and the largest convention center in southern Thailand.
A city of two seas, its landscape is defined by Songkhla Lake, a unique brackish lagoon that flows into the Gulf of Thailand, and is celebrated for its ecological diversity and productivity of over 700 species of fish, prawns, and shellfish. The lagoon’s abundant resources sustain Songkhla’s flourishing gastronomic heritage with excellent and distinctive ingredients, particularly Songkhla Lake seabass, Songkhla mini mango, Songkhla steamed egg yolks, pamelo hom Khuanlang, neck orange Chana, which have been awarded Thai Geographical Indication (GI) status by the IP Department.
A renowned port town for over a thousand years, Songkhla’s influences have journeyed from India, China, and Java through the Sultan of Singora, while its surrounding districts have provided richly varied agricultural and aquaculture resources. Songkhla’s historical uniqueness has led to its inclusion on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage sites, while today it plays a vital role in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle, a sub-regional cooperation of ASEAN.
Songkhla’s vivid blend of influences is tightly woven into its cultural practices and cuisine, transforming its heritage into a dynamic asset that distinctively promotes sustainable development.
Infrastructure
Songkhla Province is one of the most important centers of economic development and transportation in southern Thailand, with several mega-projects and key logistics systems.
Hat Yai International Airport (HDY)
Located in Khlong Hoi Khong District, about 12 km from downtown Hat Yai, it is the main aviation hub of the South, serving both domestic and international flights (particularly to Malaysia and Singapore).
Songkhla Deep Sea Port
Located in Mueang District and operated by the Port Authority of Thailand, it is the principal port for exports and imports on the Gulf of Thailand side, especially rubber products and processed seafood.
Songkhla Port No. 2
Currently under study and being advanced to support the growth of maritime transport and the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC).
Customs Checkpoints
Home to nationally important border-trade checkpoints such as Sadao and Padang Besar in Sadao District, the main economic gateways connecting trade and tourism with Malaysia.
Hat Yai Junction Railway Station
The most important hub of the Southern Railway Line, with a double-track railway project being developed in the area to upgrade transport and travel.
Container Yard (CY), Bang Klam Railway Station
Serves as a high-potential road-to-rail transfer point for goods from industrial estates
