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Bangkok food vendor curbs push city staple from the streets
Bangkok has cut mobile vendors by more than 60% since 2022 as the city pushes sellers into designated hawker centres.
In April, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration opened a new hawker centre beside Lumphini Park, housing around a dozen vendors previously selling on nearby streets and charging 60 baht daily rent.
Since 2022, the estimated number of mobile vendors in Bangkok has fallen by more than 60 percent, with around 10,000 fewer on the streets, as the municipality moved to clear footpaths and improve urban order.
Looknam Sinwirakit, who was once fined 1,000 baht for street obstruction, said, "Vendors need to earn a living," while Panissara Piyasomroj said her relocated business had been "upgraded" and "looks cleaner."
Other vendors like 67-year-old Thitisakulthip Sang-uamsap worry about leaving familiar surroundings, while 56-year-old Wong Jaidee fears relocation, stating, "Bangkok is a high-priced city and we may not be able to cope."
German tourist Oliver Peter praised Bangkok's signature Pad Thai, yet many locals fear losing these curbside kitchens that have long defined the capital's street food culture and tourist appeal.