Stroll along the Chao Phraya River and visit the old quarter of the capital Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and you can see living proof of the harmonious mixture of Thai-Chinese and European cultures, which still carries a connection from ancient Ayutthaya to the modern Rattanakosin era.
The term "Bangkok" has been known among foreigners since the Ayutthaya era. It was the area of about 10 kilometres from the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, where all the foreign vessels coming from the sea and the bank of the Chao Phraya River stopped and paid tariffs.
