Ban Nam Chiao Community

Ban Nam Chiao is a fishing community on the Trat mainland, about 8 km from Trat town on the road to Laem Ngop pier — not on Koh Chang island itself, though it’s often visited en route to the ferry. It sits on tidal mangrove canals and is known for two things: the ngob nam chiao palm-leaf hat craft, and a genuinely mixed Buddhist–Muslim–Chinese population that’s unusual for a village this size.

The hat is the community’s signature product. Ngob nam chiao is woven in five traditional shapes, and one pattern — the Royal Sombat style — takes its name from a royal visit to the village in 1981. The craft has since earned a four-star OTOP (One Tambon One Product) rating, Thailand’s national scheme for local specialty goods, and it’s still made and sold locally rather than mass-produced. Alongside the weaving, community tourism groups run mangrove boat trips, bird-watching from observation towers, and demonstrations of local fishing methods.

The religious mix is the other notable feature. Wat Nam Chiao, a Buddhist temple founded in 1867, and a mosque serving the community’s Muslim Cham residents — descendants of Cham families who fled French colonial rule in Cambodia during King Rama V’s reign — both stand within the village. The two communities have coexisted here for generations, which is part of why the area is documented as a “three-culture” community alongside its Chinese Thai families.

Insider Tip: Tourism activities here run through six community-based groups rather than one central operator — booking a mangrove trip or hat-weaving demonstration ahead through Trat’s tourism office or a local homestay contact gets a more reliable experience than showing up unannounced.

The community-based tourism enterprise has run a homestay program since around 2006, giving visitors a way to stay longer than a drive-through stop — worth considering if you want the mangrove and fishing activities without rushing them into a single afternoon. Reaching the village is straightforward via the Trat–Laem Ngop road, making it an easy stop between Trat town and the Koh Chang ferry pier — Trat City Museum works well as a pairing on the same drive.