House of Faith

House of Faith, known locally as Ban Sattha, is a house on a coconut-grove hilltop in Songkhla, built by local residents as a gift for General Prem Tinsulanond while he served as prime minister. It has no connection to interfaith worship despite the English name — it’s a historic residence tied to a specific person, not a shared prayer hall. Construction finished on 26 August 1991, and Prem returned the house to the people of Songkhla in 1996.

Prem Tinsulanond was born in Songkhla and went on to serve as prime minister from 1980 to 1988, later becoming a long-serving President of the Privy Council — one of the most influential Thai statesmen of the late 20th century. The hilltop site was chosen for its views: coconut groves surround the house, and from the grounds you can see the Tinsulanonda Bridge roughly 3 km away, along with Songkhla Lake and Koh Yo island in the distance. After Prem handed the property back, the province built the Kanchanapisek Library at the foot of the hill, opened in 1997 with funding from the Prem Tinsulanond Foundation, giving the public a study space alongside the house itself.

Insider Tip: Combine a visit with the nearby General Prem Park, a separate memorial complex with a Statesman’s Hall covering Prem’s life and career (40 THB entry) — the two sites tell the fuller story of Songkhla’s connection to him.

Watch out: neither opening hours nor an entrance fee for House of Faith itself are formally published, and the site functions more as a viewable landmark and grounds than a staffed museum. Check locally or via the provincial tourism office before making it the centerpiece of a visit.

The house sits within reach of local transport from central Songkhla; a rental car, motorbike, or taxi is the practical way to reach the hilltop. Pair a stop here with a look across the water at Koh Yo, the island visible from the grounds, for a fuller sense of how the site relates to the wider lake and city.