Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Museum

The Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Museum was a home before it was a museum: the house Khaw Sim Bee na Ranong built and reportedly named “Khuan Ratda” not long after he made Kantang the administrative seat of Trang province. He was governor from 1890, later High Commissioner of the whole of Monthon Phuket until his death in 1913, and the two-storey wooden residence still stands in Kantang, about 200 metres from Kantang Municipality on Na Khai Phithak Road.

From family home to museum

The Na Ranong family lived in the house for decades after Khaw Sim Bee’s death. It became a museum only after Kantang Pittayakorn School and local government agencies asked his heirs whether the site could be preserved and opened to the public. The family agreed, donating the house and its contents, and it opened to visitors on 10 September 1992. They still help maintain what’s inside today.

A wax figure of the governor stands among the original furnishings, alongside household items, documents, and photographs from the family’s day-to-day life in the house rather than a formal, curated timeline of his career. That domestic feel is what makes it worth the stop: you’re walking through a home, not a purpose-built exhibition hall.

Insider Tip: Pair this with Kantang Train Station and the first rubber tree planted in Thailand, both a short walk or drive away. Khaw Sim Bee introduced rubber cultivation to the region during his time as governor, so the three sites tell one connected story about Kantang’s role in Thailand’s rubber trade.

Watch out: Kantang isn’t Koh Libong. If you’re island-hopping and see this museum listed nearby, it’s on the mainland, useful to combine with a stop before or after catching the ferry to Koh Libong, which departs from Kantang pier, but not something to detour for once you’re already on the island.

Planning your visit

Entry is free, and the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays. It opens at 9am and closes at about 4pm. Kantang was Trang’s administrative and trading hub during Khaw Sim Bee’s governorship, and the town’s rubber and rail history runs through the same few streets as the museum. Allow 30–45 minutes inside, more if the family or a local guide is around to talk through the photographs and documents rather than just walking past the display cases. There’s no café on site, so plan to eat in Kantang town rather than at the museum itself.

Combine the museum with the Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahisornpakdee Monument in Trang town itself (a separate statue honouring the same governor) if you’re spending a full day around Trang.