Townapedia
Hatyaicity1
Hatyaicity1 · Rukterna at Thai Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (17)
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (17) · กิตติ เลขะกุล, CC BY 3.0
Hat Yai - Wat Thawararam - Sep 2024
Hat Yai - Wat Thawararam - Sep 2024 · Dominic Nelson, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Culture Association of Hat Yai Hall (I)
The Culture Association of Hat Yai Hall (I) · This Photo was taken by Supanut Arunoprayote . Feel free..., CC BY 4.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (3)
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (3) · กิตติ เลขะกุล, CC BY 3.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio · กิตติ เลขะกุล, CC BY 3.0

Hat Yai, Thailand

เทศบาลนครหาดใหญ่

Hat Yai is a city of 191,696 people in Songkhla, Thailand.

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Population191,696 GeoNames
Local nameเทศบาลนครหาดใหญ่
RegionSongkhla
Elevation12 m 39 ft
Time zoneAsia/Bangkok
Land area21.0 km² 9,128 people per km²
Nearest airportHat Yai International Airport (HDY) 13 km
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Why visit Hat Yai

Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 213 places to eat, 69 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum, Khlong Hae Floating Market and Chiranakhon Stadium.

About Hat Yai

Hat Yai (Thai: หาดใหญ่, pronounced [hàːt̚ jàj]) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. As of 2024, the municipality is the fifth-largest city in Thailand, with a population of 191,696 and an urban population of 406,513 in the entire district of Amphoe Hat Yai.

From the Wikipedia article Hat Yai (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Hat Yai on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Photos of Hat Yai

View of Hat Yai City (III)
CC BY 4.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (5)
CC BY-SA 3.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (8)
CC BY-SA 3.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (6)
CC BY-SA 3.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (1)
CC BY-SA 3.0
Hat Yai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110, Thailand - panoramio (2)
CC BY-SA 3.0
Tong Xia Foundation Office (I)
CC BY 4.0
Tong Xia Foundation's Shrine (I)
CC BY 4.0

Things to do2

vegetables & fruits

Farm and orchard · 4.0 km

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หาดใหญ่ซีนีเพล็กซ์

Cinema and theater · 2.0 km

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Museums and landmarks3

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History MuseumPublic domain

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum

Museum · 2.3 km

Tu-Sa 09:00-16:00

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Khlong Hae Floating Market

Monument and historic site · 4.2 km

Fr-Su 14:00-21:00

Open in Google Maps · +6674305333

Prince Mahidol Monument

Monument and historic site · 2.2 km

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Parks, trails and playgrounds4

Chiranakhon Stadium

Sports field and stadium · 1.4 km

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Sangsri Small Park

Park

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ลานนกยูง

Park · 2.4 km

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สวนหย่อมศรีภูวนาถ

Park · 1.1 km

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Restaurants and cafes213

Rocky MuslimCC BY-SA 4.0

Rocky Muslim

Restaurant · Thai, Local · 0.7 km

20 ถนนผดุงภักดี

Mo-Su 07:00-22:30

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Soy Milk ToyouCC BY-SA 4.0

Soy Milk Toyou

Cafe · น้ำเต้าหู้ · 2.2 km

212 ถนนปุณณกัณฑ์

Mo-Fr 16:30-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +66 946 936 459

Cafe' Horizon

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 2.1 km

15 ถนนกาญจนวณิชย์, Hat Yai

Mo-Sa 07:30-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +66811512965

Madame Cat Vegetarian

Restaurant · 0.7 km

50 Thanon Chaiyakuluthit Soi 1

Mo-Su 09:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +66 89 658 1697

Be Lucky Green Market

Cafe · Tea · 1.7 km

Taste the Strongness of Thai Sothern Tea

Thanon Sripoonvanart 16

Mo-Su 17:00-00:00

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Cat Around Café

Cafe · Breakfast, Coffee Shop · 0.9 km

159 ถนนคลองเรียน 2

Tu-Su 07:30-17:30

Open in Google Maps · +66 94 036 0555

Khun Took's Curry and Rice

Restaurant · Curry, Thai · 1.0 km

ถนนคลองเรียน 1

Mo-Sa 08:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +66 84 675 8699

Phak Dee

Restaurant · Breakfast

33 Thanon Prachathipat 2

Mo-Su 05:00-11:00

Open in Google Maps · +66 63 564 6495

Riski Reena Muslim

Restaurant · Thai, Local · 1.1 km

43/17 ถนนศรีผดุงวิถี

Mo-Su 09:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · 089-4655868

term im

Restaurant · Tea, Chicken, Diner, Steak House, Fish, Thai, Sausage, Coffee Shop, Ice Cream

หอมหวล

Mo-Fr 11:00-20:00; Sa-Su 09:00-20:00

Open in Google Maps · 0887900035

ขาหมูเทเวศร์

Restaurant · Thai, Braised Pork Leg · 1.9 km

Thanon Rattana Uthit Soi 15

Mo-Su 09:00-15:00

Open in Google Maps · +66 89 890 4612

ข้าวมันไก่ ไก่ทอด ปลาทอด ตลาดใหม่ หาดใหญ่

Restaurant · Chicken · 1.0 km

24/1 ถนนตันรัตนากร

Mo-Su 16:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · 0819699597

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History

Originally named Khok Samet Chun (โคกเสม็ดชุน, "shore eugenia knoll"), Hat Yai was a small village until the Southern Line was built there, making it a major rail hub at the time. The junction which connected the town of Songkhla with the main route was formerly in the U Tapao area, but was later moved to Khok Samet Chun in 1922 when the U Tapao area turned out to be flood-prone. At that time, Khok Samet Chun had only four residents, but thanks to the investments of Khun Niphat Chinnakorn (the railway contractor for the railway line from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Pattani), it quickly grew into a small town.

In 1928, Hat Yai was made a community (chumchon), which was upgraded to a sanitary district (sukhaphiban) on December 11, 1935. It covered an area of 4.4 km2 (1.7 sq mi), and was administered by the first mayor, Udom Bunlong. In 1938, the municipal administration building was completed. On March 16, 1949, Hat Yai was granted town status (thesaban mueang). On May 10, 1961, the area covered by the municipality was increased to 8 km2 (3.1 sq mi). As a result of the town's continuing growth, on August 13, 1968, a larger, new municipal administration building was opened. On April 24, 1977, the total area of the municipality was enlarged for the second time to 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi).

Read more of the history

Finally, in 1995, the town was upgraded to city status (thesaban nakhon). There are a total of 102 communities (chumchon), divided into 4 zones.

The name "Hat Yai" is a short version of "mahat yai", meaning big mahat (Thai: มะหาด) tree, a relative of jackfruits in genus Artocarpus.

The 2014 Hat Yai Bombings happened on 6 May 2014, when three improvised explosive devices exploded roughly seven minutes apart in the heart of Hat Yai, Thailand in the afternoon, wounding at least eight people. Additional blasts struck the railway station, and a further bomb was found near the flats in Prince of Songkhla Hospital but the bomb squad was able to defuse it in time.

From the History section of Hat Yai on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Hat Yai

Arts and culture

An important Buddhist temple is Hat Yai Nai Temple or Wat Hat Yai Nai. It is home to the third largest reclining statue on the planet, the Phra Phutthamongkol Maharat.

Held on the first night of October, Chak Phra is a Buddhist festival specific to the south of Thailand. It is celebrated with Buddha boat processions or sports events like a run up Khao Tang Kuan hill. In September or October at the Chinese Lunar festival, the Thai and Chinese present their offerings to the moon, "queen of the heavens", in gratitude for past and future fortunes.

Hat Yai is also well known for its spectacular celebrations of the Chinese New Year festival. Although Thai elements have been incorporated (for example, Thai pop stars have been invited to perform), the celebration remains distinctly Chinese. “Despite being several generations removed from Hat Yai's original Chinese pioneers, the New Year celebration provides strong evidence that the community is still influenced by and strongly identifies with its Chinese roots.

Education

Prince of Songkla University is the oldest and largest university in southern Thailand. The main campus is near Hat Yai downtown; the campus area covers Hat Yai city and Kho Hong town. This public university is ranked one of the top national universities. The first private university in southern Thailand, Hatyai University, is also located in the urban area of Hat Yai. In addition, Ramkhamhaeng University's campus is near the international airport.

Hat Yai is also home to several famous high schools, including the country's top ten, Hatyaiwittayalai School (public). Another well-known public school is Hatyaiwittayalaisomboonkulkanya School, the former branch of Hatyaiwittayalai. In addition, there are several popular private schools in greater Hat Yai, including Saengthong Vitthaya School, Thidanukhro School, and PSU Wittayanusorn School.

From the Wikipedia article Hat Yai, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Hat Yai

Born in Hat Yai, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay69

Churches and places of worship23

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Shopping31

Gas and EV charging20

Schools, colleges and libraries55

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Healthcare16

Map of Hat Yai

250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 km away.

  • Na Mom 10 km southeast, about 10 min by car
  • Ban Mai 23 km north, about 23 min by car
  • Songkhla 25 km northeast, about 25 min by car
  • Sadao 42 km south, about 42 min by car
  • Satun 62 km southwest, about 1 h by car
  • Nong Chik 80 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Phatthalung 81 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Pattani 87 km east, about 1 h 30 min by car
  • Ranot 87 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.