Hua Hin District

Hua Hin (Thai: หัวหิน, IPA: [hǔə hǐn]) is one of eight districts (amphoe) of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its capital, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district has a population of 84,883 in an area of 911 km². By road, it is 199 km south-south-west of Bangkok.

History

In 1834, before the name Hua Hin was coined, some agricultural areas of Phetchaburi Province were hit by severe drought. A group of farmers moved south until they found a small village that had bright white sands and a row of rocks along the beach. They settled there and gave it the name Samore Riang (Samo Riang), which means "rows of rocks".

In 1921 the director of the state railway, Prince Purachatra, built the Railway Hotel close to the beach. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) liked the place so much that he built a summer palace there which was later named Klai Kang Won ("far from worries"). From 2004 until 2006 it was the full-time residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), however, health issues forced him to return to Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, where medical facilities and physicians were closer at hand. The king returned to Hua Hin on 2 August 2013. His Royal Highness Prince Krom Phra Naresworarit was the first member of the royal family to build a group of palaces at Ban Laem Hin, called Sukaves, and gave the beach next to his palace the name "Hua Hin".