Prachuap Khiri Khan is a town in southern Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan province

Prachuap Khiri Khan Province

Prachuap Khiri Khan is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phetchaburi in the north and Chumphon in the south. To the west it borders Tanintharyi Division of Myanmar....

 and is on the coast at one of the narrowest stretches in Thailand, only 10 km from the Burmese border at Dansingkhorn. The town can reached from Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

 by train from Hualampong Station or by bus from the Southern Bus terminal. The area has large pineapple and coconut industries, in addition to being popular with Thai tourists.

Prachuap Khiri Khan is home to a Royal Thai Air Force

Royal Thai Air Force

The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...

 base, and was an invasion point for Japanese troops

Imperial Japanese Army

-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

 on December 8, 1941, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. An annual memorial is held each December to honour the 38 Thai airmen and civilians who died fighting against the Japanese 143rd Infantry Regiment in the Battle of Prachuab Khirikhan

Battle of Prachuab Khirikhan

The Battle of Prachuab Khrikhan was an early engagement of the Japanese Invasion of Thailand in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought on December 8, 1941 at the airfield of Prachuap Khiri Khan in Thailand, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand along the Kra Isthmus...

.

Dining

The town is well known for its fresh and inexpensive seafood, with stalls set up each evening near the fishing pier on Prachuap Bay. A night market in the large square in front of the police station at the center of town offers a variety of inexpensive dishes, including local specialities.

Monkey Temple

The "monkey temple", Wat Thammikaram, is just north of town on a steep hill. Many monkeys live in the temple and a monkey fountain statue is at the base of the hill. The temple provides excellent views of the bay and countryside, and many locals there go to feed or watch the monkeys.

Beaches

Prachuap Bay is not particularly good for swimming, but better beaches are found both to the north and south. Ao Manao beach is excellent, but can only be reached through the air force base, site of the ferocious two-day battle. Locals simply walk through the base, but non-Thais need to sign in and out.