The 1939 screenplay Plae Kao, also known as the Romeo and Juliet of Thai drama, portrays Bang Kapi as Bangkok’s rural outskirts with rice farms and red dirt roads. Today, the district hosts the biggest concerts and events in town at Rajamangala Stadium, which has hosted both concerts and football matches. Bangkapi is also a major residential area and the home to Ramkhamhaeng University. Mid-range malls cater to locals and students with boutiques and food courts, while street eats are on offer in soi 24 due to all the students in the area. Here you find food from all corners of the world at bare bone prices. Ruined, graffiti-covered aircraft occupy the Airplane Graveyard, Hua Mak stadium is surrounded by a huge park for sports, and Wat Sri Boonrueng, a canalside temple, hosts meditation retreats.
With the old Phra Nakhon and Thon Buri provinces being merged to create Bangkok metropolis between 1971-1972, districts including Bang Kapi were formally designated. The district spans 28,523 square kilometres and comprises the two sub-districts of Khlong Chan and Hua Mak with a total registered population of 148,819, the district chief said.
Most of the settlers were Muslim, and they soon were referred to as Kapiyoh by Thai’s after their headwear. This was eventually shortened to Kapi, and as in many of the districts of Bangkok the term Bang means a hamlet by the waterfront or river, hence Bang Kapi.
Bang Kapi is a bustling place with many attractions, if you like retail therapy then you should head for N Mark Plaza, which is a modern shopping centre that is brimming full of food and shopping outlets, and also has a multiscreen cinema. Altogether there are 50 outlets and around 50,000 shoppers descend on the mall every day. The Mall is also a safe bet.
Another excellent retail area is the Ramkhamhaeng University Night Market. As you would expect it is crammed full of students taking advantage of the really cheap but delicious food stalls, and the quaint little places selling cheap clothing and other goods. If you are looking for jeans, shoes or T-shirts at really reasonable prices then Tawanna Market on Latphrao Road is a must. The BTS Skytrain and MRT subway is being built making Bang Kapi easily accessible.