Things to Do in Hat Yai: Deep South Food, Markets, and Day Trips

Kim Yong Market

The most important market in Hat Yai and one of the best in southern Thailand. A sprawling covered market selling wholesale and retail goods — dried seafood, fresh produce, halal meat, fabrics, Chinese herbs, and cheap clothing. The food section is the reason to come: freshly prepared roti, dim sum, Chinese bao, dried shrimp, and the full range of southern Thai ingredients. Not tourist-oriented — bring patience and cash.

Open from 6am, busiest 7–11am. On Niphat Uthit 1 Road near the city centre.

Night Market (Greenway Night Market and Asean Night Bazaar)

Two adjacent night markets run every evening near the Lee Garden Plaza area. A mix of street food, clothing stalls, and household goods. The food section (7pm–11pm) is the best in Hat Yai after dark: pad thai, satay, grilled chicken, roti mataba, and a strong selection of Muslim-Thai dishes. More local than tourist-oriented.

Songkhla

30 minutes north of Hat Yai by songthaew (฿30). Songkhla is one of Thailand’s most overlooked towns — a quiet port city on a peninsula between the sea and Songkhla Lake, with Sino-Portuguese architecture in the old town, a long public beach (Hat Samila), and a fish market by the fishing pier.

Songkhla Old Town: A compact grid of preserved shophouses with Chinese and Portuguese architectural details. Several good small cafes and a local museum.

Hat Samila Beach: A long, uncrowded public beach with a famous mermaid statue at the southern end (the most photographed landmark in Songkhla). Swimming is reasonable, facilities are basic.

Nakhon Si Thammarat Day Trip: 2 hours north of Hat Yai by bus, Nakhon Si Thammarat has the most important Buddhist temple in southern Thailand (Wat Mahathat) and a preserved old quarter with strong local food culture.

Eating in Hat Yai

Hat Yai is the culinary capital of the Thai deep south — a mix of Thai Muslim, Chinese, and Thai Buddhist cooking traditions that produces a distinct food culture found nowhere else in the country.

Must-eat dishes:

• Khao mok gai (Thai biryani): Muslim-style chicken and rice cooked with spices. Better here than anywhere else in Thailand. Available at Muslim restaurants from morning onwards.
• Massaman curry: The deep south version is richer and more complex than Bangkok versions. Order at any Muslim restaurant.
• Roti canai: Malaysian-style flatbread, eaten with curry dipping sauce or condensed milk and sugar. Morning staple.
• Satay: Grilled pork or chicken skewers with peanut sauce, a Malay-influenced speciality ubiquitous at night markets.
• Dim sum: The Chinese community in Hat Yai supports excellent dim sum — Hua Lee Restaurant is the local standard.

The best eating is not in restaurants but at the morning market (Kim Yong), the Greenway Night Market, and the small Muslim food stalls along Niphat Uthit roads.

Ton Nga Chang Waterfall

35km northwest of Hat Yai in Rattaphum District. A seven-tier waterfall in a forested national park — the name means “elephant tusk” (the two upper falls resemble tusks). Best in and just after the rainy season (August–November) when water flow is strongest. Entry: ฿100. Hire a songthaew from Hat Yai (฿300–500 round trip, negotiate time waiting).

Hat Yai Municipal Park

A large urban park on a hill west of the city centre with gardens, a chairlift to the summit (฿50 return), and views over the city. Popular with local families on weekends. At the summit: a large reclining Buddha statue. A pleasant 2-hour visit in the morning before the heat peaks.

Practical notes

• Getting there: Hat Yai Airport has connections to Bangkok (AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air). Train from Bangkok Hua Lamphong: 15–16 hours, overnight services available. Bus: 12–14 hours from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal.
• Getting around: Songthaews run fixed routes for ฿10–15. Grab works in the city centre. Tuk-tuks for short trips at ฿40–80.
• Currency: Malaysian ringgit is widely accepted in Hat Yai markets but at unfavourable rates — pay in baht.
• Safety: Hat Yai is in Songkhla Province, well north of the security-affected border provinces (Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat). The city itself is safe for tourists.