Patpong, between spy legends, the Vietnam War and nightlife: what do we really know?

In 1946, a family of Hainanese origin bought an outlying plot of land between Silom and Surawong. Within a few decades, Patpong had become Bangkok's first business district, then a byword for nightlife. Offices linked to American intelligence, the secret war in Laos, bars that became famous, film shoots: this article traces a history in which dates sit side by side with stories.

A Hainanese family and a plot on the edge of the city

Patpong owes both its name and its existence to the Patpongpanich family, who came from Hainan, a Chinese island. In 1946 the family acquired a plot of land in Bangkok that was then isolated. There was little there beyond a small canal and a teak house. The family developed the site itself. It laid out Patpong 1 and built several commercial buildings along it, then expanded with Patpong 2. Patpong 3 and Soi Thaniya, on the other hand, did not belong to the family. A soi is a side street. At first the area combined a mix of activities, then it gradually tipped towards nightlife: bars multiplied until they eclipsed the other businesses.

Tun Poon, from rice to cement

Tun Poon, the family patriarch, was born in Hainan in 1881 and emigrated to Siam as a young man. He started out in the rice trade. He later changed course when he discovered, north of the capital, soils rich in calcite, well suited to making cement. He then formed a lucrative partnership with the Siam Cement Group, founded by royal decree in 1913. This collaboration reduced the country's dependence on imported calcite. His services earned him, in 1930, the noble title of Luang Patpongpanich. The 1946 purchase, between Silom and Surawong roads, laid the foundations of present-day Patpong.

Udom and the first business district

Tun Poon died in 1950 and his son Udom took over. Udom was an educated man. During the Second World War he had belonged to the Thai resistance against the Japanese occupation. Thanks to his international connections, he turned Patpong into Bangkok's first central business district. Prestigious tenants such as Caltex and Air France moved in.

The Cold War: a district linked to American intelligence

The Cold War increased Patpong's importance. Udom maintained ties with the intelligence world, and the district became a hub of covert American operations. It housed the offices of Air America, an airline run by the CIA, and those of the United States Information Service. Patpong thus found itself at the heart of major geopolitical manoeuvres in South-East Asia.

A museum, a bar and a changing memory

The Patpong Museum opened in October 2019 to trace the district's seventy-odd years of history, a complex history. It is now closed. It displayed Cold War objects, anti-communist propaganda and mementoes of the nightlife. It also explored the district's presence in popular culture, from The Deer Hunter to a David Bowie music video.

Opposite the museum stands the Madrid Bar, founded in 1969. It is a place of nostalgia, closely associated with the district's espionage past. Stories of CIA agents and Cold War intrigue are still told there. These tales draw those who wish to recapture the memory of figures such as Tony Poe.

Patpong long had a murky reputation, but its image is changing. In Thailand, younger generations are taking a growing interest in the historical and cultural role of this many-layered district in shaping post-war South-East Asia.

Laos and the 'secret war'

During the Vietnam War (1964–1973), the CIA carried out covert operations in Laos. It sought to disrupt the North Vietnamese supply routes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It also backed the Royal Lao Government against the communists of the Pathet Lao. Washington feared a domino effect at the time, that is, the successive fall of the region's countries into the communist camp. It was from Patpong, in secret, that the United States orchestrated a large part of this campaign.

The role of Air America

Air America presented itself as a civilian airline, but it provided decisive support to the anti-communist forces in Laos. The Hmong, led by General Vang Pao, received supplies and support through several kinds of mission: surveillance, drops of food and equipment, troop transport and the evacuation of refugees. Its unmarked aircraft reached remote and dangerous airstrips that were otherwise inaccessible.

These operations helped the Hmong resistance hold out and slowed the communist advance. They also devastated Laos: countless civilians were displaced, and the country inherited a deadly mass of unexploded ordnance.

After the Vietnam conflict, the details of this 'secret war' came to light. Air America's role was then re-examined. The airline became a symbol of the ethical dilemmas of covert military involvement and of its lasting effects on South-East Asia.

Four figures associated with the district

Jack Shirley

Shirley was a CIA officer stationed in Patpong. He trained and armed the Hmong in their fight against the communists. He stayed on in Thailand after his service. He became a private consultant and worked for the Thai film industry. He lived in Bangkok until his death in 2003.

Tony Poe (Anthony Poshepny)

Poe was a CIA officer based in Patpong. He became notorious for the brutality of his methods in counter-insurgency campaigns. Among other things, he paid Hmong fighters in exchange for enemy ears. This reputation inspired Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now.

Rick Menard

Menard was a Vietnam War veteran. He settled in Bangkok and opened the Grand Prix there, Patpong's first go-go bar. In doing so he paved the way for the nightlife culture that would eventually define the district.

Charles Sobhraj, 'the Serpent'

A Franco-Thai serial killer and con man, Sobhraj operated in the 1970s from Patpong and the neighbouring district of Silom. He relied on his charm, his command of several languages and a sham gem-trading business. In this way he lured Western travellers, then murdered them. Many of his crimes centred on Kanit House. They made headlines around the world and inspired the series The Serpent, shown on Netflix.

The district's venues, past and present

• Bar Madrid (still open, at a new address): founded in 1969, it was popular with the CIA for its discreet upstairs room. It remains known for dishes such as beef Stroganoff and the 'Larb Pizza'. It is run by Jenny, daughter of the original owner.
• Mississippi Queen (closed): opened in 1973, it was one of Patpong's first go-go bars. It appears in The Deer Hunter.
• Superstar (closed): a go-go bar that became legendary. David Bowie frequented it and filmed his video for 'Ricochet' there.
• Grand Prix (closed): founded in 1969 by Rick Menard, the first go-go bar in Asia.
• Pink Panther (still open): known since the 1980s for its Thai boxing (muay thai) bouts staged live every night.
• Crown Royal (still open): an old-established bar that preserves the classic atmosphere of Patpong's early days.
• The Other Old Office Bar (still open): a retro venue more than forty years old, popular for its pool table and its nostalgia.

From go-go bars to the LGBTQ+ scene

The go-go bar format appeared with the Grand Prix in 1969. It spread quickly, notably with the Mississippi Queen, and made Patpong the centre of Bangkok's nightlife.

Over recent decades the area has also become an LGBTQ+ hub. It offers drag shows, gay pubs and inclusive venues. This development reflects Bangkok's wider openness to diversity and inclusion. It also shows the district's ability to adapt to changing times.

Timeline: from 1881 to 2004

A dynasty of entrepreneurs (1881–1950)

• 1881: birth in Hainan of Luang Patpongpanich, known in Chinese as Tun Poon, founder of the Patpong dynasty. His family later settled in Siam, present-day Thailand.
• 1900: he takes the name Poon Pat and marries a Thai woman in Bangkok. This marks the start of a remarkable lineage.
• 1913: Poon Pat plays a key role in founding the Siam Cement Company and establishes himself as a leading entrepreneur.
• 1916: birth of Udom Patpongpanich, Poon Pat's fourth child. He would later turn Patpong into a major business district.
• 1930: King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) grants Poon Pat an honorary title that confirms the family's prestige.
• 1936–1938: Udom studies at the London School of Economics, then at the University of Minnesota from 1940 to 1945. There he gains a solid education and valuable international connections.
• 1945: Udom Patpongpanich undergoes training with the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA, in Georgia and in Sri Lanka, under the guidance of Jim Thompson. He is then sent to Thailand.
• 1946: the family buys a banana plantation with a teak villa in Bangkok for $3,000. This purchase prepares the way for Patpong's future development.
• 1950: after the death of Luang Patpongpanich, Udom takes charge of the family businesses. He develops commercial buildings in Patpong that attract major international firms. The Plaza Hotel, with modern facilities, is built at this time.

The Cold War district (1953–1970)

• 1953: Tony Poe (Anthony Poshepny), a CIA officer, joins SEA Supply in Bangkok. The links between Patpong and covert operations grow closer.
• 1954: Mizu Kitchen, Patpong's first restaurant, opens to serve a fast-growing expatriate community.
• 1959: Tony Poe receives the Intelligence Star for his central role in training Asian paramilitary forces.
• 1964: Patpong takes on a dual identity. By day it is Bangkok's central business district; by night, a centre of nightlife.
• 1965: the Vietnam War brings the first American soldiers on rest and recreation leave to Bangkok. CIA-related activity intensifies in Patpong.
• 1966: after the Vietnam War, Rick Menard, a former US Army officer, settles in Thailand and befriends Udom Patpongpanich.
• 1969: the Madrid Bar opens, frequented by CIA officers and Air America pilots. In the same year, Tony Poe trains Hmong fighters using controversial methods. Rick Menard opens the Grand Prix Lounge, the first go-go bar in Bangkok and in Asia.
• 1970: allegations emerge of Air America's involvement in smuggling opium out of Laos.

The age of bars and film shoots (1972–1989)

• 1972: Patpong expands from Soi 1 to Soi 2. Upstairs bars offer more explicit shows, which draw international attention.
• 1973: the opening of the Mississippi Queen Go-Go Bar cements the district's nightlife reputation.
• 1974: Tony Poe retires in Thailand and marries a Hmong woman. He becomes one of the sources of inspiration for Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now.
• 1975: Charles Sobhraj and Marie Leclerc live at Kanit House and frequent Patpong's bars, sometimes with their victims.
• 1977: The Deer Hunter is filmed in Patpong, with scenes set in the Mississippi Queen.
• 1978: Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken shoot scenes for The Deer Hunter in Patpong.
• 1983: David Bowie films part of the video for 'Ricochet' in Patpong, notably at the Superstar Go-Go Bar.
• 1988: Jean-Claude Van Damme films Kickboxer on Patpong Road. In the same year, bar owners in the district face prosecution linked to drug trafficking.
• 1989: premiere of the musical Miss Saigon, inspired by the atmosphere of South-East Asia. The Patpong night market opens the same year, adding to the district's nightlife.

Recent recognition (2003–2004)

• 2003: Beautiful Boxer, a film about Parinya Charoenphol, a transgender muay thai champion, is shot in Patpong.
• 2004: Patpong is officially designated one of Bangkok's three 'entertainment zones'. Its bars may now stay open later.

From the banana plantation bought in 1946 to the entertainment zone made official in 2004, these milestones chart the course of a district that moved from business to nightlife.