Samut Sakhon was formerly called Tha Chin probably because, in the old days, it had been a trading port dealing with a vast number of Chinese junks. In 1548, a town named Sakhon Buri was established at the mouth of the Tha Chin River. It was a centre for recruiting troops from various seaside towns. The name of the town was changed into "Mahachai" when Khlong (canal) Mahachai was dug in 1704 to join the Tha Chin River at the town. Later, the town was renamed Samut Sakhon by King Rama IV but it is still popularly called "Mahachai" by the villagers.

Samut Sakhon is located 30 kms. from Bangkok. The province occupies a total area of 872 square kilometres and is administratively divided into 3 districts: Muang Samut Sakhon, Krathum Baen, and Ban Phaeo. It is a major fishing port and also the biggest producer of brine salt.

Wat Nang Sao

Wat Nang Sao is located in Tambon Tha Mai. Take Highway No. 35 (Thon Buri-Pak Tho) to Highway No. 3091 for approximately 5 kilometres and turn left into Soi Wat Nang Sao 2 for 1 kilometre. According to legend, Sakhon Buri is a beach town in the south of Ayutthaya city. During a war in then Burma, a group of Thai people immigrated along the Tha Chin River. The elderly and women hid in the ancient Phra Ubosot. Later, the Thais helped one another in fighting with the Burmese troops and gained victory. The immigrants then, settled in the area. Among them, 2 sisters who once had taken refuge in the Phra Ubosot, had an idea to renovate it. However, the elder one realized that the temple was too damaged and thus, built a new one instead. Therefore, the younger sister would like to do as promised that if they survived, they would have the temple renovated. Therefore, she finished the renovation and called it “Wat Phrommachari”. Later, it was called “Wat Nong Sao”. At present, it is eroded into “Wat Nang Sao”. The important ancient monument of the temple is a brick ordination hall on a curved base similar to a junk with one entrance which is called “Bot Maha Ut”. It has the ancient style of a terracotta tiled roof, whose beams were made of logs and twin sandstone boundary markers. In the area, in front of the temple next to the Tha Chin River is located a fish sanctuary, full of striped catfish. It is well-known among tourists who usually come to visit and feed the fish.

Phan Thai Norasing Shrine

This is regarded as the symbol of honesty. It was erected to be a memorial to Phanthai Norasing, a man of integrity of the Ayutthaya period. The historic event occurred in 1704 when Phra Chao Sua, a king of Ayutthaya, made a royal visit by the Ekkachai royal barge via the curved Khok Kham Canal. Phanthai Norasing, who was the coxswain, could not operate the steering, thus causing the prow to be broken by hitting the limb of a tree. To foster the palace law, the coxswain then begged the king to slaughter him although he was forgiven. After his death, the king built a shrine in Khlong Khok Kham and commanded to have a new canal, later named Khlong Mahachai, dug to eliminate the sharp curves of Khok Kham Canal. A cruise along the canal via mangrove forests and fishery villages is organised by Khun Narin Bunruam Tel: 0-3441-2490.