Visiting the Mon Bridge in Kanchanaburi

2016-01-20 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

The room I rented today feels more like an office than a typical room back home. The tiles you'd usually see on bathroom walls are laid out on the floor, and with windows on all sides, there's absolutely no sense of a "private space." Staying in a place like this for too long seems like a surefire way to throw out your back. The sun is starting to set, so I should head out to see the famous Mon Bridge.

Three people walking on a road with a dog following behind them — It's such a quiet neighborhood that even when you run into a stray mutt, it feels like you're taking a dog for a walk.

A van and a pickup truck parked on a tree-lined roadside with a Burmese Inn sign — Fascinatingly, there's a Myanmar (Burma) guesthouse here in Thailand. It makes sense for an area right on the border with Myanmar.

A long wooden bridge seen through leaves and people walking on it — Walking a little further, the "Mon Bridge"—the very reason all these accommodations exist—gently revealed itself.

People walking on a bridge with red railings and the surrounding scenery — The bridge leading up to the Mon Bridge. The pillars are made of wood, just like the Mon Bridge itself.

People walking on a bridge with long red railings on both sides

The further you walk along this bridge, the closer you get to the Mon Bridge. At first glance, the bridge looks like it was thrown together carelessly, but when paired with the surrounding scenery, there's no place more atmospheric. It's amazing that it was built entirely by hand out of bamboo without any machinery, but it's even more impressive that it was made sturdy enough for so many people to cross. They say it's the longest handmade wooden bridge in Thailand (400 meters).

The "Mon" in the bridge's name refers to the Mon people. I had only thought of Thais and Burmese, but there's also an ethnic minority group called the Mon in between. Looking back at when I went into the mountains to see the Karen people during a previous trip to Thailand, I realize Thailand is actually a very multi-ethnic country. According to Wikipedia, they began living in Southeast Asia even before the Thais and Khmers (the major ethnic group of Myanmar) and are presumed to be the earliest inhabitants. Because they had a brilliant civilization in the past, they have their own language (Mon) and script, which are still partially maintained today. However, they are now an ethnic minority, living as refugees who fled to Thailand after resisting Myanmar. (Thailand is one of the countries open to refugees.)

The bridge this ethnic group built to cross into Thailand is the "Mon Bridge."

Floating houses on a river and a long wooden bridge in the distance

A long wooden bridge crossing a river and the surrounding village scenery

A long wooden bridge crossing a river and people walking on a pontoon bridge next to it

People walking on a long wooden bridge crossing a river at dusk

A boy holding a puppy on a wooden bridge and people petting the puppy — This man's job is "professional high diver." He and his dog are advertising that he'll be diving tomorrow morning. For the record, it was such a unique performance that I couldn't help but give him some money.

A small floating house on a river in the dusky evening and a bridge in the distance — A landscape I'm seeing for the first time in my life.

A woman taking a picture with a person in a police uniform on a wooden bridge — It's also my first time seeing someone taking a picture with a police officer in a place like this.

Illuminated floating houses on the riverside and a wooden bridge in the dark evening

Floating houses on a river and a long bridge in the dark evening

A long wooden bridge with streetlights on in the dark evening

A group of people posing on a dark wooden bridge with streetlights on — They definitely just brought me along to be their photographer.

The entrance to a night market with Thai and Burmese signs and people walking on the street

Once you cross the bridge, you'll find a market where Mon people sell their goods. I'm not sure if absolutely everyone there is Mon, but the items are definitely Mon style. We plan to offer food during the alms-giving ceremony at the Mon Bridge tomorrow morning, so everyone is buying a new traditional outfit just for that brief moment. Before buying the clothes, when I first heard we'd be watching the alms-giving, I was just excited and looking forward to seeing a fascinating spectacle as a foreigner of a different religion. But watching them ask each other which clothes look prettier, I realized that for the people living here, this isn't just tourism—it might be a sacred and deeply moving day, much like Muslims visiting Mecca. Feeling like I've been invited to such a meaningful day makes me look forward to tomorrow's alms-giving even more.

A night market stall displaying fabrics of various colors and patterns

A dark night market alley lined with shops selling clothes and souvenirs

Lights reflecting on the river water on a dark night — The part swallowing the light in the middle is the path. We took the large bridge on the way there, and on the way back, we walked along a bamboo path floating slightly on the water.

A wooden bridge crossing a river on a dark night and lights in the distance

Stars in the dark night sky — I wanted to capture the countless stars I saw with my own eyes, but I guess it's too much for my camera.

An illuminated wooden bridge and a starry night sky