The area has a history dating back to the ninth century as a port to cities upstream along the Chao Phraya River, such as Pak NamPhra Pradaeng built during the KingPhutthayotfa Chulalok period. Khlong Thanon Trong was a khlong and a parallel road built by King Mongkut around 1857. Later, different sections of the canal became known as Khlong Toei and Khlong Hua Lamphong. Khlong Toei means 'the canal of pandan', as the plant grew along the southern bank of the canal. The road was renamed Rama IV Road by King Vajiravudh in 1919. In 1947, a large portion of Khlong Toei canal was filled to expand the Rama IV Road surface. The area was once part of the Phra Khanong District, but on 9 November 1989 it was separated to form the new Khlong Toei District. Originally Khlong Toei consisted of six sub-districts, three of which later formed the new Watthana District.
Administration
The district is divided into three sub-districts. From west to east, these are: Khlong Toei is both the name of a sub-district and the district in which it lies. Phra Khanong is both a sub-district of Khlong Toei and a district on its own, with only sub-district Bang Chak. Furthermore, all three sub-districts listed above have counterparts with the addition of "nuea" in Watthana District.
Port
Khlong Toei Port, also known as Bangkok Port, was Thailand's only major port for sea transportation of cargo. Its construction began in 1938 and finished after World War II. The port is on the Chao Phraya River, not far from the Gulf of Thailand. Due to its limited capacity and traffic problems caused by semi-trailer trucks, many of its operations have moved to Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi Province since its opening in July 1981.
Nana Plaza, a major adult entertainment center, known for prostitution and go-go and hostess bars.
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, served by the MRT station of the same name, hosts various exhibitions around the year. The venue will be closed for renovation following contract extension.
Benjakitti Park, a public park next to the convention center. It includes a lake and is on land that was formerly occupied by the Tobacco Monopoly, the government's tobacco factory.
The Khlong Toei slum, south of the expressway and north of the port, is the largest and oldest slum of Bangkok. It houses some 100,000 people on about one square mile of land owned by the Port Authority.
The State Railway of Thailand is a huge landowner in Thailand. Its latest property development scheme is the Chao Phraya Gateway project, a mix of hotels, shopping centers, and condominiums. It capitalises on SRT's 277 rai, 1.16 kilometre stretch of land on the river in the Khlong Toei District. The SRT hopes the project will help clear its 100 billion baht debt. The project is projected to break even within eight years and deliver profits of 140 billion baht., SRT's plans are being submitted to the Transport Ministry for approval.
