한국국제교류재단

STORY

Thailand’s hidden treasure: Nong Nooch Village
The goal of Nong Nooch Village is to be “a garden for everyone”.
By Kang Ho-chul Professor (Department of Horticulture, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology)

Stonehenge Garden

For most people, Pattaya, a resort city in southern Thailand, bringsto mind beautiful beaches, an endless supply of seafood, and a year-round array of marine sports. There is one treasure, however, that is still a bit of an insider tip for tourists: Nong Nooch Village — a veritable cornucopia of gardens! 

Nong Nooch Village began in 1954, when it was a mango and coconut orchard that was purchased by Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha. With the help of local residents, the couple slowly transformed the orchard into a garden, planting palm trees, orchids, and many other types of plants and flowers. The fruit of their labor is located on a massive lot of nearly 2.5 square kilometers (over 700,000 pyeong) and now includes a tropical forest and a variety of gardens, including some resembling the country’s different royal palace gardens and one resembling the famous Stonehenge site in Britain. The design of the Baroque Garden, matching the style of 17th-century France, seems to have taken inspiration from the gardens surrounding the Palace of Versailles. Yet another garden features a harmonious blend of Thailand’s Buddhist culture — it even includes a golden pagoda —and European gardening culture. 

The public walking trail, which leads into a dense palm tree forest, presents visitors with a view of diverse landscapes. The particularly popular botanical garden features around 1,000 species of rare tropical plants, including 150 species of cycad, 200 species of bracken, and 500 species of orchids and rare cacti. One noteworthy aspect of the botanical garden is that it was clearly designed with a focus on resembling natural environments as accurately as possible. To supportthis illusion, various highly-detailed animal figures such as mountain goats and flamingos were added throughout the garden.

Nong Nooch Village, which introduces the garden cultures of many different ethnic groups and countries on the foundation of Thailand’s tropical environment, is a multi-faceted cultural space and a trueglobal heritage.

Flamingo Garden