Hat Yai, a district of Songkhla, is perhaps better known than the provincial
capital itself. Hat Yai serves as a southern hub of communication, trading and
transportation as well as a gateway to Malaysia and Singapore.
In light of this,
Hat Yai has gained importance as the driving force of economic growth in the
southern region.
The city is located about 30km (18.5 miles) from the Thai-Malaysian border. Hat
Yai is a lively boomtown, the business centre of southern Thailand and also a
popular tourist destination, particularly for men attracted by the nightclubs,
massage parlors and brothels that are prohibited in certain country.
A real interesting attraction is the huge reclining Buddha; you can enter the
statue's torso to view the lungs and heart. Traditional bullfighting where bulls
lock horns and push each other until one retreats is a popular spectator sport.
