Hat Yai, Thailand

Hat Yai is a city of roughly 160,000 residents in southern Thailand, located about 950 km south of Bangkok and just 50 km north of the Malaysian border. Founded in 1922 as a railway junction on the Southern Line, it grew into the commercial hub of the lower south and sits along Phetchakasem Road, which opened in 1977 and runs 2,154 km, making it the longest road in Thailand. Most international visitors arrive through the 1966 Padang Besar border crossing from Malaysia, then explore sites such as Wat Hat Yai Nai, built in 1968 to house a 35-metre reclining Buddha that ranks as the third-largest in the world. Trade still centers on the 1980s Kim Yong Market, the largest in the city, where cross-border shoppers and long-distance rail passengers cross paths every day.