The Hua Hin District (Thai: หัวหิน, IPA: [hǔə hǐn]) is one of eight districts (amphoe) of the province Prachuap Khiri Khan located on the Gulf of Thailand. The capital of the district is Hua Hin, one of Thailand's most famous seaside resorts. In 2017, 63,091 inhabitants lived there according to the population register. The district is 911 km2 large, and is located 199 km south-south-west of Bangkok.
The Hua Hin district is located in the middle of what the Thai government promotes as “The Thai Riviera”, an area stretching along the coast between Phetchaburi in the north and Chumphon in the south.
In 1834, before the name Hua Hin was used, it was created in the province Phetchaburi Province major drought. A group of farmers headed south until they found a village with white sandy beaches and rocks along the coast. They decided to settle there, under the name Samore Riang (Samo Riang), which means 'row of rocks'.
In 1921, the director of the Thai State Railways, Prince Purachatra, had a hotel built close to the beach. Prince Krom Phra Naresworarit was the first member of the royal family to have a palace built at Ban Laem Hin. He named the beach near the palace “Hua Hin”. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) also had a palace built there that later Klai Kang Won ('Far from Worries') was mentioned. This palace was the official residence of the king from 2004 to 2006 King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), until his health forced him to return to Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, where medical facilities are better.
In 1932 Hua Hin formed part of it Pran Buri District as a subdistrict (king amphoe). In 1949, Hua Hin became its own district of the province Prachuap Khiri Khan. After the construction of the Southern Railway connecting the south to Bangkok, Hua Hin became a popular seaside resort for the entire country.
In August 2016, four bombings took place in a 24-hour period. One person was killed and 20 were injured. Afterwards, 90 security cameras were installed by the Thai tourist police and maintained by the municipality. There are plans to expand this by a few hundred.
Hua Hin has one tropical savannah climate (Köppen climate: Aw). The temperature is high all year round and varies little. The year starts with a dry season (December – April) until the monsoon arrives in May. There is usually less rain in June until August. The heaviest rain falls from September to November.
| Weather of Hua Hin (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record temp. °C (°F) | 33.4 (92.1) |
35.1 (95.2) |
35.6 (96.1) |
38.3 (100.9) |
37.7 (99.9) |
37.5 (99.5) |
38.7 (101.7) |
37.8 (100.0) |
38.0 (100.4) |
36.4 (97.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.5 (94.1) |
38.7 (101.7) |
| Average temp. °C (°F) | 29.9 (85.8) |
31.3 (88.3) |
32.4 (90.3) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.4 (92.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.3 (86.5) |
29.5 (85.1) |
32.0 (89.6) |
| Daily average °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) |
27.2 (81.0) |
28.4 (83.1) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.9 (80.4) |
25.8 (78.4) |
27.9 (82.2) |
| Medium low °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
22.5 (72.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
| Average rainfall in mm (inches) | 11.8 (0.46) |
15.3 (0.60) |
53.9 (2.12) |
46.4 (1.83) |
108.9 (4.29) |
78.9 (3.11) |
93.0 (3.66) |
71.2 (2.80) |
120.4 (4.74) |
246.2 (9.69) |
101.2 (3.98) |
7.9 (0.31) |
955.1 (37.60) |
| Average rainy days | 1.3 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 13.1 | 14.0 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 16.2 | 16.5 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 107.3 |
| Average humidity (%) | 71 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 77 | 80 | 74 | 67 | 73 |
| Sun hours per day | 266.6 | 245.8 | 275.9 | 240.0 | 195.3 | 153.0 | 117.8 | 114.7 | 108.0 | 145.7 | 189.0 | 263.5 | 2,315.3 |
| Average number of hours of sunshine | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 6.3 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 8.5 | 6.3 |
Hua Hin District is divided into seven sub-districts (tambons), which are subdivided into 63 villages (mubans).
| No. | Name | Thai | Villages | In W. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hua Hin | หัวหิน | – | 45,905 |
| 2. | Nong Kae | หนองแก | – | 15,286 |
| 3. | Hin Lek Fai | song | 16 | 13,638 |
| 4. | Nong Phlap | หนองพลับ | 10 | 10,758 |
| 5. | Thap Tai | ทับใต้ | 14 | 12,765 |
| 6. | Huai Sat Yai | More information | 11 | 7,053 |
| 7. | Bueng Nakhon | บึงนคร | 12 | 4,752 |
There is a town hall (thesaban mueang) in hot district:
- Hua Hin (Thai: Tags:) consisting of the sub-districts of Hua Hin and Nong Kae.
There is a sub-district (thesaban tambon) in the district:
- Nong Phlap (Thai: See more) comprising parts of Nong Phlap sub-district.
There are five sub-district administrative organizations (SAO) in the district:
- Hin Lek Fai (Thai: Tags:) comprising the Hin Lek Fai sub-district.
- Nong Phlap (Thai: See more) comprising parts of Nong Phlap sub-district.
- Thap Tai (Thai: See more) comprising the Thap Tai sub-district.
- Huai Sat Yai (Thai: Tags:) consisting of the Huai Sat Yai.
- Bueng Nakhon (Thai: Tags:) comprising the Bueng Nakhon sub-district.
The water quality in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Hua Hin was listed as “average” by the Environmental Pollution Department. This agency noted that the main tourist areas, especially Cha-Am and Hua Hin, should be regularly monitored enterococci [stool] bacteria, because the values are often too high.
Hua Hin can be reached by road, railway and ship.
It is the main station Hua Hin Station, which is the northernmost station in the district. Smaller stations are: Nong Kae Station close to Khao Takiap, Suan Son Pradiphat Stop, close to Suan Son Pradiphat Beach, Rajabhakti Park and Khao Tao Station.
Since 2019, work has been underway on the construction of double-track connections from Bangkok Bang Sue Central Station Unpleasant Chumphon. Trains will travel along that route at a speed of 160 km/hour. The new connection will be ready in 2022. According to the State Railways, the travel time will then be 2-3 hours. For comparison, the current single track connection allows 44 trains to make the journey every day in 4 hours. Plans for an HSL connection have been shelved due to a lack of investors.
There is a daily ferry service between Hua Hin and Pattaya. The ferry service only operates during the tourist season. Currently, the ferry service has stopped due to the pandemic. When the ferry starts sailing again, it will be a high-speed catamaran with a capacity of 340 people. The sailing time is 2.5 hours.
The airport Hua Hin Airport is located in the Hua Hin District. There is (or was) international flying AirAsiawith a direct flight to Kuala Lumpur. The airport is being expanded and renovated, this project will be ready in 2023-2024. The number of travelers is then expected to increase tenfold, to 3 million travelers per year. The expansion includes a second terminal, more hangars and wider runways.
There are various tertiary courses in Hua Hin and Cha-am, such as the Kasetsart University Veterinary Education, the Silpakorn University, Suan Dusit Rajabhat (Hospitality) University, and Petchaburi Technology and Agricultural University. Webster University Thailand has a campus near Hua Hin, just like the Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin (Wangklaikangwon Campus).
