Patpong Road was made famous by American soldiers on rest and recuperation (R&R) in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. During the Vietnam conflict, many in the military took the short hop from Saigon to Bangkok to enjoy a week or two getting drunk, stoned, massaged, and spoiled by beautiful Thai women.
Paatpong is actually a small street between Silom and Surawong Roads with wall-to-wall bars and restaurants. At night, the street is vendors catering to tourists charging ridiculously high prices in hopes of finding suckers.
There are actually 4 streets in the area catering to the nightlife. There is Patpong I & II, Soi Jaruwan, catering to gay men, and Soi Thaniya, exclusively for Japanese tourists.
Patpong started off as an undeveloped plot of land purchased by Chinese immigrants in 1946. The Patpongpanich (or Patpongpanit) family built some shop-houses and rented out to normal businesses. Bars eventually overtook the other businesses on these two private roads, and the entertainment zone was created.
I was stationed in Bangkok in the early 1970’s and we would go out to Patpong almost nightly. Back then it was bar after bar after...