A Dutchman travels to 'Buddha's Footprint'
In 1737 the chief of the VOC factory in Ayutthaya accompanied the pious king Borommakot to the 'Footprint of Buddha'. A journal of that journey has been handed down, the Dagregister.
VOC in Thailand
It has been several years since the Dutch embassy, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's reign, published a book about a journey made by a Dutch VOC captain in 1737, at the invitation of the then king.
Baan Hollanda takes you back to earlier times
On a sunny and hot Wednesday afternoon, Emma Kraanen visited 'Baan Hollanda' in Ayutthaya. On the banks of the Chao Phraya River and adjacent to a beautiful old shipyard, she found an inviting, warm orange Dutch building. The museum about Dutch-Thai relations in Thailand is a gift from Queen Beatrix to King Bumiphol.
A newsletter from 1608: Siamese envoys to Prince Maurits
In 1608, two envoys from the King of Siam pay a visit to the court of Prince Maurits. A French newsletter reports in detail. "Their language is very barbaric and very difficult to understand, as is the writing."
The Netherlands – Siam, a piece of history
Siam, Ratcha Anachak Thai, or Muang Thai, - land of the free people - is the official name of the country that has been called Thailand since 1939. In the 17th and 18th centuries there was a close relationship between Siam and the Netherlands and there were good trade relations between the two countries.
Baan Hollanda: An excursion into our past
With the 24 participants in this excursion, organized by the Dutch Association of Pattaya, we dashed from Thai Garden Resort to Baan Hollanda in Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, in exactly the planned two hours and fifteen minutes.
Are the Dutch looters?
We recently had a party. A cozy get-together with Thai women and their Dutch partners. It was about anything and everything, a lot of chatter and above all a lot of fun. At one point I got into a conversation with an older woman, mid-50s and suddenly all Farang on the spot were called looters of the worst kind.
Historical awareness: the Meierij
A few days before the King's Day, at the regular table at Ons Moeder in Pattaya, I got into a conversation with a fellow countryman temporarily staying in Thailand.
Holland House Information Center in Ayutthaya
The Netherlands and Thailand have maintained friendly relations for more than 400 years. This historical bond originated in the time of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Joseph Jongen recently wrote an interesting article about this. What many may not know is that during her state visit to Thailand in 2004, our Queen donated money for the construction of an information center about the activities of the VOC in Siam. The information center annex museum will be…