After reading Zoe's review on Songkhla’s proposed World Heritage nomination, I understood the frustration regarding the lack of accessible information on the location and on the values of the nominated sites. Fortunately, thanks to an expert friend from ICOMOS I met during the field trips in Cambodia and Vietnam, I received valuable guidance about the key places to visit and their cultural significance. This allowed me to better appreciate the uniqueness of Songkhla and its surrounding heritage landscape. The nomination appears to focus on the long history of multiple settlements around the Songkhla Lagoon, reflecting centuries of maritime trade, cultural exchange, and coexistence of different communities. The lagoon itself is central to this story: as the largest natural lake in Thailand, connected to the Gulf of Thailand by a narrow opening, it offered a safe anchorage for ships, a thriving fishing ground, and fertile land for settlement. Its sheltered waters facilitated early maritime networks and created a natural hub for exchange between inland communities and seafaring traders from across the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

The old town of Songkhla struck me as a charming and vibrant district, often described as a smaller version of George Town in Penang or Hoi An in Vietnam. It retains the lively atmosphere of a historic Chinese settlement, with rows of shophouses revealing layers of history through their architecture from elegant Sino-Portuguese façades to touches of Art Nouveau. The mix of commercial and residential functions still feels authentic, and the community life …

I drove down the 408 at the coast to see this sight but actually the ONLY thing I really saw was the old town. I tried to stop for others but it was quite crummy, or maybe not obvious enough. I think they are also marked wrong. The island on the lake, Koh Yo(?) is also include I think, but stopping there isn't so easy. You can try to stop on the coast across from Songkhla but again it's not so nice. On the way down from 408 you see LOTS of water basins which is very unusual but as for "water management" I don't quite understand what they are going for.

The MAIN attraction is Songkhla Old Town which can also be reached by plane. It's still open for cars so walking isn't as chilled out as you might expect. You will see a city gate, not as "old" as it should be:

Once past the you can find temples east, docks west, and an old castle wall at the north side.

You can also find many restaurants, some street art a la George Town / Malaka (it's not why this is nominated) and in the evening it gets more relaxed. As mentioned before I didn't see any water management parts here and I think it's not really a reason to nominate. Perhaps there is more in the surrounding areas but hard to find and Songkhla is more of a "center" piece to link these together. It would make …