About Samui

Traditionally the island has been a refuge of fishermen hiding from the stormy waters of the South China Sea. Malay pirates from the Strait of Malacca used the place to hide the loot stolen from ships laden with riches belonging to Chinese merchants. Like most of Thailand, Koh Samui is predominately Buddhist and the island boasts many stunning examples of Theravada Buddhist temples, such as its famous landmark Wat Phra Yai, which houses the Big Buddha. Samui is a cultural melting pot though, and significant Chinese and Islamic influences have helped shape the identity of its people.

Koh Samui is now the most important economic part of Surat Thani province, an area which was once part of the Srivijaya Kingdom, a Vedic empire founded by Indian Mahayana Buddhist migrants, which lasted from the 7th – 14th century AD. Surat Thani town was the northernmost outpost of the empire, which stretched all the way down the Malay Peninsula as far as Java and Sumatra.

As the empire grew, the towns Chaiya and Ban Don, also now in Surat Thani province, became the busiest commercial centres on the Malay Peninsula, flush with trade from rich Chinese merchants. They also became important ports for international trade when British, Dutch, Portuguese and other colonial powers opened sea routes through the Straits of Malacca, the Gulf of Siam and the South China Sea.

Throughout its final century, the Srivijaya Kingdom passed between the control of the Khmer and Sukhothai Kingdoms, before finally disintegrating when Java and Malaya broke away and declared their independence. The Buddhist and Brahim culture of the Srivijaya gave way to the beliefs of Islam that still predominate in the area, and in southern Thailand to this day. After the fall of the Srivijaya, the area was divided into the three cities: Chaiya, Thatong and Kirirat, all under Siamese rule. In 1915, King Rama VI gathered the three cities into one administrative province, now named Surat Thani.