Asian Cultural Village, Dannok Thailand

Asian Cultural Village

I started hearing the term 'Asian Cultural Village' (in relation to Dannok) around 2013. I had been visiting Dannok since 2004 and in all my visits I had never encountered anything remotely cultural and I wasn't aware of any cultural villages. At the same time I also heard people talking about a dinosaur park.

 

Hindu deity Ganesha in the Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

I had no idea what the Asian Cultural Village was and no one was able to tell me. People knew about a dinosaur park, but that was about it. After finally getting around to visiting myself in 2016, I put this page together in order to provide an overview of the Asian Cultural Village for those who have never visited. I hope I have succeeded. If not, let me know.

The first thing that struck me on my May 2016 visit (and this happens every time I visit Dannok) was how much the town had grown since my last visit. Dannok is probably the fastest growing place in all of Thailand. Considering that in the early 2000's there was virtually nothing there and now it is becoming a large town, the rate of growth is nothing less than spectacular.

 

Huge line of trucks waiting to cross the border into Malaysia in Dannok, Thailand

 

The second thing that struck me was how ugly everything looked in the old part of town. The line of container trucks between the border and customs station was the longest line of trucks I have ever seen in my life.

There is still lots of construction taking place and the area looked like a cross between a truck stop and a building site.

But then, like an oasis in the desert, I ventured into the Asian Cultural Village. It is located away from the ugly side of Dannok and some of the attractions are very attractive. A few years ago Dannok was nothing more than a huge border brothel and one of the ugliest places in Thailand. Now, it is a place where I can take my children.

The thing about Dannok is that it has all been built in reverse. Most tourist destinations have interesting or attractive natural features to begin with and then hotels are built for tourists.

 

There is still lots of construction work going on in Dannok

 

When Dannok started being developed it had nothing; the main draw for Malaysian men were the many prostitutes on the Thai side of the border. Hotels started to spring up, but there was nothing to do. As more hotels were built the town started to attract a wider variety of tourists and there needed to be some activities for them to do. This is the gap that the Asian Cultural Village has filled.

The Village itself is located on a large piece of land away from the main road. It is self-contained, with hotels, shops, clubs, and family entertainment. Essentially it is a small town within a town.

 

Advertising poster in Hat Yai for the Asian Cultural Village

 

It's certainly a lot more wholesome and family-oriented than the other parts of Dannok. After checking out the prices of a hotel inside the Village I asked a bellboy about prostitutes. He told me that they could be found outside the Village, implying that this aspect of Thai culture was not something that was encouraged inside the Village.

The business ventures inside the Village are obviously Malaysian owned (with the necessary Thai partners or nominees to legalise matters) and are targeted towards Malaysian tourists. Prices are in both Thai Baht and Malaysian Ringgits and there are Chinese signs everywhere. Why is this?

Roughly 30% of the population of Malaysia is ethnic Chinese, but living in a fairly strict Muslim country is very restrictive for most Chinese. Rather than being thought of as a part of Thailand, Dannok should really be regarded as a non-Muslim extension of Malaysia.

 

M Cafe inside the Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Many businesses inside the Village have an M prefix (M Hotel, M Club, M Cafe, M Gift, M Square, M Watch, etc) and hotels inside the Village offer discounts to guests who have vouchers as a result of shopping at M Mall (a large retailer) in Malaysia. I would therefore imagine that the owner of M Mall in Malaysian is the main investor or the sole owner of the Asian Cultural Village.

One area of the Village (KPK Sois 1,2,3) has mainly hotels and nightclubs. There is a shrine dedicated to Hindu deities, and there is a separate road containing the main attractions and activities.

Everything seems to be geared up for nighttime entertainment. This is obvious for things like night clubs, but even the family attractions stay open late and I was told that they are better visited at night. Everything is lit up at night and several people told me it looks more attractive after dark. Some time in the future I will stay overnight and see for myself.

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Map Of Asian Cultural Village, Dannok Thailand

 

Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Getting Around

The village is fairly large, but if you are used to walking it is quite possible to walk between the attractions. The majority of Thais hate walking anywhere, but foreigners don't usually find it a problem. If you have your own car it is possible to park at the side of the road, but on weekends there are lots of visitors and parking can be tricky, especially at the end of the village near the Dinosaur Park. The village operates several themed shuttle vehicles, which I think are free.

 

Shuttle Vehicle, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Where Is This Place?

A Malaysian girl wrote on her blog that she had searched for hotels in Dannok, but couldn't find any. She found hotels in Sadao so came to the conclusion that Sadao was the real name for Dannok. Unfortunately, her assumption wasn't quite correct.

The country of Thailand is divided into four regions and 76 provinces (some sources say 76 while others say 77). The Asian Cultural Village (ACV) is in Songkhla province, which is in the southern region.

Each province is divided into a different number of districts. Songkhla province has 16 districts and the ACV is in Sadao district. Hat Yai is another district within Songkhla province.

The districts are further divided into sub-districts. Hat Yai district has 18 sub-districts and Sadao district has 9 sub-districts. The ACV is in Samnak Kham sub-district, which is in the Sadao district of Songkhla province. Do you follow so far?

Furthermore, each sub-district contains a number of villages and Dannok is a village in Samnak Kham sub-district.

Therefore, I (and many others) refer to it simply as Dannok, however, formal addresses use the sub-district, district and province, and not the village name.

None of the hotel business cards I picked up mention Dannok and neither do on-line hotel booking agencies. If you want to find hotels in Dannok on Agoda you need to search for hotels in Sadao, Songkhla.

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Village Activities

All Terrain Vehicles

Ride an ATV in the ACV around the southern Thai countryside. Bt500 will get you half an hour in one of these fun vehicles. The opening hours are 10:00 until 19:00.

 

ATV, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Animal World

This attraction is just a mini zoo with a limited range of animals.

 

Animal World, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Archery Sport

A self-explanatory attraction.

 

Archery Sport, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Cowboy Town

Built in the style of a Wild West general store, Cowboy Town includes a shop where you can buy cowboy gear and there is a steak restaurant upstairs that serves salads, steaks and various chicken dishes.

 

Cowboy Town, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Cowboy Town, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Cowboy Town, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Cowboy Town, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Dinosaur Park

This is a dinosaur theme park where visitors can interact with the models and find out more about dinosaurs. This attraction operates a strict dual-pricing policy and the girl at the ticket office sounded incredulous when I asked her about foreigners paying the same price as Thais. "Are you crazy, you stupid farang?"

As far as she was concerned, letting a foreigner in for the Thai price was on the same level of impossibility as a fish being able to fly. Despite my protestations about having lived in Thailand for 13 years and Thais not having to pay double when they travel abroad, I was forced to pay the farang price otherwise my kids would have been very disappointed.

The attraction is small, but nicely done and the dinosaur models were realistic enough to scare my children. Most models are static, but a few move and make grunting sounds.

Like most attractions in the village, this one opens until late and I am told it looks better all lit up at night. The admission charge is Bt100 for Thais and Bt200 for foreigners. Entrance is free for young children under three and I didn't have to pay for my son.

 

Dinosaur Park, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Dinosaur Park, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Future Park

As its name implies, this is a theme park with a futuristic theme. I haven't visited this attraction yet so can't tell you much more.

It is open every day from 10:00 to 22:00 and there is no evidence of any dual pricing, where Thais are charged one price and foreigners another. Children and adults alike pay Bt100, regardless of their nationality, race or religion. It is free for children under three.

 

Future Park, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Horse Mystique

My daughter loved this attraction, as I thought she would. Thais are very fond of the American Wild West and many bars and restaurants in Thailand have a Wild West theme with wagon wheels and cowboy imagery. Built in the style of a ranch, there are facades of Wild West buildings and, of course, horses. There are also deer and ostriches that chidren can feed.

Horse rides are Bt200, but riders only get one circuit and it takes less than 10 minutes. Horse Mystique is open from 13:00 to 22:00.

 

Horse Mystique, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Horse Mystique, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

Horse Mystique, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Kids' Land

Kids' Land has a number of coin-operated rides for children and there are even miniature mechanical diggers.

 

Kids' Land, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Panda Garden

This is just an expanse of lawn with lots of small panda models standing or sitting on the grass. It's not very exciting, but it could be an enjoyable place to relax provided that the southern Thai weather isn't too hot.

 

Panda Garden, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Rabbit Garden

Hundreds of different kinds of rabbit for children to pet and feed.

 

Petting rabbits

 

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Religious Shrine

Merit-making is very popular in Asia and when ethnic-Chinese Malaysians and Singaporeans visit Thailand they like to visit places of worship to make a donation and wish for good luck and fortune.

A shrine has been built inside the village for this purpose. It is located directly in front of the Vouk Village hotel. One part is a copy of the famous Erawan Shrine in Bangkok with the four-faced deva Brahma from Hindu traditions, known as Phra Phrom in the Thai representation. There are lots of elephant statues, incense sticks, candles and (apparently) Hindu deities are very fond of sugary, red, carbonated drinks. Next door is the elephant-headed Ganesha, another Hindu deity.

The shrine is very attractive and certainly worth visiting. Just like Bangkok's Erawan Shrine, there are also traditional Thai dancers at the Dannok Shrine. However, unlike the Erawan Shrine where the Thai dance performances are free, at Dannok you have to pay if you want to watch the dancers perform.

The rates are as follows:

• Two dancers: Bt360
• Four dancers: Bt520
• Six dancers: Bt790
• Eight dancers: Bt999

 

Phra Phrom and Ganesha Shrine at the Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

 

Drinks for the gods at the Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

 

Thai dancers waiting to be paid to perform at the Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Road Of Wulin

This is a replica of a Chinese street from the Qing and Sung dynasty era, including shops, a temple and a court of justice.

The Road Of Wulin is also available as a wedding venue. For Bt3,899 the bride and groom can dress up in traditional Chinese clothes and the brochure says that there is unlimited indoor/outdoor shooting. I assume this refers to cameras rather than guns.

 

Road of Wulin, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Water Fun

This is a water park with a difference, in that there are no pools. It is just a flat surface with fountains, and water is sprayed into the air.

 

Water Fun, Asian Cultural Village, Dannok

 

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Accommodation In Asian Cultural Village, Dannok Thailand

As I said above, one area of the Village is dedicated to hotels. If you want to stay in the same area as the family attractions, there appear to be two options.

One option is Container Stay, in which the same type of containers you see passing through Dannok on large trucks have been converted into guest rooms.

The other option is VJ Villa where there are 32 rooms in bungalow style accommodation located near to the animal farms, parks and recreation centers.

The following list of hotels is not complete. I hope to return to Dannok soon to add some more information.

Hotels to be added include:

• MBI Resort (Agoda)
• The Wai Hotel (Agoda)

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