Khlong Samrong (, ) is a khlong (canal) in central Thailand, regarded as the main watercourse of Samut Prakan Province. History The khlong was created a long way back, since the King Ramathibodi II's reign of Ayutthaya Kingdom. During that time the city of Ayutthaya was engaged in maritime trade and there was travel between villages and the city. Travel to Ayutthaya was provided by waterways, with the Chao Phraya River being the main route from the Gulf of Thailand. In those days, there were three river mouth: Tha Chin, Chao Phraya and Bang Pakong. To connect the three rivers, khlongs were needed. The Kings of Ayuthhaya period ordered khlongs to be dug to reduce travelling time because there were many bends on the Chao Phraya causing difficulties for communication by water. One of these was Khlong Samrong, dug to link the mouths of Chao Phraya and Bang Pakong rivers. This made it an important transportation route since that time. Around 1498, King Ramathibodi II ordered Khlong Samrong, on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya towards the river mouth, to be dredged and maintained with also to be expanded to allow the passage of large boats. Later on, in the Rattanakosin period, Khlong Samrong was mentioned in Nirat Mueang Klaeng (นิราศเมืองแกลง; "Journey to Klaeng City"), the first travelogue in verse written by the famous poet Sunthorn Phu. It is thought that this was written in the King Rama I's reign in 1806 when Sunthorn Phu went to see his father in Klaeng, Rayong. He wrote and described the picture of Bang Phli Community and Khlong Samrong that he saw 200 years ago. Naming It could be said that the fact that dredging was ordered by the King means that Khlong Samrong was a natural waterway that had existed before the Ayutthaya period. That is Khlong Samrong was dug as route for moving the army from the capital, Nakhon Thom, to the Chao Phraya River basin. This is based on the name "Samrong", which is a tree (Sterculia foetida) and comes from the Khmer (pronounced 'somrong'). Big samrong trees can be found in plenty in the land of Nakhon Thom Empire. In addition, the names of other khlongs near Samrong, such as Thap Nang, Nam Daeng and Bang Chalong, also have their roots in the Khmer. Presently Today, Khlong Samrong is a long khlong, over 55 km (34 mi) long,