The Evolution of Wet Markets in a Thai-Lao Border Town 73 necessarily promote the growth of wet markets. Moreover, many Lao people who The Evolution of Wet Markets in a Thai-Lao used to shop at wet markets are now buying goods from modern superstores, 1 while walking street markets, which were established to promote tourism, have Border Town attracted another segment of buyers. These factors challenge both wet market vendors and policy makers in their attempt to balance the country’s and local Ninlawadee Promphakpinga, Buapun Promphakpingb*, Kritsada Phatchaneyc economic growth. Patchanee Muangsrid and Woranuch Juntaboone Keywords: wet markets, border trade, Vietnam War, local economy abcdeResearch Group on Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (WeSD), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand Introduction *Corresponding Author. Email:
[email protected] Throughout the developing world, the exchange of goods between Received: February 10, 2020 Revised: March 6, 2020 people of different places existed long before the advent of capitalism Accepted: May 25, 2020 and the modern nation state. Trading between people on the two sides of the Mekong river was common. However, the establishment of nation states redefined the Mekong as the border separating the Thai Abstract and Lao nations. During the reign of King Rama V, the threat from Previous studies of wet markets have focused largely on hygiene and on the western colonial powers, especially the United Kingdom and France, diversification of services in response to the needs of customers. This article was the paramount concern of the Thai state. Several policies were examines the evolution of wet markets in a Thai-Lao border town within the broader social, political, and economic dynamics of the country.