Community History/Location

Baan Dong Yen is a village of the Lao Krang. The Lao Krang is an ethnic group with a long history in the country of Laos. In Luang Prabang, there was a group of people living in the mountains named Phu Kang.. During the reign of King Rama III, much of the population of Lao PDR was forced into Siam and spread through the central, western and northern regions. Then, during the reign of King Rama V, the Lao Krang had to be evacuated from Nakhon Pathom and eventually settled in the district of U-Thong today. Dong Yen village is one of the villages where many Lao people still live today. Most people do farming, and plant non-toxic vegetables by using organic farming concepts, derived from the philosophy of sufficiency economy of HM the King. From then on, the Special Development Area for Sustainable Tourism (DATT) realized the potential of the community, thus supporting and building the knowledge for the people in the community to become an organic tourism community. The establishment of Dong Yen Community Enterprise Group is a network of farming which does not use chemicals, but instead uses naturally fermented water. This means that fresh fruit and vegetables can grow through this method of self-reliant agriculture, allowing enough produce to be grown and consumed throughout the year.

Location: Dong Yen Agroforestry Enterprise Group, Baan Dong Yen, Thao U Thong Municipal District, U Thong District, Suphan Buri Province

Primary Occupation

• Agriculture

Secondary Occupation

• Trade
• General work for hire

Culture and Traditions

An example of one of the traditions in this community is their annual ‘Flag Procession’ during the Songkran Festival. Villagers make long bamboo poles into shafts used for planting flags inside. The poles have banknotes folded into flags attached – which is according to local beliefs. They compete to see whose village is more attractive and has more money. It is a shared tradition by many villages in the community, namely, Nong Ta Sam, Ban Khok, Tha Ma, Nong Sua, Dong Yen and Tha Phra-Uthong at Nong Ta Sam Temple.

Community Identity and Features

The community identity here is really defined by the greenery of the landscape, crop farming within the community, an array of vegetable gardens, orchards and forest trees.

Community Products

• Red jasmine rice
• Rice berry
• White tofu
• Organic vegetables