The Mon people settled in the Ban Pong area about four centuries ago. The Mon communities have maintained some of their traditions and have built their own Buddhist temples. Later the town attracted numerous Chinese immigrants. Also many Lao Wiang communities settled in the Nong Kop subdistrict of rural Ban Pong. During the Japanese-directed construction of the Burma Railway in World War II Ban Pong was the site of one of the Japanese POW camps, Nong Pladuk, where numerous British and Allied troops were held. Two great fires occurred in Ban Pong, razing the town centre: one in 1936 and the other in 1954. The town was rebuilt in the square-grid design then fashionable, with a fountain to the south and a clock tower to the north.
Economy
Ban Pong is a railway hub, where the western railway leading to Kanchanaburi splits from the southern railway leading to Singapore. Another branch connects with the town Suphanburi to the north. As a result of high investment and fast economic development in the past decades, the town stands as one with the highest GDP per capita in western Thailand, well above national average. It is also experiencing de-industrialisation of labour-intensive industries such as canning and sugar refining. There is a large abandoned canning factory in Ban Pong town. The town is now experiencing a boom in more highly skilled industries such as auto parts, petrochemical, and food industries, with more than 70 percent of Thai buses and coaches manufactured in Ban Pong. The biggest paper making complex in Thailand lies north of the town. As of June 2014, the National Statistics Bureau reported Ban Pong's annual GDP per capita at US$9,623 and its annual GDP per capita at US$24,000 compared with Thailand's US$5,675 and US$14,136 respectively. Ban Pong is also the centre of a large pet market especially ornamental fish. There are more than 20,000 fish culture farmers, which is also the largest in southeast Asia.
The district is divided into 15 sub-districts, which are further subdivided into 182 villages. Ban Pong itself is a town which encompasses tambon Ban Pong. Another town in the district is Tha Pha whose administrative area covers the entire subdistrict Tha Pha and parts of Pak Raet. There are a further four townships including: 1.Krachap covers parts of Nong O and Don Krabueang 2.Huai Krabok covers parts of Krap Yai 3.Krap Yai 4. Boek Phrai and 14 other tambon administrative organizations responsible for the non-municipal areas.
