tambon

A tambon is a subdistrict in Thailand, a territorial unit that forms part of an amphoe (district) within a province (changwat). The term tambon literally means “subdistrict,” and it sits between the district and the muban (villages) in Thailand’s three-tiered local administration system, which runs from province to district to subdistrict.

Tambons are governed by local government bodies: either a Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO) or a subdistrict municipality (thesaban tambon), depending on urbanization and population. These bodies are led by an elected administrator and a council. Each tambon is subdivided into muban, or villages, which are typically headed by a village headman (phu yai muban). The TAO or thesaban tambon is responsible for local services, infrastructure, land-use planning, and development coordination within the tambon.

The tambon system emerged as part of Thailand’s move toward local self-government in the late 20th century. The aim was to decentralize administrative authority and empower communities to manage local affairs, with elections held for the tambon administrator and council in areas served by TAOs or councils for thesaban tambon.

In Bangkok, the equivalent units are called khwaeng rather than tambon, reflecting the city’s consolidated administrative structure. Tambons remain a fundamental building block of rural and semi-urban governance in most of Thailand, linking village communities to district and provincial administration.