Today, 45 years ago, a man stepped onto the moon and Thailand lived under military rule.
Two months after Neil Armstrong returned from his “small step” onto the lunar surface and emerged from quarantine (moon mites?!), he came to Bangkok along with the crew of Apollo 11.
In this Film Archive Thailand video, Armstrong and astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (and their wives) are received by military dictator Thanom Kittikachorn (and his wife) on Oct. 28, 1969 at the Government House.
Bangkok was one of 24 stops on the moon landing victory-lap. Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan, were the only other stops in Asia.
Given the bloody intensification of its war in Vietnam that year following the Tet Offensive, the United States likely included Bangkok as a gesture toward its best ally in the region.
In the video, Thanom welcomed the astronauts with gifts while his wife, Jongkol Kittikachorn, handed swag to their wives. Public protests would force Thanom to step down four years later.
Armstrong and the gang also stopped in Surin, where he met with Peace Corps volunteers. Here’s some images of unknown historical provenance, by way of corps alumni group Friends of Thailand.
Reader Interactions