How US Military Presence Spurred Pattaya's Rise into Thailand's City of Pleasure The US military presence in Thailand has long been a driving force behind the country's economic growth.
Few places embody this phenomenon more than Pattaya, a coastal city in the Chon Buri province that has become synonymous with pleasure and indulgence.
Pattaya's transformation into a tourist haven is often attributed solely to the 1980s boom in sex tourism.