Chiang Saen District
Route 110, then 1016
About 60 kilometres from Chiang
Rai, Chiang Saen is a small town on the bank of the
Mekong River. The ruins of the earthen city walls and
temples that scattered throughout the town are existing
proofs of the Chiang Saen kingdom and thus are worth
visiting especially for those interested in history.
| Chiang
Saen National Museum |
| The museum, located
near the old city walls, is famous for its invaluable
Buddha images and artefacts of the Chiang Saen Kingdom
which flourished in the 11th and 12th centuries. |
Chiang Saen National
Museum
|
The head of the Lanna art
style reclining Buddha image found at Wat Phranon
exhibited beside Chiang Saen National Museum |
| Admission Fee : 30 baht |
| Open : 09.00-16.00 hrs., except Mondays,
Tuesdays and national holidays |
| Wat
Phra That Chedi Luang |
| Located next to
the museum, this ancient temple features the tallest
pagoda in Chiang Rai. The 88-metre high brick pagoda
is in the bell shape of the classic Lanna style.
|
The pagoda of
Wat Phra That Chedi Luang |
The main vihara (assembly
hall)
of Wat Phra That Chedi Luang |
| Wat
Pa Sak |
| Located outside the city walls,
this temple remains with ornamental stucco motifs
is regarded as one of the most beautiful examples
of Lanna architecture. |
| Wat
Phra That Chom Kitti |
| This temple ruin, situated on
a hilltop a few kilometers north of Wat Pa Sak,
has a pagoda containing a Buddha relic. While on
the hilltop, visitors can enjoy a good view of Chiang
Saen and the Mekong River. |
| Chiang
Saen Lake |
| It is located 5 kilometres south
of Chiang Saen along Highway 1016. This one square
kilometer lake is a temporary home for many kinds
of water birds during winter (November through February).
Accommodations are available. |
| Golden
Triangle (or Sop Ruak) |
| Located 9 km to the north of
Chiang Saen county is this world-famous place where
the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. |
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| You can stand at the very point
where the Ruak River from Myanmar flows into the
Mekong, to take a fine view of the rice fields and
the distant mountains. |
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To get a wider view of the banks
of Myanmar and Laos, you can climb up Doi Chiang
Miang on the riverside. But don't expect to see
any such things as poppy fields, heroin factories
or drug addicts or traffickers here. Just enjoy
the natural beauty and be proud that you have been
to a widely-known locality. There are boat services
for tourists to enjoy the scenery and to cruise
to Chiang Saen county.
Hotels and guesthouses are available and so are
restaurants, souvenirs stalls, trekking and boat
ride arrangements. |
| The
Hall of Opium, Golden Triangle Park |
Location: 10 km north of Chiang Saen Town (near
the Golden Triangle) in Chiang Rai Province
The entrance |
The
Hall of Opium was established in cooperation by
the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the Tourism Authority
of Thailand (TAT) with initial funding from the
Japanese Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund. |
The Ministry of Culture of the People's
Republic of China provided technical assistance for
the section on the Opium War.
The Exhibition
Visitors to the 5,600 sq.m. state-of-the-art exhibition
will journey through more than 5,000 years history of
the use and abuse of opiates. They will learn about
the origins of the opium poppy, the medical and ritual
use of opium in ancient civilisations, its spread throughout
the world, the Opium Wars and their impact on China,
the century of legal opium use in Thailand, the role
of opium and other narcotics in modern medicine, and
international efforts to control narcotics. Vivid and
thought provoking presentations of the effects of drug
abuse and case studies help visitors to understand the
severity of addiction and choices available to fight
the temptation of drugs.
The opium den, part of
the exhibition |
Shanghai, part of the exhibition |
Photos by courtesy of the Hall of
Opium
Opening Hours: 08.30-16.00 hrs. daily except
Monday.
Admission fee (per
person)
Thais: 200 baht
Foreigners: 300 baht
For more information, please contact
Hall of Opium Tel:+66 (0) 5378 4444 to 6
Fax: +66 (0) 5365 2133 |
