Only two decades ago, Chiang Rai was hidden deep in Thailand's northernmost mountains. Today, this sleepy and remote province which few people dared to tread is a different place altogether.
With an increasingly convenient access, Chian Rai has operators offering services to this great city with an ancient heritage.
Undoubtedly, Chian Rai owes its modernization to the massive reforestation efforts of Doi Tung Development Project, which was initiated ti return greenery and moisture to the barren mountains and raise the standard of living of the people in the area. Its future was further secured by the construction of Doi Tung Palace which the late Princess Mother graciously made her residence in Thailand.
The present Chian Rai is a proud city with a thriving present and a promising future beyond anyone's expectations.
Given its strategic location as a gateway to Indochina and China, it has become a terminal for tourists visiting southern China, Myanmar and Laos.
Present-day Chian Rai may have modern buildings of all kinds, but none can overshadow its long and ancient history. The province boasts several sites of a great empire dating back hundreds of years and different periods. The unique Chiang Saen Period, for example, underlines a long civilization that was founded centuries ago and enjoyed its peak between 1057 and 1257.
The Lanna Empire that provided the fundamentals of Thailand's northern life and culture, with Chiang Mai as its center, was actually founded in Chiang Rai by King Mengrai, the 25th ruler of the Lawachankaraj Dynasty of the Ngern Yang Empire. Ascending to the throne in 1259, King Mengrai succeeded in consolidating the territories around River Kok, and Chiang Rai was built three years later.
The Lanna Empire later allied itself with the Sukhothai Empire and the Phayao Empire in the east, and King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and King Ngarm Muang of Phayao joined King Mengrai in locating a site for his new capital.
The three rulers agreed on the founding of Chiang Mai at the foot of Oi Chang Mountain on the Pingkonthee River. The new capital was built in 1262 and was subsequently known as Doi Suthep, while Pingkonthee is the present – day Ping River.
With the completion of the new capital, the Lanna Empire was relocated from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, where 18 more rulers of the Mengrai Dynasty continued to reign.
The presence of King Mengrai, the founder of the Lanna Empire and Chiang Rai Province, still prevails today. Visitors and residents alike always make a stop at the city's exit to Mae Chan, Chiang Saen and Mae Sai districts to pay their respects to the statue that was built in his memory.
The remains of King Mengrai, however, are kept in a pagoda at Wat Ngum Muang on top of a mountain of the same name.
Chiang Rai is the sister-city of Chiang Mai. Of the many important temples located in this province. Wat Phra Keow is the most important. The much revered Emerald Buddha in the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok was first discovered in 1396 at Wat Phra Keow in Chiang Rai.
Chiang Rai offers tourists a wide range of tourist attractions, both in terms of historic and natural importance.
The Chiang Rai-Mae Sai route takes tourists on a nature trail to hot springs, Huay Hin Fon, Mae Chan, Tham Poum, Tham Phla, and Tha Chilek on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, with lynchee orchards and Nang Lae pineapple plantations along the way.
The Chiang Saen-Goldern Triangle route is interesting in many ways. In addition to the old town and a museum along the Mekong River, it offers an attraction that tourists interested in the infamous heroin production center will find irresistible. Today, this site on the rugged mountain range along the Mekong River boasts a rich assortment of lodgings and restaurants as well as five-star hotels.
Of Chiang Rai's one million or so population, hill tribes constitute a large part of the population. The Karens with more than 400,000 people make up the largest tribe. Other highlanders include the Hmong, Akha, Yao, Muser and Lisor. These tribes-people have their own unique lifestyles and traditions which tourists find interesting.
Phra Borom Dhat Doi Tung and the Doi Tung Palace are among the most significant places for the residents of Chiang Rai and visitors alike. The palace stands majestically on top of Doi Chang Moub, which is 1,509 meters above sea level.
A large group of inter connected buildings, the palace is a mixture of Swiss chalet and traditional Lanna architecture, built from leftover wood by the Forest Industrial Organization as a gift to the beloved Princess Mother. Woodcraft in the palace was the work of the tribes-people who were trained by the late Princess Mother's Mae Fah Luang Foundation, which also initiated the Doi Tung Development Project.
The palace has become a spiritual center for both the tribes-people and the residents of Chiang Rai. It promises an exciting future for the province enriched by its historic past.
