After the trips to Myanmar, Cambodia and Central and Southern Thailand last year, this is the journey that helps me fully feel Thailand. At the same time, I complete my research on the lower Mekong River before continuing my journey to explore the upper Mekong River with Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan...
Quiet Cities
The first place I set foot in was Chiang Khong, a small, quiet town on the border with Laos. Chiang Khong is like a transit station for tourists traveling from Laos to Northern Thailand. Chiang Khong is quiet and peaceful, making me feel that the bustling flow of international tourists cannot affect the daily life of the people here. Leaving Chiang Khong to go to Chiang Rai by local bus made me feel that very clearly. They welcomed and treated me like family, like other Thai people.
Chiang Rai is larger, more bustling, and is the second largest city in Northern Thailand - just after Chiang Mai. In Chiang Rai, everything is very harmonious and just right. For me, Chiang Rai is like a delicious meal. Just enough to leave a little craving so that you can still want to eat forever without worrying about getting tired. If you are someone who loves to explore nature and love road trips, you will definitely love Chiang Rai. From here, there are many choices of routes to the majestic, cloud-covered mountain peaks of Northern Thailand. I chose for myself the route to the top of Phu Chi Fa, a mountain peak marking the border between Thailand and Laos. The interesting thing is that the natural structure makes Phu Chi Fa peak look like a ship's bow floating in the sea of clouds. Every day, hundreds of tourists overcome the night with the howling winds and early morning mist to come here to watch the first rays of dawn, an extremely spectacular sight.
When talking about Northern Thailand, we must definitely mention Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand and the heart of this region. Chiang Mai has long been famous for tourism from all over the world. To me, Chiang Mai is like a sumptuous meal that can satisfy a variety of diners. From tourists who like to learn about history and culture, or tourists who love shopping, collecting handicrafts, tourists who want to leisurely stroll around the streets, admire the roads, small street corners, cute cafes... to tourists who just want to have a quiet moment of their own for the moments of sunrise and sunset, Chiang Mai can fully satisfy them.
There's a Pai for Dreamers
But for a person with a personality like me, perhaps the town of Pai in Mae Hong Son province, the westernmost part of Thailand, is the most suitable place for this Northern Thailand journey, and Pai has truly left me with a surge of emotions. Pai is about 136 km from Chiang Mai, not too far, but to get to Pai you will have to overcome 762 hairpin bends. For those who get carsick and choose a mini bus to travel, it may feel like "just dying and coming back to life" after this journey. However, after being "revived", you are living in a place like paradise. And for those who love motorbike touring, perhaps this route will be in the top of your most beautiful routes. In Pai, you will feel all 4 seasons in one day. Early morning Pai is terribly cold, the cold makes people just want to curl up next to a 37 degree pillow. Then when the first rays of sunlight appear, Pai is fresh and full of life for all activities of the day. Pai is full of emotions for a dreamer to admire the beauty of Mother Nature, but Pai also gently pulls the dreamer back to the peaceful life of the people in the mountain town. If Chiang Mai is famous for being a place to stay and work for the Nomadism life community, then perhaps Pai is the most suitable place for writers, poets, and artists to find a private place to create.
If you come to this Northern Thailand to look for majestic natural scenery, scenery that makes you exclaim “wow” because it is so beautiful, you probably will not be satisfied. The entire Northern Thailand has rolling hills, sharp bends, winding mountain passes… but there is no place that can be called a “natural masterpiece”. So what is so attractive about this Northern Thailand that makes the Thai tourism industry develop so much? What is it about this scenery that makes most people who have been here exclaim “I will come back”? I asked myself and then searched for my own explanation.
Geographically, Northern Thailand is located in the Golden Triangle area, bordering Myanmar and Laos. This is the intersection of culture, history and people between the three countries and is on the route that backpackers often choose to go through on their journey to explore Southeast Asia or learn about the Mekong River. Northern Thailand has a fresh, cool climate of the highlands, completely different from Central and Southern Thailand with its characteristic hot, humid tropical climate and coastal climate. That fresh and pleasant climate is a huge plus for every tourist visiting here to open all their senses to feel a new land. I still remember how I lost my emotions in Vang Vieng - Laos just because of the terrible dust from the Buggy vehicles. I also cannot forget the two days in Mandalay - Myanmar when I could hardly eat anything because it was too hot. That's how the temperature, climate and environment directly affect people's emotions!
I call Bac Thai "home"!
Perhaps the entire Northern Thailand region does not possess the majestic and spectacular beauty of Northwest Vietnam, but this place brings visitors a sense of peace and serenity. The Thai government has invested very well in developing infrastructure and transportation throughout the region. Without the dust or traffic jams like Bangkok or Phuket, Northern Thailand possesses immense, winding mountain passes that are invested and built synchronously. I still remember that on this journey to explore Northern Thailand, many times we were the only ones moving on the long road. It made me feel like the entire landscape, the entire natural world was mine alone. Even taking an overnight motorbike trip like we did to reach the top of Phu Chi Fa was extremely exciting. There was absolutely no fear of the rugged terrain, it helped us to fully immerse ourselves in nature without being bothered by anything else.
In terms of culture and history, Chiang Mai in particular and the whole Northern Thailand in general is a cultural intersection and has cultural similarities with Laos and Myanmar due to historical changes from many centuries ago. This place does not possess historical architectural works, majestic religious and cultural works like neighboring Myanmar, even the remaining wall in Chiang Mai is mostly just ruins. But the temples and architectural works here bring a friendly closeness to visitors, without creating any oppression.
A typical example is Doi Suthep, a sacred and famous temple in Thailand, which also has a long history and architecture similar to most temples in Myanmar, but Doi Suthep is located on a hill blending into nature, friendly to pilgrims. Coming to Doi Suthep, pilgrims feel like they are coming "home". The day I came to Doi Suthep, a group of Korean Buddhists made a pilgrimage here. They lined up around the temple to pray, making all visitors and pilgrims feel very peaceful and serene. Language barriers or religious differences did not destroy that feeling of peace.
Northern Thai cuisine also has great similarities with Myanmar and Laos. For example, Khao Soi - a famous noodle dish that always tops the list of culinary recommendations here - can actually be easily found in Laos and Myanmar. However, perhaps Khao Soi is most famous in Thailand because the Thai people have known how to harmonize and improve to elevate Khao Soi to a higher level and easily please international diners. The cuisine of this region is not only Khao Soi, it also includes Khanum Chin Naam Ngiaw, Khao soi naam naa, Laap muu khua..., and famous Thai dishes such as pad Thai, coconut ice cream, mango sticky rice, durian sticky rice... All of which can attract tourists to stay here for a long time without missing their homeland too much.
But perhaps the most convincing thing that made me love this land is the people. It is the friendly welcome and behavior of the people here that makes me feel like family. I did not find any hustle and bustle. I also did not find any stressful faces, only smiles, cuteness and warmth. Their peaceful positive energy, the Northern Thai people I met on this journey helped me blend into this land in the most natural way and enjoy the peace from them. Not only that, they also helped me have a more objective, complete and perfect view of Thailand.
Is the gentleness and friendliness of the people here due to the cultural similarities between Laos and Myanmar? Are Buddhist countries famous for their peaceful souls? I don’t know and I don’t think I need to clarify this question. I just need to know that my feelings are real, my affection for this land of Northern Thailand is real. I miss it so much and I will definitely come back to visit “home”.
MORE INFORMATION
- Visa: Vietnamese tourists to Thailand are exempt from visa, only need a passport valid for more than 6 months.
- Itinerary: Travel by road from Laos to Northern Thailand, travel between cities by green bus and return to Ho Chi Minh City by air from Chiang Mai International Airport.
- Accommodation: There are all types of accommodation from cheap motels to luxury hotels for tourists to choose from.
- Cuisine: Visit Chiang Rai night market on weekends to enjoy a variety of local cuisine. When coming to Chiang Mai, you must try the famous Khao Soi. Khao Soi Maesai is a restaurant that many gourmets visit to enjoy Northern Thai cuisine every time they come to Chiang Mai.
- Transportation: Green bus and local bus are popular means of transportation between cities. To explore the places in the city and town, you can go by motorbike.
- Currency: Thailand uses baht, 1 baht is about 730 dong
- Clothing: Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have a very cool and pleasant climate, allowing you to freely mix and match your clothes. However, the Pai mountains are quite cold in the early mornings and evenings. You need to prepare suitable warm clothes. When visiting temples, you need to dress politely and discreetly, wear shirts with sleeves, pants or skirts above the knees.
- Trip cost: Total trip cost is 7 million VND for 7 days, including airfare and excluding shopping gifts.
- Time: You should come to Northern Thailand in spring to enjoy the fresh and pleasant air. In addition, the Song Kran water festival and the Loy Krathong sky lantern festival are also worth visiting.
- Other notes:
+ You should experience the local bus because it is very cheap and easy to integrate into the daily life of the locals.
+ The roads in Northern Thailand are very good. If you are healthy and have an international driving license, rent a motorbike to experience some of the mountainous roads here.
+ The journey from Chiang Mai to Pai has many curves. You should prepare motion sickness medication in advance and avoid eating or drinking before and during the journey.
