Discover Chiang Mai - the Northern Rose of Thailand

When to travel to Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai also has peak and low tourist seasons. The peak season starts from November to April of the following year, during which time there is the famous Loy Krathong festival and the weather is cool, even chilly in January and February, so many tourists visit. The low season is usually from May to October due to the rainy season.

Vinh went in June - the beginning of the rainy season, when in Chiang Mai it also rained for two days. The weather during the day was very sunny and hot, the temperature was about 34-35 degrees Celsius, from 7am to 5pm, the air was stuffy. However, Chiang Mai has a lot of trees and the Old City is surrounded by a moat, which somewhat limits this stuffiness.

Move

From Saigon you can fly directly to Chiang Mai in just 2-3 hours, via Vietjet Air, however there are not flights every day. The flight time is also very reasonable for tourists. The ticket price depends on the time, when Vinh booked it was about 3.4 million for a round trip ticket.

On the plane, the flight attendant will give everyone a form to fill out for Thai immigration information. If you don't understand anything, just ask the flight attendant and they will give you detailed instructions.

After landing, I followed the airport's signs to the immigration area, lined up one by one, each person holding their passport and the information form they had filled out earlier on the plane. Those who had not filled in on the plane could stand here and fill in. There was a Thai staff member who would check first and assist the tourists.

The immigration procedure is very simple, you will have your fingerprints scanned on four fingers: four left fingers, four right fingers and finally two index fingers, it takes about 1-3 minutes for this. Once done, take your passport to the baggage claim area - before reaching the gate you will have to put your luggage through the security scanner again.

How to use Thailand tourist sim?

4G sim is very convenient for searching information, using Google Map (a lot), keeping in touch with family, friends and even booking Grab. There are many Thai carriers that provide this service, and Vinh bought it in Vietnam with a 4G sim from True Move, which can be used within 7 days from the date of activation, has 3GB of high-speed 4G and 100 baht for calling in Thailand.

The SIM card Vinh used was activated in advance. After arriving in Chiang Mai, just insert the SIM card into the phone and turn on Mobile Data mode to use it.

In addition, right at the baggage claim area at the airport there is a True Move SIM counter, you can buy a SIM here and the staff will activate it for you. You can also ask them for support, the staff here are all very friendly.

Airport taxi to city center

The center of Chiang Mai is understood to be the area located entirely within the Old City, there will be many people holding taxi signs to invite you to get in the car. Vinh ignored this place and went straight out the gate, luckily a taxi driver had just dropped off a passenger, our group got in the car and agreed on a price of 150 baht from the airport to the hotel, the distance was only about 4-5 km. This seemed to be the common price so I did not bargain, the day Vinh returned, he also took a taxi with this price in the opposite direction to the airport.

Besides taxis, there are Song Thaew (Vinh reads as Song Theo), tuk tuk and bus from the airport to the city center, but Vinh has not tried it so he is not sure about the cost.

Book a hotel in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has countless lovely hotels, hostels, resorts, homestays... for you to choose from. The most crowded area is still around the Old City, this area is convenient for exploring, eating, and nightlife but will also be more crowded and noisy. Vinh chose another place to stay about 10 minutes walk from the old city - a very beautiful and peaceful Boutiuqe Hotel on Wualai Road, a quieter place with fewer tourists.

The hotel name is Wualai Sabaidee, I booked on Booking, the standard is about 3 stars but will definitely surprise you because it is so beautiful, clean, with old-fashioned rooms, the two hotel owners and staff are extremely professional.

Don’t hesitate to ask for more information from the hosts, they will bring you a lot of surprises that you can’t find even if you search Google. Here, the room rate does not include breakfast, only a few pastries for snacks and coffee, orange juice in the morning.

Should I rent a motorbike to drive myself?

As Vinh mentioned above, public transportation in Chiang Mai is enough to take you anywhere in and out of the city, including: taxis, Song Thaew, tuk tuk, travel company cars... However, with the nature of loving to explore and experience new things, Vinh chose motorbike as the main means of transportation during his days here.

The good thing is that next to the hotel there is a car rental place, 200 baht/day for a small car, usually a scooter, 250 baht/day for a larger car. Vinh rented a small car for two days for 400 baht, the procedure is very simple, just fill in your personal information and passport in the car rental contract, the rental company will keep your passport and when you return the car you will receive your passport back. The gas level when you receive the car is the same level when you return the car, the staff will temporarily fill up enough gas for you to get to the nearest gas station, rest assured there are many gas stations around the Old City area, the price is the same as in Vietnam. Vinh only filled up once for 80 baht, enough to run comfortably for two days.

It should be noted that road traffic in Chiang Mai and Thailand in general is the opposite of Vietnam, vehicles drive on the left. You should also wear a helmet, in addition to your own safety, the helmet also helps you avoid being noticed by the traffic police.

Sightseeing in Chiang Mai

If you search this on Google, there will be a mountain of information for you to choose from. Vinh only shares the places he has visited.

First are the ancient temples, there are many temples in Chiang Mai, both in the center and the suburbs. The temple Vinh visited was Wat Chendi Luang, Wat Umong, Wat Chiang Man and some temples I can't remember the names of. This time I was lucky because it coincided with a big festival held at Wat Chendi Luang called Inthakin City Pillar.

Next is Baan Kang Wat village, a very beautiful place with many stores displaying and instructing how to make Thai handicrafts, about 10 km from the center and also easy to go. Nearby is Cafe No. 39 with a stilt house and a beautiful lake, many tourists stop here to take pictures. On the way to Baan Kang Wat, there are many cafes with different styles for you to choose from, usually open around 10-11am.

For shopping, there is Maya Shopping Center, next to the bustling One Nimam area that attracts a lot of tourists, especially young people because here they sell all kinds of goods, food, entertainment and many other virtual living corners. In the evening, you should visit the Night Bazzar night market, which is like a maze because of its large size with hundreds of stalls of all kinds. If you want to go to a local market, Warorot Market is the top choice, also close to Night Bazzar.

The best thing is still walking around the Old City area, there are cafes and restaurants every few meters, you can go to any restaurant you like, the center will be Tha Pae Gate, the ancient citadel gate that attracts many tourists from morning until midnight. Walking along the two banks of the canal surrounding the ancient citadel is also very interesting.

Street food in Chiang Mai

Thai people are quite fond of fried dishes and few green vegetables, that was Vinh's first impression when he started his journey to explore Thai street food. The Pad Thai eaten at a roadside restaurant was quite delicious and unique. On the evening of the first day, Vinh got lost in the night market near Wat Chendi Luang, where there were tons of food from grilled sausages, steamed octopus with green chili salt, deep-fried octopus, famous Thai milk tea, spicy tomyum with seafood, waffles with creamy ice cream, gourd-shaped cakes with meat inside, fried fish with lemon leaves, crispy fried insects that looked a bit... disgusting but were rich and fatty, or khao soi...

Ignore the fancy-looking restaurants and the ones with fancy signs. Vinh has tried a few and generally found them not delicious and expensive. As for the unattractive restaurants that are crowded with diners (especially locals), try them right away. The essence of street food lies in these restaurants and on those carts and street vendors. On the last morning, Vinh ate a bowl of noodles with a wonderful broth, with a soft-boiled egg cut into fan blades, beef balls, liver, and plenty of meat. After eating, he felt life was completely fulfilled.

Hopefully, some information about Vinh’s personal experience when coming to Chiang Mai will help you have more diverse choices when choosing Chiang Mai as your next destination. Vinh himself will definitely return to this place in the near future. The combination of Hoi An and Da Lat is so lovely.

Nguyen Hai Vinh