Chiang Khan, a quiet town by the Mekong River, has recently become a popular tourist destination.
Rustic charm makes the town popular with Thais and it is touted to become the second Pai, a famous tourism site in Mae Hong Son province.
Apart from its natural surroundings and idyllic town, what draws people to the Chiang Khan is the town's friendly population, comprised mostly of children and retirees.
One of most popular activities that every tourist must partake in is giving alms to monks. Like Luang Prabang in Laos, local people usually put only sticky rice into the monk's alms bowl.
Tourism brings with it opportunity. Locals have begun to open their own businesses to accommodate tourists. Many turn their homes into guesthouses, while others sell cheap yet delicious food to tourists from vendor's carts.
Another charm of Chiang Khan are the rows of vintage shop houses that were built when Laos was still a colony of France. Chiang Khan was once a trade route between Thailand and Laos until Laos closed trade after the Communist Party gained power over three decades ago.
So far, 619 out of 2,317 vintage shop houses on Thanon Chai Khong Road and its adjacent alleys in center of the town are registered with the municipality's architectural campaign. The Municipality has already given two million baht (20,000 baht to each of 103 home owners) to renovate old shop houses. The municipality won the year 2010 architectural conservation award from Architect Council of Thailand.
These vintage shops are a valuable resource for tourism and business. Many investors from Bangkok rent these houses and convert them into shops, resorts and restaurants.
Nostalgia dominates the decoration and tone of shops, restaurants and guesthouses in Chiang Khan.
