Hall of Opium
A museum at the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet on the Mekong, telling the story of the opium poppy. Its galleries follow the drug from its origins through the trade that once made this corner of the map notorious.
- Where
- Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, Thailand
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 20.3645, 100.0735
Get the Hall of Opium stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Hall of Opium. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Chiang Rai volume with your photos and a note.
Near Hall of Opium
Tham Luang 22 km
A long limestone cave system beneath the Doi Nang Non range near Mae Sai, on the border with Myanmar. Its full name means great cave of the sleeping lady, after the outline of the mountain above, said to be a woman lying at rest.
Doi Tung 25 km
A mountain in the highlands of Chiang Rai's Mae Fa Luang district, its once bare slopes replanted under a royal development project. It holds the Princess Mother's villa, the Mae Fah Luang gardens and a hilltop wat with old twin chedis.
Baan Dam Museum 47 km
The artist Thawan Duchanee's private museum: a cluster of dark northern Thai houses and stranger buildings filled with horns, skins, bones and his own work. It is the brooding counterpart to Chiang Rai's White Temple.
Doi Mae Salong 52 km
A hill in the Daen Lao range, 6 km from the Burmese border, with the town of Santikhiri strung along its ridge. The town was settled by Chinese families who came over from Burma in 1961, and the slopes around it are planted with tea.
Wat Rong Suea Ten 55 km
A modern wat on the edge of Chiang Rai painted a deep sapphire blue, picked out in gold. Inside, a white Buddha sits against the blue walls, and the name means the house of the dancing tiger.
Wat Rong Khun 68 km
A dazzling white work of art in the form of a Buddhist temple, its walls set with mirror glass that glitters in the sun. The artist Chalermchai Kositpipat designed and built it himself and opened it in 1997, and he is still adding to it.
Phu Chi Fa 70 km
A mountain and forest park at the eastern end of the Phi Pan Nam range in Chiang Rai's Thoeng district. Its cliff top juts out over the valley towards Laos, and at dawn in the cool season the view below is often a sea of mist.
Doi Ang Khang 120 km
A 1,928 metre mountain in Fang district close to the Burmese border, home to the first royal agricultural research station, set up by King Bhumibol in 1969. Its cool slopes are planted with temperate fruit, flowers and vegetables.
More hidden gems in Chiang Rai
Questions
Where is Hall of Opium?
Hall of Opium is in Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, Thailand. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Tham Luang (22 km), Doi Tung (25 km), Baan Dam Museum (47 km).
How do I get the Hall of Opium stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Hall of Opium and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Chiang Rai volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Hall of Opium before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Chiang Rai volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.