Lamphun is Thailand’s oldest continually inhabited town; it was founded in the 9th century as the capital of the very last Mon empire in the region—the Hariphunchai Kingdom, which now forms part of Northern Thailand.
The town is set on the banks of the River Kuang and is surrounded by lush countryside, and features a number of attractions, including several temples and a museum. Despite these attractions, it rarely sees foreign tourists, so makes a refreshing excursion when you feel like giving the crowds of tourists in Chiang Mai the slip.
Lamphun is home to one of the most important temples in the north, Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, which contains a hair of the Lord Buddha interred inside a chedi that was originally built in 897 AD, and is also said to house the ashes of Queen Chama Thevi, the first ruler of Lamphun. Today, citizens still make offerings at a monument to the queen, which is sited near the town’s major morning market.
Another place of interest in Lamphun is the Hariphunchai National Museum, which displays archaeological items found in the area, including prehistorical human skeletons, a collection of stones in Mon and Lanna scripts, and works of art from Dvaravati, Hariphunchai, Lanna and Rattanakosin eras.
Lamphun is a small, oval (or to be more precise, egg-shaped) city that is located on the west bank of the River Kuang, just 25km southeast of Chiang Mai. The town is surrounded by a narrow moat and a few (rebuilt) remnants of its city walls, though don’t expect to find some ancient community preserved in aspic within the old city. T
hough it’s often touted as Thailand’s oldest town, Lamphun has moved with the times and its architecture is mostly bland Chinese-style shophouses, especially along the main street. By nosing around the backstreets, however, you may come across a few stilted wooden houses, and when you enter the compound of Wat Haripunchai, you feel transported to another world.
With a population of only 15,000, Lamphun is small enough to walk around, and conveniently its principal attractions (Wat Hariphunchai and the National Museum) are situated right opposite each other on the center of the old city, so while most visitors come here with tour guides, it’s quite easy to find your way around for independent travelers. Buses to and from Chiang Mai stop right between these two attractions. The town’s other temple of consequence, Wat Chama Thevi, is about a kilometer west of the old town and directly opposite the town’s only decent hotel.
Where to Go
- Wat Phra That Hariphunchai: One of northern Thailand’s most significant temples.
- Hariphunchai National Museum: Exhibiting archaeological remains found in the area.
- Wat Chama Thevi: Features two of the only few remaining Dvaravati-era stupas in the country.
- Wat Mahawan: Notable for its enormous and scary nagas guarding the stairway to the assembly hall.
- Chama Thevi Monument: This statue of the town’s founder is visited by a constant stream of locals making offerings.
When to Go
Lamphun’s weather follows the pattern of the rest of North Thailand. This means that it enjoys a refreshing cool season of bright, clear and not-too-humid days from November to February, then the hot season from March to May is both humid and dusty, and finally, during the rain season from June to October, the hills are lush and green and there is usually a tropical downpour each afternoon.
Things to Do
Besides visiting Wat Hariphunchia, Wat Chama Thevi and the Chama Thevi monument in the south of town, it’s worth taking a spontaneous stroll around the backstreets and looking for some interaction with the locals, who are rarely too busy to give you the time of day. Because so few foreign tourists visit Lamphun, and most of those who do arrive and leave on a tour bus, by putting yourself out there, you’ll attract a lot of interest and be treated cordially.
If you happen to be in town in the morning, it’s worth checking out the busy market in the southwest corner of town, though bear in mind that this is also the time when the temples are at their most resplendent since the entrances invariably face east and the rising sun catches their facades with a photogenic gleam.
There are no other sites of great note in Lamphun Province, but if you want to explore further afield and visit a hilltop temple, head for Wat Phra Puttabhat Tak Pha, which lies just off Highway 106 south of Pasang.
Getting There
Lamphun railway station, which is located about a kilometer north of the old town, is served by trains passing between Chiang Mai and Bangkok. These days most travelers find trains too slow, but for a taste of the Thai railway system without wasting too much time, the ride from Chiang Mai, which takes just 25 minutes, is worth considering.
Buses from Chiang Mai leave from Chang Puak bus station and take around 45 minutes, dropping passengers off in the center of town. Also, songthaew or pick-up trucks run regularly from the Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road in front of the TAT office in Chiang Mai.
Getting Around
It’s easy enough to walk around the center of Lamphun, and in fact this is the best way to explore the old town center. However, to get to Wat Chama Thevi, the road is narrow and busy, so it’s best to hop on a motorbike taxi, which you can find in front of the National Museum.
An interesting alternative is to hire a motorbike or bicycle in Chiang Mai and use it to explore Lamphun’s backstreets and outlying areas. If you don’t feel confident enough to go it alone, you can sign up for a day’s cycling tour with Spice Roads.
Where to Stay
Since Lamphun lies just 25km southeast of Chiang Mai and the journey there takes less than an hour, few people consider staying overnight in town; most visitors make a day or half-day trip here from Chiang Mai and head back to base in the evening. While the town is well-worth a visit, there are not really enough attractions to keep visitors occupied for a second day here, so there’s no real reason to stay over.
Still, as you might imagine, if you decide to break the mould, you can be almost guaranteed that after dark you’ll be the only foreigner in town and a subject of great curiosity for locals. Another appealing aspect about an overnight stay in Lamphun is that there is really only one decent hotel option—the Lamphun Will—so you don’t have to spend too long weighing up your options.
Where to Eat
As so few tourists stay in Lamphun, there are no restaurants that cater exclusively for Westerners. Having said that, you are unlikely to go hungry while in town as there are street stalls selling tasty snacks such as grilled chicken and stuffed peppers, which can be found along the roadside just south of the main entrance to Wat Hariphunchai.
There are several basic rice and noodle shops lining Inthayongyot Road, which leads through the center of town, though none have English menus. For a good lunch or dinner, head for Lamphun Ice, just south of Wat Hariphunchai, or the N&N restaurant at Lamphun Will Hotel, right opposite Wat Chama Thevi.
Where to Party
People don’t visit Lamphun for the nightlife, which is just as well as there isn’t any to speak of. As a small town, Lamphun doesn’t have any discos or bowling alleys, and most of its restaurants have closed by 9pm, when the town becomes quiet apart from a few crooning karaoke singers in the backstreets. So if you decide to overnight there, be prepared for the novelty of sleeping early and being woken by the crowing of roosters at dawn.
Where to Shop
Lamphun only attracts a trickle of Western tourists, so there are no shops in town that cater specifically for Western tastes. However, the fame of Wat Hariphunchai means that domestic tourists arrive every day in tour buses, and a string of shops in front of the main entrance to the temple caters to them, offering a range of souvenirs such as shirts and bags made of local textiles. There are also stalls within the temple compound that sell clothes as well as amulets and temple bells.