Located some twelve kilometers south of the provincial capital Lamphun, this rarely visited village is renowned for its cotton weaving and lovely, demure ladies.
By some accounts, the young women of Pasang are the prettiest in all of Thailand. The village has gained a reputation throughout the kingdom as ‘the town of beautiful girls’ thanks to their constant success in beauty contests. However, in this reviewer’s humble opinion, though Pasang has a high percentage of attractive females, which is typical for Thailand, it is no different to any other rural Thai town in this respect, so it is hardly worth a special trip just to cast your eyes on its beautiful maidens.
Apart from its famed females, Pasang is also noted for its hand loom cotton weaving industry. In the backstreets here you will find several factories and shops offering a variety of hand woven products, including sleeping and massage mats, folding and triangle pillows, scarves and shawls as well as Siamese sarongs, known as pha sin. Best buys are runners and table mats. However, it’s difficult to suggest a specific location to shop at as outlets are constantly changing.
Pasang can be accessed from Lamphun along Highway 106 on the way to Li and Thoen, two small provincial towns. It is also near Wat Phra Phuttabhat Tak Pha.
Where to Go
- Wat Phra Phuttabhat Tak Pha: Is a hilltop temple with great views just a few kilometers south of Pasang off H106.
Getting There
You can reach Pasang from Lamphun by driving 12km south on Highway 106. Buses depart from Mochit Bus Terminal in Bangkok to Lamphun every day, while daily trains leave Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Railway Station for Lamphun. The nearest international airport to Pasang is in Chiang Mai, which has links to Bangkok in 1 hour, 10 minutes
Need to Know
- Worth it? For those who want to experience a small northern community, yes.
- What to do: purchase hand woven cotton goods.
- Best time to go: during the dry season from November to February.
- How long? Half a day is sufficient to see Pasang.
- Trivia: Pasang’s young women are frequent prize-winners at beauty contests.