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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Chiang Khong
เชียงของ
Stop one night if the riverfront, markets and temples are the point; if you only want the Laos crossing, sleep in Huay Xai instead.
Chiang Khong is a Mekong border town in Chiang Rai Province, about 2 h by road from Chiang Rai and the Thai side of the crossing to Huay Xai in Laos. Most travellers pass through on the way to the slow boat to Luang Prabang. The old riverside ferry to Laos is closed to foreigners; crossings now use the Fourth Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge about 10 km south of town. Stay one night, see the riverfront and the markets, then move on.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- เชียงของ
- Best months
- Oct–Jan
- Avoid
- Mar–Apr (smoke and heat), Jun–Sep (rain)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,500 excl. bed · High ฿2,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance and rescue 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or fruit shake | ฿40–80 |
| Noodle soup or rice plate | ฿50–120 |
| Mekong fish dish at a riverside restaurant | ฿150–350 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven | ฿80–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Bicycle / motorbike rental, one day | ฿50–100 / ฿250–350 |
| Guesthouse to border, tuk-tuk | ฿150–200 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CEI · Chiang Rai International
- About 2 h by road; no airport in Chiang Khong.
Typical fares
- Tuk-tuk to the Friendship Bridge
- ฿150–200 (check)
- Shuttle bus across the bridge
- ฿20–25 each way (check)
- Slow boat Chiang Khong → Luang Prabang
- about ฿1,180 bought in town, about ฿950 after Lao immigration (check)
Get around
The riverfront and market area are walkable. Tuk-tuks cover the bus stations and the border; agree the fare first. Bicycles and motorbikes can be rented in town for the villages along the Mekong.
See and do
Known for
- Mekong riverfront and Laos border crossing
- Slow boat to Luang Prabang
- Mekong giant catfish and the fishery station
- Riverside temples and the Friday market
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chiang Saen | Local bus or songthaew south along the Mekong | About 1–1.5 h (check) |
| Golden Triangle | Motorbike or a hired car via Chiang Saen, about 55 kmMotorbike or a hired car via Chiang Saen, about 34 mi | About 1 h each way (check) |
| Huay Xai, Laos | Tuk-tuk to the Friendship Bridge, shuttle bus, then a shared tuk-tuk | About 1.5–2 h with border formalities |
| Mae Sai | Bus or car north via Chiang Rai | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Riverside, along the Mekong
- Guesthouses with river views, walkable to the market and the old bus station; best for one night before Laos.
- Main road near the traffic lights
- Central fresh market, ATMs, 7-Eleven and most buses; practical if you arrive late.
- Near the Friendship Bridge
- New bus station and immigration, about 10 km south; only useful for a very early crossing.New bus station and immigration, about 6.2 mi south; only useful for a very early crossing.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Where is the border? | ด่านอยู่ที่ไหนdan yu thi nai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Toilet | ห้องน้ำhong nam |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- The old ferry to Huay Xai is closed to foreigners; cross by shuttle bus over the Friendship Bridge.
- Border and shuttle-bus hours change: confirm the current timetable on the day before you travel.
- You cannot walk or cycle across the bridge; only vehicles and the shuttle bus.
- Guides may push you to swap a booked slow boat for a bus at the same price; the bus is cheaper.
- Feral dogs roam at night: avoid unlit lanes and carry a light.
- Withdraw baht here before Laos: Lao ATMs cap withdrawals and rates are worse.
A quiet border town and generally safe by day; the real risks are the border timetable, unlit lanes with dogs at night, and slow-boat ticket swaps.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Chiang Khong yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mekong riverfront and Laos border crossing
- Slow boat to Luang Prabang
- Mekong giant catfish and the fishery station
- Riverside temples and the Friday market
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand — Chiang Rai: www.tourismthailand.org/Chiang-Rai
- OpenStreetMap — Chiang Khong: www.openstreetmap.org/relation/1908794
- Wikivoyage: Chiang Khong, revision 5242216 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5242216
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Chiang Khongเชียงของ
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Chiang Khong; most are in Bangkok, with consulates in Chiang Mai.
Border hours and shuttle times change: confirm on the day.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/chiang-khong). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.