North : Lamphun

Lamphun Province

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lamphun (Thai ลำพูน) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chiang Mai, Lampang and Tak.

Geography

Lamphun is located in the river valley of the Ping River, surrounded by mountain chains.

General Information
Legend handed down for more than 1,400 years refer to this ancient town as Hariphunchai. Its first ruler was Queen Chamthewi who was of Mon extraction. In late 12th century, King Mengrai overran the town and subsequently integrated it into the Lanna Kingdom.

Today, Lamphun still retain its enchanting ambience of a small but old community. It is some 670 kilometres from Bangkok and only 26 kilometres from Chiang Mai. Located on the bank of the Kuang River, its attractions include ancient sites and relics as well as forests and mountains and delightful lakes. Lamphun is the most famous producer of longans.

How to get there
Car
From Bangkok, take Highway No. 1 to Nakhon Sawan via Sing Buri and Chai Nat, then turn into Highway No. 11 and proceed to Lamphun, a total distance of 670 kilometres.

Bus
Both air-conditioned and non air-conditioned buses departs from Bangkok’s Mochit 2 Bus Terminal to Lamphun daily. Travelling time is about 9 hours. Call 0 2936 0852-66 or visit www.transport.co.th for more information. Indra Tour which is a private bus company also operate air-conditioned bus to Lamphun. Call 0 2208 0840 for information.

Rail
Trains leave Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Raialway Station every day. Call 1690 for more information.

Air
Visitors can fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and then connect a Chiang Mai-Lamphun bus which leave Chang Phueak Bus Station every 15 minutes. Travelling time from Chiang Mai to Lamphun is 45 minutes.

Festivals
Longan Fair
Another event is the Longan Fair in August which is designed to promote this hugely popular produce. There are the beautifully decorated Longan Parade and Longan contests.

Song Nam Phra That Hariphunchai
The most well-known event in Lamphun is the Song Nam Phra