Chiang Saen Attractions

Finds of prehistoric tools have confirmed the theory that the area was already inhabited in Paleolithic times. A settlement in its own right over two thousand years ago, Chiang Saen had its heyday in the 10th-13th c. and under the rule of King Saen Phu. In 1238 it was the birthplace of King Mengrai who established his capital in Chiang Rai in 1261 and in Chiang Mai in 1297. Numerous wars with the Burmese and the King of Ayutthaya left their mark, and from the mid 16th c. to the late 18th c. Chiang Saen was under Burmese rule. King Rama I, the first king of the Chakri dynasty, had it razed to the ground so that it would no longer provide a target for enemy attack, and the town only came to life again under King Rama V (Chulalongkorn).

The course of the 8-km (5-mi.) wall that once encircled the town can still be traced from the ruins and ditches buried under grass and trees. Parts of the wall have recently been restored leaving the rest as grassy mounds. The Chiang Saen of today covers only a small section of the area once within the walls. Numerous remnants of temples, some of them very old and not all as yet accurately dated, serve as reminders of the town's past importance.