Most of the photos you’ve see of Thailand are probably the southern region, with pristine beaches. Chiang Mai, however, is in the northern district in the mountains and jungle. It’s near to the Burmese border and in the other direction, Laos. This area is still largely populated by Hill Tribes, similar to the culture of Native Americans in that the tribes have distinct cultures and languages. While part of the Siamese nation, its roots are different than the rest of Thailand because it still retains a lot of the Hill Tribe influences in food, crafts and culture.

History This district is traditionally called Lanna. For centuries, it was simply populated by Hill Tribe people. But in the seventh century, Lamphum, a little south of Chiang Mai, became the center of the Haripunjaya state for four centuries, until the eleventh century when it was invaded by King Mengrai of the Thais. He began construction of Chiang Mai in 1296 and included all the north into a dynasty that lasted until 1558, when the Burmese captured Chiang Mai. It was destroyed in a series of battles between the Thais and the Burmese, but was rebuilt in 1774 by King Kawila of Lampang, who was aligned with the Thais. In 1886, Upper Burma was annexed by the British, and so the Thai king Rama V strengthened their ties with the region in order to protect it and make sure it remained part of Siam. In 1921, the railway was built from Bangkok, a major engineering feat which cost thousands of lives to build, but opened up the northern region like never before. Today Chiang Mai is prosperous through agriculture and tourism, although 80 percent of the Lanna population lives as subsistence farmers in the rural areas.

Neighbors Burma, now called Myanmar, is currently embroiled in a civil war between its many tribes and the central government. There are many Burmese citizens who have crossed the border and are now living in Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai. Laos, one of the ten poorest countries in the world, is to the north of Thailand. Thailand also borders Cambodia, but that is to the southeast, far from the Lanna region.