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Xayaburi Province: Explore Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon, Imaginary Valley Towns
Project gen by hotsia
Explore Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon, Imaginary Valley Towns http://www.hotsia.com > Xayaburi Province > Explore Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon, Imaginary Valley Towns Other trips of mine in Xayaburi: Tai Lao Xayaburi - very delicious local food of the Chaya people Travel from Chaya to Luang Prabang Stay at Nok Noi Guesthouse with a homely kitchen Support thrilling AEC travel Phou Du border crossing to Laos Paklai Southern Bus Station Local food of Paklai Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon
Stay at Nok Noi Guesthouse, International Border Checkpoint Huay Kon - Namngen, Ban Tha Suang Homestay, Ban Pak Ngum Homestay Enjoy thrilling travel in Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon, Xayaburi Province, Laos has 18 provinces (including the newest, Xay Somboon Province). Mr.Hotsia has traveled to all provinces and many cities. I have passed through Xay Somboon but never visited the city itself. There is one zone I have never been to because it is very difficult to reach, requiring a Mekong River boat trip or entering via Nan and then a two-hour drive.
Those two towns are Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon, located in Xayaburi Province. Their position aligns with Phayao and upper Nan provinces. When I first started the website, I stayed with locals at Ban Huak, Chiang Kham District, Phayao Province. There is a local border checkpoint allowing only locals to cross. There is a border market where Laotians come to buy goods on the Thai side. At that time, I was curious and wanted to enter but could not.
So I kept my desire until finally one of my most dreamed trips happened. I started my thrilling journey on October 2, 2014, and returned on October 5, 2014. For this trip, I used an LG G3 mobile phone for the journey and my trusty Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V camera throughout. If you followed my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/mrhotsia, you would have seen much clearer images because the videos are 4K quality with a resolution of 3,840x2,160.
This means throughout the trip you will watch the clearest videos worldwide on YouTube, which excites me greatly. The camera's resolution is 4,160x3,120, but after resizing for the website, the clarity remains nearly unchanged. Let's start the journey together. During this trip, I was interrogated by Laotian police for one hour in Muang Chianghon!!! My journey began at the Chiang Khong Mekong River Bridge checkpoint.
Then I took a slow boat from Huay Sai, Bokeo Province, to Ban Pak Khop (where the Khop River flows into the Mekong). The boat fare was 300 baht per person. The boat departed at 11:00 AM. I arrived at Pak Khop around 3:00 PM. From Muang Khop, there are buses to Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon, but the schedule is uncertain; when full, they depart. I arrived in the afternoon with no buses available, so I hired a private car. They asked for 1,500 baht; I negotiated to 600 baht. Since there were two of us, it was 300 baht each. We arrived in Muang Khop around 5:00 PM. Map for traveling to Muang Khop.
Muang Khop is a small valley town with accommodations at 400 baht per night, mostly fan rooms, very few air-conditioned rooms. There are three hotels here. The town is much smaller than I expected. In the evening, I went out to eat and take photos around Muang Khop. On the first day, I was tired from the journey and just slept. The small town is quiet at night. On the morning of October 3, 2014, I woke early to visit the small, charming Muang Khop morning market. Few people and vendors but very charming. Muang Khop is only 16 kilometers from Ban Huak checkpoint in Phayao.
In the morning, fog covered Muang Khop. I tried local food at the morning market. Then I traveled to Muang Chianghon, paying 200 baht per person for a two-hour trip. Chianghon is 50 kilometers from Muang Ngeun (Huay Kon-Nan checkpoint), near Phayao and Nan. This town is very remote with no ATMs. There are 5-7 accommodations. I stayed two nights in an air-conditioned room at Benmat Hotel for 400 baht per night. There are no ATMs in Muang Chianghon.
My first mistake was not bringing enough cash, so I had to contact Laotian locals to transfer money to my Thai bank account, and they gave me kip. So, when visiting this town, prepare enough cash. Tourists arriving in Muang Chianghon must report to the police and the tourism office; otherwise, there may be issues. This is for tourist safety. You must report upon arrival.
This is what you need to know before coming to Muang Chianghon. I was invited to the office and talked for about an hour, showing photos I took and explaining why. I honestly said I was traveling. They told me to report to the tourism office as well. Since I planned to leave the next day and not go anywhere else, I did not report, just said I would walk around the town. Morning fog in Muang Chianghon is very beautiful. The town is spread out widely.
There are Laotian and Vietnamese people living together, mostly Vietnamese (Lao people). The locals are friendly and welcome tourists. The morning market is smaller than the evening market and seems less crowded. On my last day in Chianghon, I did not travel anywhere but walked to eat and get a haircut. I also recorded 4K clips of Chianghon's lifestyle, twice as clear as Full HD. Actually, from Chianghon, you can take a 1-2 hour drive toward Muang Ngeun and exit via Huay Kon checkpoint.
But I chose to return the same way because I had already been to Muang Ngeun. For the return trip, I took a car from Chianghon to Pak Khop, costing 30,000 kip or 120 baht per person. This route differs from the way in and takes about 1.5 hours to reach Ban Pak Khop. From Pak Khop, there is a speedboat service to Huay Sai for 90,000 kip per person. If fewer than eight passengers, the price increases. The speedboat from Ban Pak Khop to Huay Sai takes about 1.5 hours.
The boat stops to drop off passengers at various villages such as Hat Sa, Pak Tha, and finally at the Huay Sai speedboat pier. From there, take a car for 80 baht per person to the 4th Mekong River Bridge checkpoint. Passports must cross via the bridge only. The last shuttle bus on the Chiang Khong bridge departs at 7:30 PM. Private vehicles can cross until 10:00 PM, mostly Chinese cargo trucks. This trip impressed me with the small towns of Muang Khop and Muang Chianghon because few people get to visit.
Photos and videos of these places are almost nonexistent on the internet. If you want to follow Mr.Hotsia's itinerary, don't forget to bring enough cash because there are no ATMs. Upon arrival in Muang Chianghon, always report to the police office next to the bus station for a safe and enjoyable trip. Lastly, I was most impressed to have my first 4K video on YouTube. Mr.Hotsia Thrilling Travel October 6, 2014. Testing LG G3 hand and voice commands. Preparing to take a slow boat to Pak Khop, arriving at Ban Pak Khop.
