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Chiang Rai Province

Thailand

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Wat Phra Kaew in Chiang Rai.

©Aoddiinow/Shutterstock

Overview

Chiang Rai Province (จังหวัดเชียงราย), Thailand’s northernmost province, is a geographical mishmash. The mountains in the far east are among the most dramatic in the country, the lowland Mekong River floodplains to the northeast are not unlike those one would find much further south in Isan, while the province shares borders with Myanmar and Laos. Those nearby frontiers help ensure that Chiang Rai is one of the most ethnically diverse provinces in Thailand, home to a significant minority of hill peoples, Shan and other Tai groups, as well as immigrants from China.

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