Ban Sop Ruak (Thai: บ้านสบรวก) is a village in Wiang subdistrict (''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...

'') of Chiang Saen District (''

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...

'') in Chiang Rai Province, northern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The village is situated at the confluence of the

Ruak River The Ruak River ( th, แม่น้ำรวก, , ; nod, ) is a right hand tributary of the Mekong. The mouth of the Ruak river is at the Thai-Burma border opposite Laos, a spot known as the "Golden Triangle", a popular tourist destination. Cou ...

and the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

which forms the tripoint border of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. This location has enabled it to be marketed to tourists as the "heart" of the

Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia) The Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The name "Golden Triangle"—coined by the CIA—is commonly used more broadly to refer to an area of approxim ...

, as the area is popularly known as.

Location

The village clings along the west bank of the wide Mekong River and its smaller tributary, the Ruak River, with Laos and Myanmar lying across these rivers respectively. Behind the village are the forested hills of Chiang Saen.

Transportation

The village is located along the Road 1290 which runs along the west bank of the Mekong River between Chiang Saen Town and Ban Sop Ruak before moving inland but running parallel to the Ruak River towards

Mae Sai ''Mae Sai'' ( th, แม่สาย, ; Shan: , ), is the district town of Mae Sai District in the far north of Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar where the town of Tachileik, in Shan ...

. It is 10 km north of the town of Chiang Saen while Mae Sai is 40 km to the northwest. Chiang Rai Town, the capital of the province in which it is situated, is 60 km to the southwest. Buses link Ban Sop Ruak with Chiang Rai via Chiang Saen. The nearest airport to Ban Sop Ruak is Chiang Rai International Airport which is located about 5 km north of Chiang Rai Town. Ban Sop Ruak is the location of river border crossings into Laos and Myanmar. The crossing over the Mekong River to Laos is an international border crossing from the Chiang Saen Immigration Thailand-Laos Border Crossing Point located about 500 metres south of the Golden Triange Monument. The Laotian checkpoint is called the Sam Liam Kham (or Golden Triangle) International Checkpoint which is located in the

Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone ( Lao: ເຂດເສດຖະກິດພິເສດ ສາມຫຼ່ຽມທອງຄຳ, ) is located along the Mekong River in the Ton Pheung District of Bokeo Province in Laos. The zone has an ...

in Bokeo Province. The ferry runs from 6am to 8pm Thai Standard Time and is operated by Kings Romans, the developer of the zone. The crossing to Myanmar is from the Chiang Saen Immigration Thailand-Myanmar Border Crossing Point which is located about 50 metres west of the Golden Triangle Monument. Small wooden boats ferry passengers to the jetty across the Ruak River. The crossing is mostly used for visitors and workers of the Paradise Resort Golden Triangle and its Win and Win Club Casino. Boats also available to ferry passengers from Ban Sop Ruak to Chiang Saen Town, often done as part of boat tours of the Mekong River.

Landmarks

Golden Triangle Monuments

Ban Sop Ruak's claim to fame is its location near the "center" or "heart" of the Golden Triangle area which was previously infamous for being a major opium growing and drug supply area by virtue of being adjacent to the meeting point of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Several monuments have been constructed to mark this spot, including a border reference pillar, arches, photography lookout points and signboards. A huge golden statue of Buddha called the Phra Chiang Saen Si Phaendin sitting on a boat, together with other Buddhist symbols and animal statues have been constructed on the bank of the Mekong River at the mouth of the Ruak River. Jetties for boats for Mekong River tours are also located nearby, while cafes, restaurants, hotels line Ban Sop Ruak's main road.

Hall of Opium Museum and House of Opium

The Hall of Opium Museum is the larger of two museums dedicated to the drug that made area become labelled by the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

as the Golden Triangle. The huge museum, owned by a Thai Royal Family foundation, gives a historical account of poppy growing and opium as well as other drug production in an interesting display. The museum and its surrounding park lies about 1 km north of Ban Sop Ruak. A smaller private-owned House of Opium is located in the center of Ban Sop Ruak about 100 metres south of the Golden Triangle Monument.

Other temples

Besides Phra Chiang Saen Si Phaendin, other temples in Ban Sop Ruak are the Wat Sop Ruak and which is located on top of a hill with a lookout over the Mekong River-Ruak River confluence.

Gallery

File:Sop Ruak-02.jpg, Tripoint where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet, in the middle of the Mekong River File:Sop Ruak-01.jpg, Golden Triangle Monument File:Tanda kawasan Segitiga Emas Asia Tenggara.jpg, Golden Triangle signboard with the tripoint in the background File:Sop Ruak-08.jpg, Sop Ruak on the banks of the Mekong River File:Wiang, Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand - panoramio (13).jpg, The Golden Buddha or Phra Chiang Saen Si Phaendin File:Golden Triangle-Phra Chiang Saen Si Phaendin-02-gje.jpg, The Golden Buddha or Phra Chiang Saen Si Phaendin File:האגם של משולש הזהב המקשר בין שלושת המדינות- בורמה, לאוס ותאילנד.jpeg, Mekong River tour boats, with Laos in the background File:Sop Ruak-03.jpg, Thai river bank with the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos across the Mekong River File:Chiang Saen Checkpoint Laos Crossing 1.jpg, Thailand-Laos border crossing checkpoint File:Chiang Saen Checkpoint Laos Crossing 6.jpg, Thailand-Laos border crossing checkpoint jetty with Laos across the river File:Chiang Saen Immigration Myanmar Crossing 3.jpg, Thailand-Myanmar border crossing checkpoint located northwest of the Golden Triangle Monument File:Chiang Saen Immigration Myanmar Crossing 1.jpg, Thailand-Myanmar border crossing checkpoint File:Ruak River 2.jpg, Boats crossing the border from Thailand (left) to Myanmar (right) across the Ruak River

References

{{Coord, 20, 21, N, 100, 05, E, display=title, region:TH_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in Chiang Rai province Laos–Thailand border crossings Myanmar–Thailand border crossings