House of Opium
House of Opium is a museum located in Chiang Saen Ancient City in Chiang Rai. The museum tells a story about the history of opium production and the illegal drug trade in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. The Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia is the area where Thai, Lao, and Myanmar borders converge. It is one of the world’s two largest producers of opium, along with Afghanistan in the Golden Crescent. Local people in this area made money by selling this illegal drug and they got addicted to it as well.
The museum was founded by Patcharee Srimatyakul in 1990. Patcharee is a local person who had a passion for collecting opium paraphernalia and memorabilia. Realizing that it is not easy to find opium items, she turned her collection into a museum and open to the public.
There are a lot of beautiful antiques in the museum such as opium harvesting knives, scrapers, scales, weights, pipes, mats, and pillows, or old photographs related to opium production and consumption. Coming here, you will be able to learn more about how illegal drugs are made, used, and distributed, explore old murders and skirmishes in history.
Something to note that there are two museums located in the Golden Triangle area related to opium: House of Opium & Hall of Opium. The Hall of Opium is larger, up in the hills, while the House of Opium is located in town, along the Mekong River.
Address: 1290, Tambon Wiang, Amphoe Chiang Saen, Chang Wat Chiang Rai 57150, Thailand
Admissions: 50 THB per person
Payment: Cash Only
Opening hours: Daily from 7 am-6 pm
How to get to House of Opium
- Flight from Bangkok to Chiang Rai
- Take a bus from Bangkok to Chiang Saen line to Chiang Saen, then get a taxi to the museum in Sobruak village.
- Take a bus from Bangkok to Chiang Rai line to Chiang Rai. Then take the transfer to the Green Bus to Chiang Saen. Get a taxi to the museum in Sobruak village.
