Chiang Rai is both the name of the northernmost province in Thailand as well as the name of its biggest city. The province is famous as a tourist destination for both Thais and foreign visitors because of the Golden Triangle, the hill tribes, the cool weather and the natural beauty. Although the Golden Triangle is no longer the drug producing area it once was, thousands of visitors still endure the long ride to catch a glimpse of the Mae Kong River, Laos and Myanmar and to try their hand at gambling in casino or to visit the Opium Museum.

Numerous hill tribes live in Chiang Rai including the Akha, Karen, Hmong, Mien, Lahu and Lisu. Two local NGOs that have information about the hilltribes are The Mirror Art Group, http://www.hilltribe.org, and Hill Area Development Foundation, http://www.hadf.org.

According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/database/thailanddata/north/chiangrai.htm there are approximately 1.13 million people in the whole province with approximately 200,000 living in the city area. The land size is approximately 12,000 sq. kilometers with an average elevation of 580 meters. The majority of the land is owned by the Thai Government including the Forestry Department, military and other government agencies or is Royal Land. Little of the land actually has "chanot" or full title deed. Much of land does not have any official papers or is "saw paw kaw" which allows it to be used for agricultural purposes but not to be bought or sold. There is an active trade in the land without papers and "saw paw kaw" land but it is very risky and without a Thai husband or wife, it would not be worth considering. However if you are married to a Thai, plan on living on the land and are not worried about selling it in the future, you can take a look.

Around 1995 there was an incredible boom in Chiang Rai property and prices went through the roof. Land on the Asia Highway and in town was selling at 10 million baht per rai. Most people now recognize that was an anomaly but there are a few sellers who still cling to the dream that their land is going to make them fabulously wealthy and they ask prices out of market. Currently the most desirable land for business either in town, on the Asia Highway or along the MaeKok River is going from 1 to 4 million per rai. The land decreases in price as you go out from town. Thais will pay more for land along a main road. There is no reliable way to test property values as it just depends on what the seller thinks they can get and no official records exist of what was actually paid. However, the land department has a complete list of what property is assessed at for tax purposes so it is a good place to start when trying to determine whether the asking price is fair or not.

If you would like to see what we have available, please take a look at http://www.lannarealty.com/land.html .