Muang Sing

Muang Sing sits on a flat upland plain ringed by hills, close to both the Chinese and Myanmar borders, and it was a small Tai Lue principality before it was a French garrison town. The main street still has the old brick barracks and the tribal museum in a former residence, and the wooden Tai Lue houses and their temple are behind it. The reason to come is the morning market, where Akha, Hmong, Tai Dam and Tai Lue people from the surrounding villages come down to trade, and which empties by mid-morning.

History

Little is known of the town before the 18th century, when the widow of the ruler of Chiang Khaeng founded a walled settlement called Wiang Fa Ya and in 1792 ordered a large stupa built. The French set up a garrison in 1896, and after an Anglo-French agreement the district became part of French Laos in 1904 (Wikipedia, Muang Sing).

The main sights

• The morning market - trading from before dawn, with hill villages coming down to sell and buy.
• The Tai Lue temple - Wat Sing Jai, in the local style with low sweeping roofs.
• The old garrison buildings - French brick barracks along the main street, some in use.
• The plain - flat rice country ringed by hills, walked or cycled easily from town.

When to go

November to February is dry and cool, and the best season for walking to the surrounding villages. The market is at its fullest before eight in the morning in any season. The wet months make the village tracks hard going.

Good to know

Trekking to hill villages here needs a licensed guide and thought about what the visit does to the village; the arrangements vary a great deal in quality. The town itself is small and quiet after the market closes. Photography of people at the market should be asked for rather than assumed.

Nearby

Luang Namtha and the Nam Ha protected area are an hour southeast.

Key facts