Lamphun is a small quiet provincial capital some 25 km south of Chiang Mai. The town is too close to the metropolis of northern Thailand to be able to develop itself as an indepentent tourist center.
Who is interested in historical cultures, Laphun is an attractive excursion and well worth to pay a visit. There are two important temples located in Lamphun.
Lamphun is one of the oldest cities of Thailand and was founded centuries before Chiang May. Haripunchai, as the city and the respective kingdom were called in the old days, was once an important and wealthy city, during the period of the Dvaravati civilisation in the 7^th to 10^th century AD.
The old city centre is in the shape of an oval, surrounded by a water-filled moat and the Khuang River in the east. What is still left over today from the former moat, is filled with thousends of Lotus flowers.
Lamphun can be easily reached by bus from Chiang May. A day excursion to Lamphun is highly recommended.