Chiang Khan (, ) is a district (''

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

'') in the northern part of Loei province, northeastern

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Geography

Neighbouring districts are (from the east clockwise): Pak Chom, Mueang Loei, and Tha Li of Loei Province. To the northwest are the Xaignabouli and

Vientiane Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...

Provinces of

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. The important water resources are the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

, Hueang, and

Loei Loei (; ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeast Thailand. Loei covers the whole ''tambon'' of Mueang Loei district and is the capital of Loei province. In 2017, Loei had a population of 21,013. Loei lies 545 km north-northeast of B ...

Rivers.

History

Chiang Khan was founded in the late-19th century when Lao villagers crossed the Mekong after the French colonised Laos. More migrants later arrived from Vietnam and China. Chiang Khan became a trading hub largely due to its location on the river. People on both sides of the rivers exchanged goods, culture, and language. Trading stopped in 1975 when the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao (), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and political organization, organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group ultimately gained control over the entire country of ...

seized power from the Lao government and cut economic ties to Thailand. Chiang Khan languished until rediscovered in the early-21st century.

Administration

The district is divided into eight sub-districts (''

tambon ''Tambon'' (, ) 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 Bangkok, whi ...

s''), which are further subdivided into 78 villages (''

muban Muban (; , ) is the lowest Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet (place), hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74 ...

s''). There are two townships (''

thesaban tambon Thesaban (, , , Pali, Pali: desapāla (protector of region) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesa ...

s''), Chiang Khan and Khao Kaeo, each covering parts of ''tambons'' of the same names. There are a further seven tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

Economy

Fishing the Mekong River was formerly Chiang Khan's biggest earner. Some 650,000 persons, Thai and foreign, visit the village every year.

Popular culture

Chiang Khan was used as the main setting for the 2014 romantic comedy Chiang Khan Love Story (''Tookae Ruk Pang Mak''), directed by

Yuthlert Sippapak Yuthlert Sippapak (, born November 8, 1966) is a Thai film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his genre-blending films '' Killer Tattoo'' (comedy and action) and '' Buppah Rahtree'' (comedy and horror). Biography Yuthle ...

. It was the seventh highest-grossing film in Thailand in 2014. Chiang Khan was referenced in 2018–19

TV drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular su ...

's Channel 7 HD ''Nai Keun Nao Sang Dao Yung Oun'' as a backdrop for the story.

References

External links

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amphoe.com
(Thai)
Chiangkhan
Chiang Khan {{Loei-geo-stub