Haad Bai - Takhong Festivals

[DavidFL]

2025 Salak Festival @ Wat Haad Bai
Sunday 21 September

วัดหาดบ้าย - Wat Hat Bai · 97C3+224, Rim Khong, Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai 57140, Thailand

★★★★☆ · Buddhist temple

maps.app.goo.gl

The 2020 Haad Bai festival on GTR
(2020 Tai Lue Salak Festival Haad Bai - Chiang Khong)

A Salak Festival in Fang
(Fang & Back - A Fang Meander)


2025 Haad Bai Tha Leng Khao Chula Kathin
9 October 2025

2025 Chula Kathin Haad Bai
25th October


Why you should go to Haad Bai & Takhong
(Takhong - Haad Bai - Chiang Khong - & A Special Mekong Sunset)

Sunset at Takhong today.

Takhong & some excellent Tai Lue History Haad Bai
(Tai Lue Heritage)

 

[DavidFL]

A reminder for Sunday 21st at Wat Had Bai.

 

[Ughetto]

Sorry I am in italy i will come back only next week

 

[Franz]

Sorry I am in italy i will come back only next week

Luca are you running low on these exceptional italian delicacies ?5555555

 

[ADV]

After an extremely wet and slow ride from Mae Sai I arrived in Ban Haad Bai to see the Salak Festival in full swing.

The exquisite weaving skills and tayloring in this community are truly stunning. As are the strengths of the community for the cultural values of Tai Leu, Salak and Buddhism.

I arrived around 10.30am, unfortunately missing the main parade, much later than I intended.

Spirited and passionate dance performances by adults and younger community members.

Music, drumming and sword dancing.

The community looked on with pride.

After the performances I was invited to enjoy a delicious community feast. Sorry no photos taken of the meal served on banana leaves with sticky rice, but it was delicious.

Lovely to see GT-Rider David in his element, catching up with long time friends.

After the meal, merit making under the shade of trees.

Winding up this closely knit Thai Leu Salak Festival by this proud community.

After sitting out another downpour it was a sunny and dry ride back to Maesai.

To finish off this post, I'd like to invite any guests or free-viewing members to please support GT-Rider forum with a paid subscription.

It's a very reasonable subscription fee, which is located after joining the forum in your account information settings - upgrades and helps keep the forum running costs under control and ensures a library of up to date and historic infornation is available.

A GT-Rider subscription will bring you these forum benefits

Thankyou.

 

[DavidFL]

A cool day @ Wat Haad Bai for their annual Salak festival.
I arrived behind schedule as usual, due to showers in Chiang Khong before departure - I was undecided whether it would be worth going if it was going to rain all day. A positive decision was made and wet roads and light rain was encountered along the way.

The main parade was missed, but the village dancing was under way when I arrived.

Beside the Mekong, Haad Bai is in Rim Khong district which has a diverse ethnic population with many villagers originally coming from Laos; and Haad Bai is one.
There are also Akha & Lahu villagers from Songphinong.

The local Haad Bai Tai Lue schoolkids are the popular performers on the day.

Some spectators

An enamoured old GTR fellah.

The fabulous goat dance

Donations for the goat performers.

Merit making by villagers after the main ceremony.

Two gtr dudes who enjoyed their day at the Haad Bai Wat.
Lots of friendly sociable happy people.
The villagers of Haad of Bai have some gentle charm and warm hearts.

 

[Moto-Rex]

Hey ADV. Stunning photos mate.

Thanks for the amazing post.

 

[Franz]

Hi Rex, glad to see you back online

 

[DavidFL]

Tha Leng Khao
Haad Bai had another festival Tha Leng Khao by the port on 9th October 2025.

An OTOP promotion for local Tai Lue products and culture, I found it very well done as a representation of Tai Lue culture.

There was a registration centre for guests

Local Musicians.

Handicrafts

Lots of friendly happy people, who smile & wave for photos without being asked.

Teak Garden hotel staff - a happy pleasant Lahu gal in full costume.

The main event is a Khantoke dinner set up by the pier & Tai Lue dancing.

There are multiple lengthy speeches extolling the virtues of the Tai Lue culture at Haad Bai.

Teak Garden & Fortune Hotel management staff.

The GTR old fellah joins in with a fly on his moustache,

The dinner gets underway.

Dusk comes to reveal yet another magnificent Haad Bai - Takhong sunset.

The young Haad Bai Tai Lue gals pre dance.

The senior Haad Bai grannies get on the Chang before singing a Tai Lue song on stage.

A super relaxed evening with some stunning Tai Lue beauty.
Haad Bai is a gem of a place.

(Takhong - Haad Bai - Chiang Khong - & A Special Mekong Sunset)

Takhong · 175 หมู่1 ริมโขง Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai 57140, Thailand

★★★★★ · Restaurant

maps.app.goo.gl

The Tai Lue Heritage
(Tai Lue Heritage)

 

[DavidFL]

Reconfirmed 25-26 October Chula Kathin Festival @ Wat Haad Bai.

There will be a parade in the afternoon on Saturday 25th October.
Then on Sunday morning the main parade' early morning parade, starting 7-8am.

Consider spending the night @ Haad Bai on the 25th

Haad Bai Accommodation.
(Haad Bai - The Mekong - R4007 - Accommodation)

 

[DavidFL]

Haad Bai - Chula Kathin Festival 2025

A fabulous night of Tai Lue magic.

I used to believe the most beautiful women on the planet were the Tai Lue from Muang Sing in Laos.
Jon at Rim Taan Gh in Gh in Thoed & married to a Tai Lue from Luang Namtha, confirms this too.
Tonight chatting with the village elders they told me that most of the Tai Lue in Haad Bai herald from Muang Sing.
Haad Bai is not far behind Muang Sing in the beauty stakes!

Tai Lue from across the river in Laos. Cousins of villagers in Haad Bai.

The party show.

More to come....

 

[DavidFL]

Haad Bai - Chula Kathin Festival 2025 continued

For once, I arrived early, although only because the 3-4pm parade did not start until 5pm.

A walk along the river bank saw groups of Lao people coming across for the event and night.

I noticed that immigration officials took group photos of all the visitors.

There were 16 people in this group of villagers, from Sri Done Gneng, across the river, 2 kms away.

ທ່າເຮືອ Dock · 967M+VJX, Simuangngam, Laos

967M+VJX, Simuangngam, Laos

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They have many relatives—cousins / uncles / aunties — in Haad Bai, and exchange visits often.
Interestingly, in the group I spotted an attractive Lao gal with a plastic bag of Beer Lao, I immediately approached her to ask if I could buy a beer Lao of her.
No, these are not for sale, I cannot sell them. They are also for my uncle who lives here.
But you can drink beer with me after at the festival, and so I did, establishing a new Lao contact & learning a lot about villagers and traders on the Mekong.

The newly acquainted Lao trader contact & her Mum

Back at the Wat the festival grounds were being set up.

The Haad Bai young gals were ready early for their showtime.

The gal 2nd from the right is a Haad Bai schoolteacher and part of the influential family that owns Takhong.

The parade finally gets under way on time at 5pm, so much for festival misinformation.

And the reason for the delay is it is too hot earlier on!

To be continued...

 

[Ughetto]

Beutiful David
Enjoi

 

[DavidFL]

The temple grounds are set up for over night Buddhist robes weaving, Tai Lue dancing and a dinner.

The main event kicks off with a Buddhist ceremony.

There's a ceremonial picking of new cotton to be woven into robes. The VIPs lead the way first.

Part of the ancient Chula Kathin festival tradition is weaving new robes for the monks.
The details are explained here
(Festivals In The Top North For Ok Phansa. October 2012.)

Weavers in action.

The weavers are left to weave into the night & the visitors are treated to a Tai Lue dancing show.

There's plenty of local food and delicacies to enjoy.

A magnificent night by the Mekong, that everyone enjoyed.

Fortune Hotel staff.

Life couldn't be better living in Chiang Khong, by the Mekong river, with so many brilliant enchanting attractions and destinations nearby.
Swing on by soon.