Wat Rong Suea Ten

Location: Rimkok District, suburbs of Chiang Rai, about 10 kilometers from the city center of Chiang Rai. 
Opening hours: 6 am to 8 pm every day, open all year round. 
Entrance fee: Free. 
Reason to visit: The Chiang Rai Blue Temple is a beautifully designed and unique blue building, and also a real Buddhist temple.

Wat Rong Suea Ten, as known as Blue Temple is a blue Thai temple that blends traditional and modern art perfectly. It is located in the suburbs of Chiang Rai and is famous for its unique blue architecture and exquisite decorations. Here, you can admire the stunning architectural style, feel the charm of Buddhist culture, taste the local delicacies, and experience an unforgettable journey.

The history of the Blue Temple

The history of the Chiang Rai Blue Temple is not long. It was built in 1996 by Phuttha Kabkaew, a disciple of one of the designers of the Chiang Rai White Temple. It is said that this land was originally a forest, where many tigers roamed, so it was called “Dancing Tiger” (Rong Suea Ten). Later, a small temple was built here, but it gradually fell into disrepair due to lack of funds and manpower. In 1996, a monk named Kru Ba Chao Thong came here and received the respect and donations of the local believers. He decided to use the money to rebuild the temple and invited Phuttha Kabkaew to design and supervise the project. After more than 20 years of construction, the Chiang Rai Blue Temple gradually became a magnificent, beautiful and innovative temple, attracting many tourists and believers to visit and worship.

The characteristics of the temple: blue, mysterious, magical, modern

The biggest feature of the Chiang Rai Blue Temple is its color. The entire temple is azure blue, forming a sharp contrast with the green plants and blue sky around it, giving people a mysterious and magical feeling. The architectural style of the temple follows the traditional structure of Thai temples, but also incorporates modern artistic elements, such as golden patterns, colored glass, abstract patterns, etc., making the temple both classical and solemn, and modern and fashionable.

The main hall of the temple is the core of the temple, where a white Buddha statue is enshrined. Behind the Buddha statue is a huge mural depicting the stories and symbols of Buddhism. The walls and ceilings of the main hall are also painted with blue and gold colors, with various exquisite patterns, dazzling. The other buildings of the temple, such as pagodas, bell towers, monks’ houses, etc., are also decorated with blue and gold colors, echoing the main hall, forming a harmonious whole.

The travel guide of the Blue Temple

The Chiang Rai Blue Temple is a free and open temple. You can visit it at any time, but pay attention to the rules of the temple, such as dressing appropriately, not making noise, etc. Unlike most other Thai temples, the Buddha statue in the main hall can be photographed, so you can record the beautiful and spectacular scenery of the temple with your camera. The opening hours of the temple are from 6 am to 6 pm every day. It is recommended that you go in the morning or evening, so that you can avoid the crowds and enjoy and take pictures of the temple in different light.

On the outskirts of the temple, taste some local delicacies, such as coconut ice cream, sticky rice, fried bananas, etc., to quench your thirst and hunger. If you have time, you can also visit some other temples nearby, such as the Chiang Rai White Temple, Black Temple, Jade Buddha Temple, etc., to experience the diverse culture and art of Chiang Rai.

How to get there

The Blue Temple is located in the Rim Kok district of Chiang Rai city. It takes about 10 minutes by car from Chiang Rai city to the Blue Temple. You can take a double car to get there.

If you are departing from Chiang Mai, do not want to stay in Chiang Rai, or want a more convenient way of traveling, you can choose to charter a car to Chiang Rai, or join a local Chiang Rai one-day tour group. This way you can visit multiple attractions in Chiang Rai at once, such as the White Temple, Black Temple, Golden Triangle, Long Neck Tribe, etc. The price of chartering varies according to the type of car, route and number of people, generally between 500-1000 baht / person.