Wat Huay Pla Kang: Guanyin, the Nine-Storey Pagoda and a Chiang Rai Visit

A huge white Guanyin rises above the hillside at Wat Huay Pla Kang, northwest of Chiang Rai. A red-roofed pagoda houses another Guanyin, carved from fragrant wood, while a white ordination hall stands between them. Visiting all three brings together intricate carving, active worship and views from inside the giant figure.

Guanyin is the bodhisattva of compassion, associated with Avalokiteshvara and revered for responding to suffering. The name appears in English as Guan Yin, Kuan Im and Guanyin.

The “Big Buddha” name used for this Chiang Rai landmark refers to the giant Guanyin. Some tours call the complex the “Red Temple”, after the pagoda’s roofs. Use Wat Huay Pla Kang when arranging transport so the destination is clear.

Arriving with enough time

The grounds open daily from 7am to 9pm. The lift inside Guanyin operates from 7am to 6pm, so an evening visit needs an earlier arrival if you want to go inside. Grounds admission is free; the lift costs 40 baht for foreign visitors and 20 baht for Thai visitors.

Allow one to two hours for the three buildings, adding time for queues, photographs and a break if you want both the pagoda climb and the Guanyin interior. For a short stop, concentrate on the wooden image and the buildings at ground level.

Morning is useful for the outdoor walking before the strongest heat. In late afternoon, take the Guanyin lift first, then explore the pagoda and white hall. The illuminated buildings give an evening visit its own character; plan exterior photographs after dark.

The temple is about seven kilometres northwest of central Chiang Rai, north of the Kok River. Allow roughly twenty minutes by car from the centre, with traffic and your hotel location affecting the journey. The Thai name is วัดห้วยปลากั้ง; the address begins 553 Moo 3. Parking is available at the complex.

A taxi, Grab car or private driver is a practical choice. You can also hire a songthaew, a pickup with covered bench seating, or negotiate a tuk-tuk trip. For a return journey with the same driver, agree the fare, waiting time and pickup point before setting out. This is particularly useful if you stay for the evening illumination.

A free internal cart carries visitors from the main parking area towards the base of Guanyin. The three buildings have different access demands: the pagoda’s upper floors require stairs, the white hall has entrance steps, and the giant statue has a lift followed by additional stairs to some viewing positions.

The wooden Guanyin and nine-storey pagoda

Phop Chok Dhamma Chedi rises through nine storeys to about 49 metres. Its stacked red roofs give the hillside its strongest colour. Chinese-style roof forms and dragons combine with a Thai bell-shaped chedi and an umbrella-like Burmese finial at the top. The mix of forms is part of the complex’s distinctive Thai-Chinese Buddhist character.

Inside, the principal wooden Guanyin is approximately seven metres high and seven metres wide. Carvers worked for 108 days using fragrant wood brought from China, Myanmar and India. The figure extends above the second level: the lower hall is a substantial attraction even when you choose a visit without the upper-floor climb.

On the fifth floor is a thousand-armed Guanyin. The many hands express compassion able to reach beings everywhere. This makes the elaborate image a statement about the bodhisattva’s response to suffering.

Around the pagoda stand twelve smaller chedis associated with the zodiac birth years. Devotees pay respects at the one corresponding to their own year. Within the complex, different forms of Guanyin are approached with prayers concerning health, work and financial difficulties, connecting the images with everyday hopes and anxieties.

There is no lift in the pagoda. The higher stairs become narrow and steep, so consider the descent when deciding how far to climb. Along the way are further religious images and changing views towards the giant Guanyin, fields and surrounding hills.

The white hall and the giant figure

The white ubosot, or ordination hall, has naga serpents along its entrance stairs and elaborate stucco ornament outside and within. A white principal Buddha sits in the hall. Its smaller scale allows time to study the relief work before continuing to the much larger figure beyond it.

The lift inside Guanyin takes visitors up into an interior filled with white dragons and other mythological beings. Carved and moulded forms surround the viewing openings, making the decoration an important part of the visit alongside the landscape.

Small windows, including openings around the face and eyes, frame separate views across Chiang Rai and the surrounding hills. Narrow stairs continue to further viewing positions beyond the lift. Those extra levels require a climb even though the main ascent is by lift.

The upper rooms can become crowded. Keep children close around the stairs and windows.

For visitors choosing between the two ascents, the pagoda offers a stair-by-stair sequence of images and changing exterior views. Guanyin offers the lift ride, white sculptural interior and framed views through the figure. You can give either one more time according to your interest and comfort with stairs.

A modern temple built around an abbot’s vision

A monastic community was established here in 2001. Phop Chok Tissawaso arrived on 19 November 2005 and became central to its development. Wat Huay Pla Kang received formal recognition as a temple on 24 July 2009, with Phop Chok as its first abbot.

The development began with an overgrown site and remnants of an earlier temple, restored with local support. Phop Chok described dreaming of a chedi on the hill; this account became part of the story of the pagoda that bears his name. A Bangkok engineer became involved, and an early Taiwanese donor helped construction begin in 2007.

That recent history helps explain the site’s scale and combination of traditions. The buildings grew through the abbot’s leadership and the support of donors, while Guanyin became a focus for both worship and the temple’s public identity.

Compassion through education, work and care

Charitable activity is a substantial part of the temple’s story. Its programmes have supported housing, education and opportunities to earn a living. The concern for people with fewer resources connects the devotion to Guanyin with practical forms of assistance.

Donations have been redistributed to people in need, with projects including transport for patients from hill communities and inexpensive food. These efforts address everyday barriers: reaching treatment, getting a meal and finding the means to support a household.

In 2021, a car-wash project provided vocational training and paid work for unemployed people and people recently released from prison. Monks helped mentor the trainees, who earned income from the cars they washed. The project gave participants a way to rebuild working lives through a regular, practical skill.

A charitable hospital opened on 1 December 2022. Its initial service centred on outpatient care, with serious cases referred onwards for further treatment. The hospital extended the temple’s social work from helping people reach care to providing a place for examination and treatment.

In June 2026, Mae Fah Luang University’s medical and nursing teams took part in community breast and cervical cancer screening at the hospital. The project also trained local health workers in breast screening, extending its benefit beyond that day’s examinations.

Donations at the temple are voluntary. Keep sightseeing to the temple’s visitor areas and respect the privacy of children, patients and people receiving support.

Clothing, breaks and a manageable visit

Wear clothes covering shoulders and knees. Shoes that are easy to remove are useful for entering worship halls; footwear should also give you a secure grip on the stairs. Give people praying space and keep voices low inside.

The open grounds and climbs can feel hot, so bring water and take a break between ascents. Rain can make stairs and smooth surfaces slippery. Toilets, refreshment sellers and shops are available around the complex.

For an individual mobility requirement, the temple can be contacted on +66 53 150 274 or +66 86 620 0647.

A nearby café or a second Chiang Rai temple

For a food or drink stop close by, Lalitta Café is on the western bypass at the approach to Wat Huay Pla Kang. Its gardens evoke the mythical Himmapan forest, with a large artificial waterfall, flowers and orchids. It opens daily from 8am to 8pm; garden admission is 60 baht. Allow extra time for the garden as well as your meal or drink.

The Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, makes a coherent second temple visit on the northern side of Chiang Rai. Arrange a vehicle transfer between the sites and allow about 45 minutes there. Entry is free and daily opening hours are 7am–8pm. Its blue-and-gold hall, large Buddha and Buddhist murals provide a different artistic focus.

Designer Phuttha Kabkaew trained under White Temple artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, while the entrance naga draw on the work of Thawan Duchanee. These connections help place the Blue Temple within Chiang Rai’s modern artistic life.

A relaxed half-day can therefore combine Huay Pla Kang, a café break and the Blue Temple, with time for transfers. If you are joining a tour, use the actual temple names and the time allocated at each stop to choose it; a brief photo stop leaves little room for both upper-level visits. The Guanyin lift charge may be separate from the tour price.

For an evening finish, return to central Chiang Rai for dinner and the Golden Clock Tower. Its gold ornament and lights add a short city-centre stop after the hillside visit.