Doi Pui Hmong Hill Tribe Village

Doi Pui is on Doi Suthep-Pui National Park at 1,685metres above sea level. One of the famous attractions of Doi Suthep, the Village situated less than five kilometers from the famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Normally called the Maeo by Thais, the Hmong are the second largest hill tribe group in Thailand. They are most common around Chiang Mai and northern Thailand, and a trip to the Maeo village at Doi Pui is a common extension of the trip to Doi suthep.You will see a Maeo’s simple way of life, their house, as well as learn about their culture through a collection of objects, such as musical instruments, traditional silver-embroidered costumes and bamboo crafts.

The village at Doi Pui is now little more than a themed shopping mall with a little cultural tourism thrown in. When we first visited the village more than 15 years ago, you would spot young men walking down the dirt streets wearing the trademark short-waisted black jackets jingling with a breast full of coins sewn on them. You won’t see them anymore, they’ve all been sold to the tourists (the jackets, not the young men).

If you are interested in learning about their life of Thailand’s ethnic hill-tribe, Doi Pui is one of the few places close to town to meet and chat with the Hmong ethnic hill-tribe as well as learn about their way of live from the living museum. Like most ethnic hill-tribes of the north, Doi Pui’s Hmong people used to cultivate opium poppies for a living until the royal sustainable projects arrived and transformed the entire village to agricultural farms. Today, the Hmong villagers have income from selling agricultural products as well as tribal souvenirs to visitors.