Ban Don Luang Cotton Handicraft Centre

Ban Don Luang is a cotton-weaving village in Pa Sang district, Lamphun, settled by Yong people relocated here in the early 1800s. Entry is free, the village is open daily 09:00-17:00, and the hand-woven cotton produced by its several weaving groups has been made here, family to family, for more than two centuries.

The settlement’s origin ties into a specific chapter of northern Thai history. Under King Kawila, Lamphun was repopulated in the early 19th century after years of war had left it depopulated — Tai communities including the Yong were resettled here from the Kengtung and Sipsong Panna border region as part of that programme. The village was first called Ban Ko Thon and supported itself through cattle and buffalo trading; it later took the name Ban Don Luang for its position on top of a low rise (“don luang” meaning roughly “the great mound”). That Yong heritage is still the identity of the place — the weaving techniques carried here in the resettlement have stayed in the same families since.

Today the village supports several distinct craft groups rather than one workshop: cotton weaving, cotton processing, sewing, batik tie-dye, and a longan-farming group that works the orchards around the settlement. The stalls sell hand-woven cotton in patterns passed down through generations, alongside batik and other textile work. Quality and pattern selection both vary by stall, so it’s worth a full walk through before buying.

Insider Tip: Time a visit for April if you can — the village runs its cotton-pattern fair that month, with weaving demonstrations and the year’s widest stock of fabric on sale.

Watch out: Card payment is rarely available at the stalls here — bring cash, and expect small-denomination notes to be more useful than large ones at the smaller stands.

Getting there

Ban Don Luang sits in Pa Sang district, Lamphun, best reached by car or hired transport since there’s no direct public transport link to the village itself. It pairs naturally with the weaving centres at Tambon Wiang Yong Fabric Center and the Yok Dok Lamphun Thai Cloth Learning and Conservation Centre, both nearby textile stops in the same province. View on Google Maps.