Wat Chong Sung

Wat Chong Sung sits in Mae Sariang, a Shan-influenced border town roughly 180 km south of Mae Hong Son town — worth flagging up front, because it’s easy to confuse with Wat Chong Kham and Wat Chong Klang, the similarly-named lakeside temples in Mae Hong Son itself. Also known locally as Wat Uthayaram, the temple was built in 1838 by Shan monks and lay people, part of the wave of Shan (Tai Yai) migration and trade that shaped Mae Sariang’s architecture and community.

A fire swept through the town in 1888 and destroyed most of the original wooden structure, leaving only the Buddha images housed in what’s now the east pagoda. Local people rebuilt the temple over the following years, finishing reconstruction in 1896 — so most of what stands today reflects that late-19th-century rebuild rather than the 1838 original. Three Mon-style pagodas anchor the complex, each over a century old. The west pagoda carries Mon, Burmese, and Shan decorative details and dates to the early years of King Rama VI’s reign. The east pagoda has seven spires and occupies the site of an earlier, separate Shan temple; it was built specifically to cover and protect the nine brick Buddha images that survived the 1888 fire.

Watch out: because the name is so close to Wat Chong Kham, some map apps and tour itineraries conflate the two — double-check you’re routing to Mae Sariang, not Mae Hong Son town, if this specific temple is the destination.

The temple sits within Mae Sariang’s compact town centre, an easy walk or short motorbike ride from most guesthouses. Dress modestly — covered shoulders and knees — and remove shoes before entering any building housing Buddha images. Pair the visit with Wat Mongkhon Khiri Khet or Wat Chom Chaeng, both also in Mae Sariang, for a short walking loop of the town’s Shan-style temples without needing transport between them.