Wat Phra That Si Don Kham

Wat Phra That Si Don Kham — known locally as Wat Huai O — sits on flat ground in the Long river basin in Phrae’s Long district, surrounded by mountains rather than built on one. Its landmark is the Phra Borommathat chedi, an octagonal, bell-shaped stupa in the Phrae architectural style that temple tradition says enshrines a relic of the Buddha. Entry is free, daily from 08:00 to 17:00.

The chedi rises from a three-tiered square base decorated with lion figures at the corners, up through a broad lotus pedestal and six stacked octagonal lotus tiers to a small bell-shaped reliquary chamber topped with a ceremonial parasol finial. Inside the temple grounds, the Sri Don Kham Museum holds the site’s real draw for most visitors: Phra Chao Phra To, a carved wooden Buddha image around 300 years old, named for the large machete (phra to) tradition says was used to carve it, displayed alongside roughly 2,000 other old wooden Buddha images collected at the temple over generations. A separate bell cast from the metal of a WWII-era bomb sits in the museum too — an unusual piece of local wartime history rather than a religious object.

The temple is one of a small group of sites in Long district associated with sacred Buddhist relics, and it became the district’s main religious centre after Long’s administrative seat moved to the nearby Huai O area in the mid-19th century. It remains an active place of worship rather than a curated museum piece — expect ordinary temple life, robed monks going about daily routines, and Thai-only signage on most of the museum’s older pieces.

The temple sits directly on Charoenlongrat Road in Huai O subdistrict, roughly 45 km from Phrae city centre — a drive of well under an hour. Modest dress covering shoulders and knees is required, and shoes come off before entering the prayer halls and the chedi’s inner chamber.

Insider Tip: The bomb bell in the Sri Don Kham Museum is easy to walk past among the thousands of wooden Buddha images — ask a temple caretaker to point it out if you don’t spot it on your own.

Watch out: This is a working village temple, not a curated tourist site. Explanatory signage is mostly Thai-only, so a little research beforehand (or a local guide) helps make sense of the 2,000-piece wooden Buddha collection rather than just walking past it.

For more of Long district, see Baan Pin Train Station and Wat Salaeng. For the wider area, see the Phrae destination guide.