Muang Sing

Muang Sing is a small town in Northern Laos, about 60 km northwest of Luang Namtha. It sits at the far northwestern part of Laos, bordering Myanmar and China's Yunnan Province. Its landscape is predominantly mountainous with elevation ranging between 540 and 2,094 m, traditionally dominated by forest and upland swidden farming.

Understand
Muang Sing has a total population of 23,500 inhabitants, spread over 95 villages. Muang Sing is a traditional Tai Lue, Tai Neua, and Akha cultural nexus, as well as a trade centre for Tai Dam, Hmong, Mien, and Lolo. The most common groups are Akha accounting for about half of the residents followed by Tai Lue accounting for 30%. While Akha primarily inhabit upland areas, Tai Lue villages are some of the province's oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the northern reaches of the Muang Sing valley.

The rainy season lasts from May-Oct. The weather turns cool and dry from Nov-Feb with temperatures dropping as low as 5 °C at night. In this time winter woolies will be needed in the morning and evening. Mar and Apr are the hottest months, with the mercury approaching 40 °C. The average temperature is 25 °C.

By bus
From Luang Namtha small buses depart several times a day from the bus station in the center of town. The trip costs 80,000 kip and takes a bit under 2 hours along a scenic and mostly-sealed road.

From Muang Sing small buses or songthaews (pickup trucks with benches) go to Huay Xai, Xieng Kok and Muang Long.

By motorbike
Scooter or motorbike to Luang Namtha takes about 2 hours.

Get around
To get around Muang Sing tuk-tuks are readily available at the morning market. Bicycles can be rented in town. There is no local public transport in town. A guide can help you get around, some local ones advertise on Facebook.

Do

 * Trekking
 * Gibbon experience

Buy
The local market next to the bus station has some shops, mainly agricultural and household supplies.

There is a supermarket on the bus station/local market road, and another on Xiangle St. which it intersects with.

A lot of cheap goods seem to come here from the Chinese border, such as motorbikes, and Chinese Army training shoes.

Drink

 * Beerlao

Connect
There is at least one internet cafe on OsmAnd and Mapy.cz.

Go next

 * Xieng Kok
 * Muang Long
 * Luang Namtha
 * Huay Xai