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Night Market, Chiang Mai
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Night Market, Chiang Mai

Handicrafts at the Night Bazaar - Chiang Mai
Handicrafts at the Night Bazaar
by June.b
Night Market tips, reviews and photos posted by real travelers and Chiang Mai locals.
• 62 Photos
• 50 Reviews

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Night Market: Night Market artists
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  • thedouglas
  • By thedouglas on April 25, 2006
  • Chiang Mai Page by thedouglas
  • My wedding picture emerges! - Chiang Mai
    My wedding picture emerges!
    by thedouglas, 3 more photos
    These guys do the most amazing work! Show them any picture, and watch them come to life in pencil sketches. I took a wedding picture over last holiday, and had it copied for about $30, which was well worth the investment. This is a local skill which is important to preserve.

    Hardest part is choosing the "one" who you want to do your job! You also need to be able to give them a few days to get the picture completed, as they are many hours work.

    Pencil drawings

    About $30 for a poster size picture of two people's faces

  • Theme: Art
  • Address: Night Market
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    Night Market: Night market takes a day and a night to do!
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  • thedouglas
  • Updated By thedouglas on January 15, 2006
  • Chiang Mai Page by thedouglas
  • Night Market - Chiang Mai
    by thedouglas
    Night market in Chiang Mai is very diverse - and quite different in some ways to Bangkok Markets I saw. Upstairs area full of artistic and antiquity items - from SE Asia - including Burma, Laos, Cambodia and beyond! Really interesting - cooler to shop at night , and the artistic ability is very impressive. The wood carving (doesn't really do it justice) is just ogle material - no pics allowed :( - the detail is amazing, and the price just does not do the human hours justice!

    I always enjoy night markets more - not as heat sapped of energy, and the crowds not as sustained.

    Cost of market depends on time of year, I am sure. But - in general, I found that Bangkok prices were cheaper. However, the diversity of goods makes it a bit hard to compare on some levels. Much of the items are the same mass produced goodies - and you are just as likely to walk a dozen paces and see the same thing for more or less Baht! Its all part of the sport really!

  • Theme: Local Craft
  • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
    Night Market: Shopping in Chaing Mai
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  • Christopher03
  • By Christopher03 on October 14, 2003
  • Chiang Mai Page by Christopher03
  • The Chaing Mai night market is know as one of the best in Thailand. It has a lot more on offer than that of Kao San Road in Bangkok. The market traces down both sides of a busy street. It has alot on offer including the usual, t shirts and clothing, as well as the cheapest silver in Thailand (92.5%) It also has a range of spices, flowere, handycraft and perfumes. The latest on stock when I was there last april was counterfeit Birkenstocks, G shock and rolex watches.

    On Sunday afternoon there is an aditional market place that stocks mainly handycraft. It runs from the old city gate all the way up to the bordering night market

    Silver and handycrafts are the cheapest to buy. You will also find a lot of village people from near by hill tribes wondering the streets selling handy crafts. There is not as many tshirts as in Kao San Rd but everything is alot cheaper

    Decide what your willing to pay beforehand, have some fun bartaring, but hey don't be stupid, smile, and keep friendly. You look like a fool when your arguing over what works out to be a dollar. And hey after all, your a visitor in this country, have a little respect for these hard working people.

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  • Theme: Gifts
  • Directions: within the old city walls, main shopping districks
  • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
    Night Market: A Labyerinth of Shops to Explore
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  • BorderHopper
  • By BorderHopper on May 29, 2005
  • Chiang Mai Page by BorderHopper
  • Ronnie buying a silk pillow case in Chiang Mai - Chiang Mai
    Ronnie buying a silk pillow
    case in Chiang Mai
    by BorderHopper
    A patch work of tiny shops that stretches several blocks.

    You can't miss the night market. It's several city blocks long and like a patch work of various shops selling anything from Thai silk pillow cases to Chinese herbal medicine. You can find just about any handicraft unique to Thailand here in the night market. Wood work seems to be popular among the tourists and Thai silk is also highly sought after.

    Bargain, and have fun with it!

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  • Theme: Local Craft
  • Address: Chiang Mai Night Bazar
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    Night Market: Handcrafts
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  • kimmo_v
  • By kimmo_v on August 15, 2003
  • Chiang Mai Page by kimmo_v
  • Ladies from the mountains - Chiang Mai
    Ladies from the mountains
    by kimmo_v
    The area of night bazaar is huge, and you get anything there. Dont forget to barguin!

    Clothes, watches, hats, jewellery,...

    The hats seen in the pic costed 200 bahts. First the ladies ask 450 bahts, but after few minutes smiling and barguin we got that cool hat for 200.

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  • Theme: Other
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    Night Market: Night Bazaar
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  • imstress
  • Updated By imstress on December 17, 2006
  • Chiang Mai Page by imstress
  • Night Bazaar - Chang Khlan Road - Chiang Mai
    Night Bazaar - Chang Khlan
    Road
    by imstress, 4 more photos
    The Night Bazaar offers a wide-range of shopping from open air street vendors to sidewalks and small boutiques.

    There are a wide variety of dining and shopping along Chang Khlan Road. It is your chance to make use of your haggling and bargaining skills.

    You can buy anything from handicraft especially made by hilltribe, clothings, shoes, T-Shirt, accessories. The Nakhorn Ping Night Bazaar Building, Kalare Night Bazaar, The Peak offers an open-air dining terrace and free performances of classical dancing and performances.

    However, I would strongly recommend that you make your purchases at the Sunday Night Market and Warorot Market. The price are fixed and you dont really have to bargain hard.

    I spent more time enjoying the cheap and excellent massage services and rotee than shopping along here.

    massage
    rotee

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  • Theme: Women's Clothes
  • Address: Chang Khlan Road
  • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
    Night Market: How to Bargain at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai.
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  • allthai
  • Updated By allthai on June 8, 2005
  • Chiang Mai Page by allthai
  • Bargaining in the Night Bazaar Chiang Mai. - Chiang Mai
    Bargaining in the Night Bazaar
    Chiang Mai.
    by allthai
    When it comes to the open markets of Chiangmai, most newly arrived foreigners are steered directly either by guidebooks, travel agencies, hotel desk clerks and even tuk-tuk drivers to the Night Bazaar on Changklan Road between Tha Phae and Loi Kroh Roads. This sizeable market, with a gigantic, well-lit sign in English and surrounded by many familiar food chains of the west, is no doubt most oriented to foreign tourists. It's here where most western visitors get their first taste of a traditional Northern Thai shopping experience. Once amongst the tightly packed stalls, visitors very soon become acquainted with the bargaining game.

    When it comes to bargaining there are a few things to remember. Asians do not like to lose face, which is very important, however they don’t want you to lose face either. Here is how to bargain so no-one loses face.

    You first ask “How much” for an item. The vendor will come back with a price and you say “too much” and they will come back with a 20% lower price. You offer about 50% lower than the second price they gave you. They will smile and probably say nothing. This means they know what you are doing. After a few seconds they will come back with a price around 20% lower again. You then raise your price to 40% lower. They come back with maybe 25% lower. You go to 30% lower and hold. They will most likely sell it to you. This way you can get the item at the 50% discount you wanted but they do not lose face and neither do you.

    Try to make purchases all from the same shop or vendor and you can get the price even lower. Do not pay for your items one at a time. Set your first purchase aside then bargain for a few more items. Put all your items together and ask “How much for all these?” When the salesperson gives you a price make an offer for 10% lower. If they say “no” start taking items off your pile and act like you just want to purchase just the first item you bargained for. Nine times out of ten they will say, “OK” to your 10% additional discount.

    There is everything available here including handicrafts and foodstuffs, clothing and shoes, jewelry, ceramic knick-knacks and more. Many of the tiems sold at shops inside the Night Bazaar building are of good quality and handmade.

    The vendors on the street sell cheap copied products made in China or Burma and not true Thai handicrafts. One example is lacquerware. The high quality lacquerware houses of Chiang Mai today still apply at least seven coats of lacquer to each piece and allow approximately one week between coatings for drying. The lacquerware sold by vendors are very cheap and painted with sprayed on lacquerware paint.

    Remember you get what you pay for. If you want t-shirts, knock-off designer brands or imitation handicrafts the Night Bazaar vendors have what you need. For high quality handicrafts, textiles, shoes and clothing at great prices compared to prices in your home country go to the shops inside the Night Bazaar building.

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  • Theme: Gifts
  • Directions: Changklan Road between Tha Phae and Loi Kroh Roads.
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    Night Market: Shopping in the streets
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  • AshleeS
  • By AshleeS on August 16, 2005
  • Chiang Mai Page by AshleeS
  • This has everything. Both sides of the streets are covered with shops, there are some malls that start at the street and go back and have hunderds of other stores. It is crazy and has everything. It is hot though the minute you start walking you will be covered in sweat. Also watch for people stealing money out of your pockets, try to wear a money belt, and if you have backpacks on make sure you have locks on them. The first night we were there we heard someone screaming police police I have been robbed. So be careful!!!!

    Silk is always good in Thailand be it boxers, ties, table clothes, pillowcases. They have fake purses, beautiful artwork, and wood carvings, elephant everything, clothes.

    You could end up spending a lot but getting a lot in return. Depends on what you are looking for. We bought little change purses for 60 cents. Always barter and if you want to pay less just start to walk away. We walked away from something and they dropped it in half.

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  • Theme: Other
  • Address: Changklan road
  • Directions: located near the ping river on the south side. I think you go over the ping river on the Nawarat bridge go to Tha Pae road and you can't miss it.
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    Night Market: BARGAINS AT THE NIGHT BAZAAR
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  • aussiejen
  • By aussiejen on September 22, 2006
  • Chiang Mai Page by aussiejen
  • Night Market - Chiang Mai
    by aussiejen, 1 more photos
    The night market is not to be missed while in Chiang Mai. The streets come alive after dark with stalls selling almost everything. It's hard to see everything in one night so you will have to go back again!
    Even if you don't need to buy cushion covers, watches, bags, shoes, t-shirts, dvds etc it's still fun to wander along and try your hand at bargaining. I'm sure you'll end up with something you didn't really intend to buy!!
    The Akha hill tribe ladies are everywhere with their little wooden frogs. They will pester you to buy something from them but they don't get upset if you refuse.

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  • Theme: Other
  • Address: Chang Klan
  • Directions: Any tuk tuk driver will take you there.
  • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
    Night Market: Haggling is a Must
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  • alvinpie
  • By alvinpie on August 1, 2003
  • Chiang Mai Page by alvinpie
  • Night Bazzar is a huge building that houses hundreds of venders selling crafts to tourists.

    I found that venders are not offended when you try to negotiate the price. Come to think of it, if I were the vendor, I would rather deal with customers who haggle for it would make my life a lot more interesting than just ringing up the cash register every now and then.

    I found it almost useless comparing prices among venders. Because they all give you the same high prices anyway. So you probably save 10 Baht here and there, you still end up paying too much.

    My strategy is to bargain hard. Depends on my mood and the uniqueness of the product, I usually started my bargaining at about 40-50% of asking price and I stood firm for a while. People in Chiang Mai have great smiles so you should always keep your smile no matter how hard you bargain.

    As how much you end up paying, it really comes down to how much you really have to have the goods and how much they really have to sell the goods.

    I found great cotton fisherman's pants and sarong in Night Bazzar for my wife. The price was very tough but since the clerk had great smile and I knew it was not a bad price already, I didn't mind not getting my price.

    If you have room in your luggage, the wooden sculptures are great too. And the price is much much cheaper than that in the US.

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  • Theme: Local Craft
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