Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is the area at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet, long associated with the opium trade that dominated the hill country economy through much of the twentieth century. The viewpoint at the confluence in Sop Ruak, on the Thai side, looks across the water to Burmese territory and the Laotian settlement of Ton Pheung. The Hall of Opium museum in the vicinity documents the history of the trade and its social consequences with scholarly thoroughness. The area draws visitors as much for the historical and geographic symbolism as for any particular scenic quality.