Wat Huay Pla Kang

Wat Huay Pla Kang is a Buddhist temple complex located on a hill in Rim Kok Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand. It is notable for its 9-tier Chinese-style pagoda and a 79-meter white statue of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Built in the 2000s under Phra Ajarn Phob Chok, the temple blends Thai Lanna and Chinese Mahayana styles and has become a major sightseeing and pilgrimage destination near Chiang Rai city.

Visitors can expect a large hillside temple complex with a towering white Guan Yin statue, a 9-storey Chinese-style pagoda, ornate viharn and ubosot halls, and landscaped grounds with views over Chiang Rai city and the Kok River valley. Inside the Guan Yin statue, an elevator and stairs lead to viewpoints through the statue's eyes. The site includes Buddha images, dragon staircases, and areas for worship and photography.

The temple was developed from a small monastery by Phra Ajarn Phob Chok Thitipanyo, abbot of Wat Huay Pla Kang, starting in the early 2000s. Construction of the 9-tier pagoda and the large Guan Yin statue began around 2005-2007 and continued over several years, establishing the site as a new Buddhist centre combining Thai and Chinese traditions.

Wat Huay Pla Kang is an active Buddhist temple revered for its Guan Yin statue, representing compassion in Mahayana Buddhism, and serves as both a place of worship and merit-making for Thai and Chinese-Thai Buddhists. Its architecture reflects the cultural fusion of Lanna Thai and Chinese styles prominent in northern Thailand.