Kamthieng House (Siam Society): a Lanna house in Asok

Updated on October 5, 2026

Kamthieng House is a teak home from northern Thailand, taken apart in Chiang Mai and rebuilt in 1963 in the garden of the Siam Society, 131 Soi Asok (Sukhumvit 21), a five-minute walk from the Asok junction. Now an ethnology museum, it shows the daily life of the Lanna people, with objects from rice farming and weaving and the beliefs tied to ancestral spirits. It is one of the quietest visits in central Bangkok, ideal for an hour in the shade between two shopping malls. According to the information we consulted, the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 to 16:30; a ticket costs 100 baht.

Highlights

The teak house

Originally built in the Chiang Mai region, the house was rebuilt on stilts in the Lanna style, with a double-pitched roof and joinery assembled without nails. Climb the outside staircase: the upper floor, open to the terrace, was the family's living space.

The exhibits on rural life

In the house and the outbuildings, farm tools, baskets, textiles and kitchen utensils show how northern farming families lived, around rice and water. Labels are in Thai and English.

The Siam Society garden

A garden of trees and ponds around the house shuts out the noise of Sukhumvit. The Siam Society, founded in 1904 to study Thai culture, occupies the same grounds: you can glance at its buildings and its shop.

Lanna beliefs

The house also hosts a presentation on the family's protective spirits, an important cult in the north of the country. Take time to read the panels: they shed light on what you see afterwards in the temples of Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Ticket 100 baht according to the information we consulted; check the price and opening days with the Siam Society before you come, as the museum can change its hours for works or events. Take off your shoes before going up into the house. Self-guided visit: allow 45 minutes to an hour. The wooden floor is old: avoid heels and large backpacks. The staircase makes the house hard to reach in a wheelchair.

How to get there

131 Soi Asok (Sukhumvit 21), Bangkok 10110. BTS Sukhumvit Line, Asok station, or MRT Sukhumvit station: about 5 to 10 minutes' walk north along Soi Asok.