A blue cotton shirt makes a more interesting souvenir when you understand how its colour was made. Ban Thung Hong, in Thung Hong subdistrict, Mueang Phrae district, is a useful stop for travellers who enjoy textiles, local shopping and learning a craft directly from its makers.
The village is associated with the Thai Phuan community and its inherited mo hom tradition. Today, that knowledge sits alongside a shopping district selling blue garments and other textile products. You can browse, but arranging a dyeing session adds another dimension to the visit.
From hom leaves to blue cloth
Traditional mo hom gets its colour from the hom plant. Makers extract dye from the leaves, prepare a wet paste and use it to establish the dye vat. One of the most interesting stages comes after dipping: the cloth changes from green towards blue as it meets the air. Repeated dipping helps develop the desired shade.
Mo hom was added to Thailand’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2024. That recognition gives some context to what you are seeing: this is a living body of craft knowledge, passed between generations, as well as a finished product.
When shopping, ask whether a piece uses natural hom dye and where it was made. The Department of Cultural Promotion notes that synthetic dyes and substitute materials also feature in contemporary production, so a blue colour alone does not tell the whole story.
Planning a workshop visit
One specific place to investigate is the Thung Charoen Natural-Dye Mo Hom Community Enterprise at 291 Moo 5, Thung Hong. A May 2026 Phrae Radio report, sourced to the Provincial Commerce Office, lists daily visits and workshops between 09:00 and 18:00.
Those are the enterprise’s listed hours, rather than a timetable for every shop in the village. Call 089-8513048 before travelling to confirm the current opening time, workshop availability, cost and language arrangements. If making something yourself matters, ask what you can make and when it will be ready to take away.
For a useful souvenir, compare fabric, fit and finishing, then ask the seller for washing instructions. Leave room in your plans to talk with the makers: understanding the dyeing process is part of the reason to come.
Find Ban Thung Hong on Google Maps
Visitor information and further reading: Phrae Radio’s official workshop information; Department of Cultural Promotion: mo hom heritage; Thung Hong community history.