The market in Mae Sot town and Rim Moei Market next to the Thai side of the bridge are both vibrant, colourful and packed with products not widely available in the rest of Thailand. Indian and Burmese cloth and sarongs, wooden tools and souvenirs, jade and gems are just a small cross-section of what is on offer.
The Friendship Bridge is also a convenient option for foreign tourists with multi-entry visas needing to cross a border to activate second or subsequent entries. Mae Sot is not on the main north-south rail line, but is served by buses from Tak, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and even Mukdahan.
Mukdahan is right over on the opposite side of Thailand and the location of a Friendship Bridge spanning the Mekong River for Savannaket in Laos. Phet Prasert operates premium class buses on this route with services running twice a day in each direction. 12GO ASIA provides travellers with the means of buying tickets for this route online.
A border crossing where Thailand meets Myanmar
News in Asia
The town of Mae Sot is on the Thai side of the River Moei in the northwest of the country. The Friendship Bridge across the river here is a fairly busy trade link giving access to the Myanmar town of Myawaddy.