Muang Sing

Muang Sing or Mueang Sing (Lao: ເມືອງສີງ) is a small town and district (muang) in Luang Namtha Province, northwestern Laos, about 60 kilometres northwest of the town of Luang Namtha and 360 kilometres northwest of Vientiane. It lies very close to the border with Yunnan, China, surrounded by mountains and rivers. Historically, Mueang Sing has been a major producer of opium and still has problems with drugs and smuggling, due to its geographical position close to China and Burma. A notable Buddhist centre, with a dramatic growth in temples since the 1980s, it is popular with trekkers in northern Laos.