Only 60 km from Chiang Rai is the the small town of Chiang Saen situated on the banks of the Mekong River. Here the visitor can view the ruins of past eras and those from the Kingdom of Chiang Saen, which was founded by Saenphu, the nephew of King Mengarai, the original founder of Chiang Rai itself. Today the area is renowned for its beautiful mountains and accompanying scenery as well as its historical past. Just south of the Golden Triangle tourist hell hole is Chiang Saen, a quiet and very historic town that sits by the Mekong River and was once an independent kingdom. Archeological finds in the area have placed development here in prehistoric times. More recent communities have been placed in the region of the 13th to 14th Centuries when one of the sons of King Mangrai, Saen Pu, on his father's orders commenced construction of a walled city with the Maekhong River being one of those borders.