About TonYon
What is TonYon
TonYon is a community-based tourism platform for Northern Thailand, bringing communities, shops, local masters (craftspeople), and events together in one place — so travellers can discover and support locals directly.
The name
“TonYon” is a Northern Thai (kham mueang) word meaning unhurried, slow. We want travel to be about staying a little longer and soaking it in — not rushing to check in and leave.
How it started
TonYon was inspired by the vision of Chatchawan Thongdeelert, the person behind the Long Him Kao community (San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai) and the Lanna Wisdom School. He pointed out that communities and their master craftspeople hold so much of value and so many stories, yet lack the tools to tell them to the outside world. So we began building TonYon — a place for communities to tell their own story, slowly and with dignity. Even the name “TonYon” comes from “Kad Ton Yon”, Long Him Kao’s annual Yi Peng event.
What we don’t do
There is no payment system on the platform. A booking is an expression of interest; you contact and pay the shop or host directly — so income reaches the community in full.
Maps
All maps use OpenStreetMap, open map data built by volunteers around the world.