Mae Hong Son

Thai tourists from Bangkok take a photo with one of the women at Huai Sua Tao.

Thailand’s ‘long neck villages’ aren’t just controversial tourist attractions — they’re homes and workplaces for refugees

Culture

In northwest Thailand, tourists flock to a village where ethnic Kayah women from Myanmar wear coiled brass rings to elongate their necks. Many of these women say it’s a reliable way to make money as undocumented refugees after fleeing conflict and marginalization back home.