Visit Nong Khai, Isaan
The town of Nong Khai is mainly a transit point for journeys into Laos and further exploration of Isaan Province. There's a collection of surreal statues depicting scenes and characters from Hindu and Buddhist lore.

Sala Kaew Ku near Nong Khai
The town of Nong Khai is mainly a transit point for journeys into Laos and for further exploration of Isaan Province.
Once a provincial backwater, Nong Khai is now a busy commercial town, having grown in size and importance since the opening of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in the early 1990s. A few examples of French-Chinese architecture remain, bearing testimony to its former Laotian rule.
Hindu and Buddhist statues
Just outside of the town there is an interesting collection of imaginative statues built by Luang Pu Bunleau, who left Laos shortly after the Communist Revolution in 1975. The surreal statues depict scenes and characters from Hindu and Buddhist lore, the most impressive being a 25 metre-high Buddha seated on a coiled, multi-headed naga.
Nong Khai has also developed a reputation for serving some of the most authentic and delicious Vietnamese food in the region.
The town also has several comfortable hotels although unfortunately lack the character of our other options in Isaan.
Other places within Isaan
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- Established in 1961, this is Thailand’s oldest national park and is highly regarded by naturalists. There are some 200 wild elephants, as well as sambar and barking deer, gaur, wild pigs, bats, gibbons and macaques.
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- This small town is situated on a lush green peninsula at the confluence of the chocolate-brown Mekong and the deep blue Mun rivers. Here you can take boat or kayaks trips.
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- The countryside surrounding the town of Loei affords some pleasant and varied vistas. Phu Kradung National Park offers many walking trails and picturesque waterfalls.
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- Life in the town of Nakhon Phanom revolves around the Mekong. Highlights include Ho Chi Minh'a former hideout and the Loi Krathong festival, which marks the end of Buddhist lent.
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- Phanom Rung was erected as a Hindu monument between the 10th and 13th centuries and later additions to the site were made during Buddhist eras.
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- A two-hour drive north-east of the Khao Yai National Park is one of the oldest surviving Khmer temple sites in the area. This Hindu-Buddhist shrine pre-dates Angkor Wat, yet shares a number of stylistic attributes.
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- Phra Wihan, or Prear Vihear in Khmer, is set atop a 547 metre spike of the Dongrek mountains. This is one of the most astonishing religious monuments to be seen in Thailand.
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- Udon Thani is the gateway to northern Isaan with major attractions including the UNESCO World Heritage site at Ban Chiang. It has the reputation for being one of Thailand's cleanest cities.
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Nong Khai
View place- {10E50167-310E-4FB7-BFFC-7C3307095449}
- The town of Nong Khai is mainly a transit point for journeys into Laos and further exploration of Isaan Province. There's a collection of surreal statues depicting scenes and characters from Hindu and Buddhist lore.
- 17.8761111
- 102.7444444