Once a sleepy border town, Nong Khai has recently been transformed into one of the busiest commercial centers in the Northeast, partly because of the opening of the Friendship Bridge. The first bridge to span the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos, its construction in 1994 was a factor in an increase in trade between the two countries. Nevertheless, the town center retains much of its original charm, and Nong Khai’s main attraction for travelers is still its peaceful riverside character.
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3 km (2 miles) W on Kaeo Worawut Rd.
Praserm Rd.
TAT, Udon Thani Tel: (0-4232-5406).
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Nong Khai Festival (Mar), Bun Bang Fai (Rocket) Festival (May); Naga Fireballs (Oct).
Nong Khai’s streets and sois are lined with traditional wooden shop-houses. Its most vibrant neighborhood is around the Sadet riverboat pier, with its market and adjacent restaurants overlooking the Mekong River. A recent influx of prosperity in the town is made obvious by the burgeoning number of restaurants as well as modern shopping centers and banking facilities.
Relative peace and quiet on Nong Khai’s Meechai Street
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This market remains the focus of lively, local trade carried out between Thailand and Laos. Reciprocal visa arrangements allow merchants from either country to visit Vientiane or Nong Khai for up to three days. Merchandise that can be bought at the market includes clothing, pots and pans, foodstuffs, pestles and mortars, fishing nets, and tables woven from bamboo.
The Prap Ho Monument, a symbol of municipal pride, was built to honor those who held off Ho Chinese invasions in 1855 and 1877. Built in 1886, and bearing Thai, Lao, Chinese, and English inscriptions, it is the site of annual celebrations on March 5.
Along Prajak Road, visitors can pay a call at the Village Weaver shop, where traditional silk weaving is carried out. The factory/shop specializes in mut mee , the name given to a method of tie-dying used in the Northeast. It was established as part of a program to encourage local girls to stay and work in Nong Khai, rather than moving to larger urban centers such as Bangkok. There is also a market on Prajak Road, to the rear of the bus station.
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The temple buildings and chedi of Wat Si Muang are Lao in style. The wat has an ornate shrine at the main entrance, cluttered with Buddhist merit offerings. Wat Si Muang is one of many such temples that line the main Meechai Road leading west toward Wat Pho Chai.
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The newly restored and somewhat gaudy Wat Pho Chai lies in the southwest of the city, adjacent to a street market of the same name. Its main chapel sports imposing naga balustrades and a pair of roaring lions at the top of the entrance stairs, protecting the highly revered Luang Pho Phra Sai Buddha image housed inside. This solid gold Buddha with a ruby-studded, flame finial was originally molded in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang. It later resided in Vientiane. In 1778 it was taken by Prince Chakri, later Rama I (1782–1809), following the first Thai invasion of Laos. As he attempted to ferry it across the Mekong, it fell into the river and, according to legend, miraculously resurfaced. After it had been rescued it was placed in Wat Pho Chai. Murals in the temple give a pictorial account of this story.
Apart from its major sights, Nong Khai has a number of minor wats worth a visit. All of them have Lao-influenced architecture and include Wat Haisoke, Wat Lamduan and Wat Si Sumang , which all offer views of the Mekong River, and Wat Si Khun Muang .
Though always a major crossing point for tourists and traders bound for the Lao capital of Vientiane, Nong Khai gained significance as a commercial border post with the opening of the Friendship Bridge in 1994. Built with Thai, Lao, and Australian cooperation, it links Ban Chommani on the western outskirts of Nong Khai to Tha Na Laeng on the opposite bank, some 20 km (12 miles) from Vientiane. By the foot of the bridge, on the Thai side, is a stretch of sand known as Chommani beach, a popular spot for picnicking Thais during the dry season, when the waters of the Mekong River are low.
Closer to the town center is the Lao chedi of Phra That Nong Khai , which collapsed into the Mekong River in 1847. Over the years it has slowly drifted farther and farther into the middle of the river to the point where it can now be seen only when the water is low.
By far the most unusual site of interest at Nong Khai lies some 5 km (3 miles) to the east of the town. Wat Khaek , also known as Sala Kaew Ku, was founded in 1978 by the charismatic Luang Pu Bunleua Surirat. This Thai-Brahmin shaman allegedly trained under a Hindu guru in Vietnam, moved on to Laos, and was then forced to Thailand by the hostile attentions of the Pathet Lao. Wat Khaek is essentially an open-air theme park of enormous, concrete Hindu and Buddhist sculptures.
Among the giant gods, saints, and demons that are depicted here are Rahu, the god of eclipses and, tallest of all, a 25-m (82-ft) high seven-headed naga with a tiny Buddha seated on its coils. The atmosphere of a walk through this eccentric collection of images is intensified by incense and piped music. The shrine building is an exhibition hall on two floors that contains, among other things, numerous photographs of the Luang Pu or “Venerable Grandfather.” He is said to have such charisma that anyone drinking holy water offered by him will immediately donate all their belongings to the temple.
Stone Hindu Buddhist statues at Wat Khaek, Nong Khai
