Nong Khai

Introducing Nong Khai

Spread out along the leafy banks of the Mekong River, Lady Luck certainly smiles on the location. As a major staging post on the tourist trail north, Nong Khai benefits from a steady stream of travellers, and a clutch of excellent places to stay and eat have sprung up to accommodate them, making this the only Isan town with a full-fledged backpacker scene; albeit a modest one. But Nong Khai’s popularity is about more than just its proximity to Laos and bounty of banana pancakes. Seduced by its dreamy river views, sluggish pace of life and surrounding attractions, many who mean to stay a day end up bedding down for many more.

Developers have stuck their concrete boots into some of the city’s prettier historic districts, but compared to Udon Thani and Khon Kaen further south, Nong Khai has managed to keep at least one of its feet firmly rooted in the past. Cut through with a sprinkling of French colonial villas and a starburst of wats, time, like the Mekong, appears to flow a little more slowly here.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009