Must-see attractions in Udon Thani Province

  • Sunrise at the sea of red lotus, Lake Nong Harn, Udon Thani, Thailand.

    Red Lotus Sea

    Udon Thani Province

    You'll see pictures of the Red Lotus Sea (really, it's a pink water-lily lake) all over Udon as it's now one of Isan's top attractions, but few Westerners…

  • Phu Phrabat Historical Park

    Udon Thani Province

    Steeped in mythical intrigue and peppered with bizarre rock formations, Phu Phrabat Historical Park is one of the region’s highlights. The formations are…

  • Wat Pho Chai Sri

    Udon Thani Province

    With brightly painted statuary that's even more bizarre than Nong Khai's Sala Kaew Ku, this wát is a perfect add-on to Phu Phrabat if you have your own…

  • Ban Chiang National Museum

    Udon Thani Province

    This excellent museum, developed with some assistance from the Smithsonian Institution, exhibits a wealth of pottery from all Ban Chiang periods, plus…

  • Nong Prajak Park

    Udon Thani

    Udon's most popular park starts to rev up as the afternoon winds down. It's home to colourful attractions such as a giant Ban Chiang–style pot and a huge…

  • Kumphawapi

    Udon Thani Province

    Like a little Lopburi, this otherwise ordinary rural market town 50km southeast of Udon Thani has a troop of monkeys living alongside its human residents…

  • Udon Thani Thai-Chinese Cultural Centre

    Udon Thani

    This cultural centre features a gorgeous garden, a tea shop and the Moral Museum, which has excellent displays about the history of the Chinese community…

  • Udon Sunshine Orchid Farm

    Udon Thani

    The Udon Sunshine Orchid Farm, just northwest of town, earned fame for producing the first orchid-based perfume. It has since developed a hybrid of…

  • Wat Pho Si Nai Burial Site

    Udon Thani Province

    A 700m walk east of the Ban Chiang National Museum (turn left out of the museum and keep going), this is the largest of the burial grounds excavated in…

  • Wat Na Kha Taewee

    Udon Thani Province

    Wat Na Kha Taewwat pee was established by a wandering monk who found a hole from which bellowed the sound and smoke of a naga. He plugged the hole with a…

  • Sanjao Pu-Ya

    Udon Thani

    This large Chinese temple on the southern shore of Nong Bua lake attests to the wealth of the local Thai-Chinese community. At its heart, the Pu-Ya Shrine…

  • Prince Prajak Monument

    Udon Thani

    Udon Thani was founded by Prince Prajak, brother of King Rama V, and his name is attached to many spots in town, most notablly Nong Prajak Park. Many of…

  • Lak Meuang (City Pillar Shrine)

    Udon Thani

    Udon's city pillar is guarded by an impressive and fearsome-looking yaksa (giant) and protected by an ugly plastic case. The Chinese săh·lah alongside it…

  • Udon Thani Museum

    Udon Thani

    Filling a 1920s colonial-style building that used to be a girls' school, this museum has a fairly interesting catch-all collection ranging from geology to…

  • Sor Hong Daeng Ban Chiang Weaving Group

    Udon Thani Province

    This women's weaving group mostly makes indigo-dyed cotton fabric, including mát·mèe. Visitors are welcome. It's an 800m walk from the museum; turn left…

  • Wat Phothisomphon

    Udon Thani

    The centrepiece of this historic temple, founded during the reign of King Rama V, is a modern gold-and-grey chedi built to honour several revered monks…

  • Wat Tung Toomkam

    Udon Thani Province

    This small shady temple 700m southeast of the village features some curious Buddhist art, including many Buddhas covered with coins.

  • Ho Chi Minh Historical Site

    Udon Thani

    During 1928 and 1929, Ho Chi Minh used the jungle around Nong Hang village as one of his bases to train soldiers and rally Isan's sizeable Vietnamese…

  • Tai Phuan House

    Udon Thani Province

    About 300m southwest of the burial site (follow the signs for 'Phuan House which the King and Queen visited in 1972'), this traditional Isan house is…

  • Wat Pa Lelai

    Udon Thani Province

    This temple is 500m north of the burial site, across the little bridge. The awesome childlike murals in the white two-storey storage building at the back…

  • Fountain

    Udon Thani

    This fountain, only turned on in the late afternoon and early evening, lies at the centre of one of Udon's biggest roundabouts.

  • Clock Tower

    Udon Thani

    Udon's digital clock tower stands in the centre of a roundabout and is a useful landmark.