Nong Khai, Is It Worth A Visit?

[Jingthing]

I'm looking for a Laosy experience without leaving Thailand.

Is Nong Khai worth a visit just for itself, without crossing the border?

Also, flying into Udon Thani, what are the transport options to get to Nong Khai vs. the Friendship bridge?

[numpty]

I'm looking for a Laosy experience without leaving Thailand.

Is Nong Khai worth a visit just for itself, without crossing the border?

Also, flying into Udon Thani, what are the transport options to get to Nong Khai vs. the Friendship bridge?

i like nong khai. it s a place i ve always meant to spend time in but end up using it just to cross the bridge.

more here

mutmee guest house is on a great spot and reasonable food. yep, lovely laid back place

[Soju]

Nong Khai doesn't feel very 'Laosy' to me. Certainly it's better than Bangkok in that respect, but still the differences of being just across the river seem almost like night and day to me. I still like Nong Khai, but it's definitely still 100% Thailand with lots of Lao people mixed in. Laos is a very poor country and even though Nong Khai is in Issan, one of the poorest regions of Thailand, it's still very rich compared to even Vientiane in Laos.

To get there from Udon Thani airport...as you walk out of baggage claim, look just to the right of the main exit to the outside. There's a combination left luggage / limousine (van service) facility there which has direct service to I believe both Nong Khai and to the Friendship Bridge. I don't remember the cost now, but it's pretty cheap. A better option than going into town and getting the bus to Nong Khai, IMHO. If you're overnighting in Udon, I'd recommend staying at the Charoensri Grand Hotel, which is the best hotel in Udon and has free van service from the airport. From there you can walk about 5 minutes to the bus station for a bus to Nong Khai. The bus station is just beyond the Robinsons shopping center and the 4-way intersection, next to a 7-11. Buses leave regularly, approximately every hour or so for Nong Khai.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Soju

[bmanly]

I'm looking for a Laosy experience without leaving Thailand.

Is Nong Khai worth a visit just for itself, without crossing the border?

Also, flying into Udon Thani, what are the transport options to get to Nong Khai vs. the Friendship bridge?

Jingthing I would visit anywhere in Thailand just for the experience. Nong Khai to me is a nice town, quite clean and well laid out. It is of course on the Mekong River which gives you stunning views and great pictures in the evening. I think it is well worth the visit. The friendship bridge is the crossover bridge to Laos, it is used for border formalities and travel back and forth to Laos only. It's not worth going there other than to do either of those. The banks of the the Mekong river in Nong Khai gives you better photo shots and you can take photos of the Friendship bridge from there.

From Udon Thani I would just take a bus, but I enjoy that. If you don't want that option I would suggest Soju's advice from the airport.

Nong Khai is laid back, clean, mostly friendly, great markets and well worth a visit.

Here's a couple of my photos, cheers.