28 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Roi Et has hundreds of local foreigners.... What, there are dozens of restaurants in Roi Et city.

There are two specific foreigner hangouts that supply English meals at any time.
 

2 reasons why I'd pick Chom Phae over Roi Et 

 

Though most would pick Roi Et, as misery loves company.   Probably a better option for a noob, till they realize ... avoid at all cost 

@Boxenluder

As an example, we have a home in Roi Et, Mueng District, Rop Mueng sub-district which is almost central to the town.
Large stores of all varieties, restaurants, main Government hospital, private clinics and the Immigration office all within a 10-minute drive.

 

We also have a second home in Roi Et Province, Phatumrat district, Sa Buha sub-district, which is 75Km from Roi Et city.
In contrast, the nearest 7/11 and PTT garage are 12Km away, the nearest towns for any major stores are Kaset Wissai and Phayakaphum Wissai, (Maha Sarakham Province) both approx 25Km away.

Play spot the foreigners.

On 7/26/2025 at 8:39 AM, Harrisfan said:

If it was me and you get free rent then Roi Et. Hire a car. Without a car either place will be boring in a week. 

Yep, car hire to get around would be convenient but a little expensive over a long time. 

 

I saw this tourist happy bus travelling around the lake and through town. 😊

 

 

4 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

@Boxenluder

As an example, we have a home in Roi Et, Mueng District, Rop Mueng sub-district which is almost central to the town.
Large stores of all varieties, restaurants, main Government hospital, private clinics and the Immigration office all within a 10-minute drive.

 

We also have a second home in Roi Et Province, Phatumrat district, Sa Buha sub-district, which is 75Km from Roi Et city.
In contrast, the nearest 7/11 and PTT garage are 12Km away, the nearest towns for any major stores are Kaset Wissai and Phayakaphum Wissai, (Maha Sarakham Province) both approx 25Km away.

Play spot the foreigners.

 

I think the house is in central Roi Et city/town, but I'll talk to my friend tomorrow and can provide the exact area.

21 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

What are you looking to do? The only Isaan city I enjoy for more than a week is Udon. It has plenty of things to do. Even Thais say cities like Roi Et and Nong Khai are boring. 

 

 Find a Thai wiphu, of course. 🫠

 

Just kidding. Will have to work most days and would mainly explore the area in my free time. As mentioned, I want to learn some Thai, hoping there's a language school in town or courses at Roi Et university (I know I know, people speak Isaan rather than Thai, but one has to start with something). Might also be a good way to meet people. 

 

Not a party animal, so I don't need much in terms of night life. I know it's hard to make friends with locals even if the language barrier wasn't a problem. But keeping expectations low, I'm still keen to give it a shot.

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

2 reasons why I'd pick Chom Phae over Roi Et 

 

Though most would pick Roi Et, as misery loves company.   Probably a better option for a noob, till they realize ... avoid at all cost 

You must bring sunshine to every place you leave.

Low expectations is the way to go. 

4 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I like Roi Et, I fly there most months. 

 

I've travelled and worked around Thailand, I'd say Roi Et city is one of the nicest cities in Thailand. 

Lake in the centre of the city.

 

Lots of trendy people exercising early morning and evenings around the lake. 

 

9 minutes ago, Boxenluder said:

 

 Find a Thai wiphu, of course. 🫠

 

Just kidding. Will have to work most days and would mainly explore the area in my free time. As mentioned, I want to learn some Thai, hoping there's a language school in town or courses at Roi Et university (I know I know, people speak Isaan rather than Thai, but one has to start with something). Might also be a good way to meet people. 

 

Not a party animal, so I don't need much in terms of night life. I know it's hard to make friends with locals even if the language barrier wasn't a problem. But keeping expectations low, I'm still keen to give it a shot.

You'll learn Thai a lot faster away from foreigner, as almost a necessity, especially when ordering food.   Locals are very helpful, away from tourist areas, or even areas with lots of expats.   Surely it's tiring dealing with jaded, miserable expats all day.

4 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

You must bring sunshine to every place you leave.

Just have no interest joining in with their misery and constant complaining.   

 

I live here to enjoy TH, not hear about what expats can't accept, even though they are not forced to live here, and have a hard time accepting they have to live with their really bad choices in life.

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Just have no interest joining in with their misery and constant complaining.   

 

I live here to enjoy TH, not hear about what expats can't accept, even though they are not forced to live here, and have a hard time accepting they have to live with their really bad choices in life.

I agree, there are a few foreigners living in Thailand who can bring you down, their constant moaning, complaining about Thailand, it can be very annoying. 

Saying that, I have many foreigners as friends in Thailand, good people. 

 

Roi Et is the best looking city in the country and home to some of it's best singers

6 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Just have no interest joining in with their misery and constant complaining.   

 

I live here to enjoy TH, not hear about what expats can't accept, even though they are not forced to live here, and have a hard time accepting they have to live with their really bad choices in life.

You've definitely been mixing with the wrong crowds.
I do generally find a lot of foreigners just damn right ignorant and miserable, though.
I think they must have been 55, still living at home with Mum and Dad, so they bought them a one way ticket to Thailand.   😁

I live in RoiEt.
I have no idea about the other place you mentioned to compare it, but RoiEt is a pretty nice small city.

If you were coming for 2 months, and from the sounds would be working online or similar during the day, it'd be a nice place to chill out.

- The lake in the center of town is a really nice place to chill out, or to go walking / running around.
- There are a couple of expat restaurants / hang outs right next to the lake with a stunning view.
- Speaking Thai is fine, everyone speaks Thai, many prefer to speak Isaan but everyone can speak Thai.
- As you'd expect, a decent amount of markets etc

There are a decent amount of sights to check out which aren't too far from the city:
- Huge standing Buddha in the town
- Wat Bua on the outskirts of town (very nice temple, not mind blowing though)
- RoiEt Tower is next to the lake and is shaped like a huge vode (folk musical instrument), it has amazing views & a zipline that goes from the tower to the park inside the lake.
- The park inside the lake is another great chill out zone, and there's a small aquarium next to the lake too.
- Maha Chedi Chaimongkun is in RoiEt Province, but quite a long drive, in my opinion it's one of the best pagodas in Thailand (Despite not being finished yet)
- 50km south of the city, in Kaset Wisai, there is Bung Jorakae Fishing Park (Crocodile Lake Fishing Park) which is pretty good if you enjoy Thai style fishing + it has a few extras (some semi-exotic animals for Thailand + prawn fishing + hotel + mini-aquarium + great restaurant).  It's worth a look.
- Near Kaset Wisai there are some Khmer Ruins in Ku Ka Singh.  They're not that impressive, but worth a look if you're in the area anyway.
- If you haven't seen Thai silk being hand woven before, they have hand looms near Ku Ka Singh you can visit while out there.
- If you've never been to the Thai countryside, and talk to some of the locals, you can likely get a tour of one of the farms
- If you wanted to go to a water park, there is one in RoiEt City which is ok, ok water slides but a lot of the pools are shaded so very cold.  At Samat (about 25km) has a big popular water park that also has a lot of restaurants for people to chill at while they swim.  Selaphum has a hotel, The Chic 101, which has a decent pool and a couple of water slides and is a generally really nice place to just chill out at.
- In Thawatburi (10-15km from the city) there is this big science place which has a variety of interesting science related stuff to check out.
- There's an interesting temple that's sorta near the army base which is quite cool, I can't remember much about directions to it though as it's been years since I went there.
- There is a Ratchabhat University, but it's about 25km out of town.  A few technical colleges in the city though.
- Kalasin Dinosaur Park is a fair drive, but definitely within range of a day trip (Kids do it as a school trip)
- On the road to Yasothon there's this giant toad which has a sorta educational area which is pretty interesting, lots of information about the Bang Fai festival's origins (Rocket Festival)
- Maha Sarakham (35km from RoiEt) is a university town, with 2x universities + 6x technical colleges.  If you want to do some study, you could maybe do a course via there rather than Ratchabhat RoiEt as it's a similar distance.
- Khon Kaen & Ubon Ratchathani are roughly a 2h 30m drive from RoiEt, so could be worth a weekend away if you're exploring.
- Nakon Ratchasima & Udon Thani are roughly a 3h 30m drive from RoiEt, so could be worth a weekend away if you're exploring.
- The other provinces within Isaan are mostly a similar or less distance.

Most of the stuff above isn't amazing, but if you're here for 2 months might be worth a look.  RoiEt is one of those places where it's nice to live here because it's a relaxed town with a decent amount of restaurants and places to hang out, but is still friendly, isn't super crowded, and doesn't have terrible traffic (Except when dropping kids off at school, as the 3x biggest schools are all practically right next to each other lol).  It has enough interesting things to do that people can be kept amused for a while I think, and is central enough within Isaan that you can travel to a variety of different places pretty easily, so is a good sorta home base.

On 7/25/2025 at 11:15 PM, Boxenluder said:

which place would you Isaan connoisseurs out there recommend?

none

9 hours ago, SlyAnimal said:

At Samat (about 25km) has a big popular water park that also has a lot of restaurants for people to chill at while they swim

Roi Et has a few water parks, Nakhon water park is awesome, lots of restaurants. 

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/vZrZojWN29RZ2xwN9

 

9 hours ago, SlyAnimal said:

Khon Kaen & Ubon Ratchathani are roughly a 2h 30m drive from RoiEt,

Great location, Roi Et seems close to everything 

 

On 7/25/2025 at 11:32 PM, Stuck in Thailand said:

I've just lost the will to live.

In either Roi Et or Chum Phae?

28 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Roi Et has a few water parks, Nakhon water park is awesome, lots of restaurants. 

This guy working at the restaurant not far from the water park hadn't seen a foreigner before, he ask my girlfriend if he could have a photo with me.

Thai people, so nice and friendly. 👍

 

 

On 7/25/2025 at 6:48 PM, biervoormij said:

I personally would not want to be in a rural setting for 2 months on my own. If it is Roi Et city it might be OK but would not want to do rural Roi Et. I would also check to make sure you will have AC and a normal toilet.  I would hate to stay 2 months in a place with a squat toilet. I would also recommend you have your own transport.

 

You do understand that Thai is not the 1st language in Isaan. I think everyone speaks and understands Thai but they will not be speaking Thai to each other so may not be the best place to learn Thai but would be great to learn Isaan. 

 

Hope you have a great time wherever you stay.

Thai is the first language in Isaan. The kids speak it at school, the locals listen to it on TV, the kids will speak it to each other. 

 

Some of the older locals will prefer to chat in Isaan Laos but that, sadly, is dying out. There will be no problems with learning Thai. 

 

Issan Laos and Thai are not totally different languages anyway. 

 

You use the term "Isaan" as a whole and then suggest the locals speak "Isaan". Do you know how many different languages there are in the region?

On 7/27/2025 at 7:32 AM, Boxenluder said:

 

 Find a Thai wiphu, of course. 🫠

 

Just kidding. Will have to work most days and would mainly explore the area in my free time. As mentioned, I want to learn some Thai, hoping there's a language school in town or courses at Roi Et university (I know I know, people speak Isaan rather than Thai, but one has to start with something). Might also be a good way to meet people. 

 

Not a party animal, so I don't need much in terms of night life. I know it's hard to make friends with locals even if the language barrier wasn't a problem. But keeping expectations low, I'm still keen to give it a shot.

You are going to be living alone. You have the best opportunity to learn to speak Thai the most effective way. Immersion. Get out and about. Go shopping, eat at food stalls or in restaurants. Speak to the locals. You can have your phone at hand to help translate. That's what I did. Within a few weeks you'll have a decent grasp of conversation. Don't bother with courses. They'll teach you grammatically. Too slow.

On 7/27/2025 at 12:43 PM, SAFETY FIRST said:

If you drive around the lake, past the tower, there's lots of Western and Thai restaurants.

 

This is a good Thai restaurant, not too far from the lake. That's my car (new Toyota) parked outside the Honda dealership.

I pick it up from the airport, 1000 baht a day.  

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xyUUJVcv5SCuG3oD7

 

 

 

 

 

 

"there's lots of Western and Thai restaurants."  Exactly how many Western restaurants do you think there are and are they all hidden from view?

30 minutes ago, jimgilly said:

Exactly how many Western restaurants do you think there are and are they all hidden from view?

I don't know how many, there are western restaurants, exposed, around the perimeter of the lake. 

 

 

2 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I don't know how many, there are western restaurants, exposed, around the perimeter of the lake. 

 

 

I think what you mean to say is there are many restaurants serving both Thai and foreign cuisines that foreigners often frequent around the lake.

On 7/27/2025 at 12:17 PM, Boxenluder said:

 

Sorry, should have clarified it would be the capitals. I wouldn't want to start my Isaan experience in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, though I know both towns aren't exactly big either.

one is a province  one is just an amphur

On 7/27/2025 at 1:51 PM, proton said:

Roi Et is the best looking city in the country and home to some of it's best singers

jintara for one     world class singer

On 7/25/2025 at 11:43 PM, KhunLA said:

Chom Phrae

Now i'm confused,     Chum Phae or Chompra one an amphur in Khon Kaen one an amphur in Surin 

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

I think what you mean to say is there are many restaurants serving both Thai and foreign cuisines that foreigners often frequent around the lake.

You asked how many are hidden. I don't know. 

 

There are many Western and Thai restaurants surrounding the lake. The western restaurant I see are exposed, not hidden 

 

11 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

jintara for one     world class singer

 

Lamyai also, been to JIntara's house in Kasetvesai many years ago.

40 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Now i'm confused,     Chum Phae or Chompra one an amphur in Khon Kaen one an amphur in Surin 

I was referring to the one West of KK and KK airport as I posted in one reply, about Greenleaf restaurant. 

 

West on highway 12 toward Phitsaulok.