Mukdahan

[macb]

I am interested if anyone has been there or stayed there, are there any Farangs living in the area:

[peter991]

Sounds like a nice part of the world. A few links for anybody interested in Mukdahan.

1) Wikipedia definition

2) Issan - sawadee.com

3) Official Thai government Mukdahan homepage (in Thai)

4) Thai Students guide to Mukdahan (worth reading)

Peter

[macb]

Thanks for the links most of them I research already :

Really after some personal experiences or visits thanks again

[stickman]

Have visited Mukdahan and found it a bit quiet, bland and generally lacking any sort of character.

In that area, the province to the north, Nakhon Phanom, is nicer, prettier, has a nice square with a bunch of restaurants and bars in the town centre and it generally struck me as a more inviting place.

[ray23]

Well far from an expert but have visited there and really thought it was a neat little town, and people were very friendly. Definetly a place I woudl visit again. But then I felt the same way about Roi Et and NKP as well. But I don't think any of them are overloaded with farrangs. Or farrang estblishments, isn't Mukdahan a crossing point for Lao now?

Unfortunatley as to farrang amenities and still an Issan atmosphire Udon is really very hard to beat.

We were on a ride with a guy who lives in Khan Kean today and he remarked how different Udon wa as far as farrang gaterhing locations.

But still those three towns really stand out to me.

[permanent_disorder]

was travelling there and through.

had the best larb muu in my life there, will never forget that but it's also the only thing i remember.

ohh, there was a market with some kind of things you will find only in bordertown markets. they had even bohemian/czech crystal glass (or a chinese copy of that?)

[seonai]

Yes it's the crossing point for Savannaket in Laos - from where you can take a bus to Hue in Vietnam quite easily

[wilbur4343]

Yes it's the crossing point for Savannaket in Laos - from where you can take a bus to Hue in Vietnam quite easily

Thai GF lives in Kalasin, did a trip to Mukdahan approx 12 months ago, rainy day so didnt stay that long, had a good feed of fish along river, went to market along river, wife was paying extra care to security not sure why, i was not allowed to carry wallett in back pocket. Quiet a few farang around market area, did not see any bars or farang areas. I though it was a place i could stay a couple of days, gf not too keen, recently found out why, x farang boyfriend lives in area.

Seonai

I have spent approx 1 month in Kalasin area every 12 months over last 3 years, likely Thai gf will move to Australia shortly. I am keen to do a trip to Hue from Mukdahan one day. Have you actually done this from Mukdahan, what was approx time it took and how was the bus trip, ie air condition and how was the roads.

Any advice appreciated.

[Xangsamhua]

Nice place. You can sit on the terraces and look across the river to Laos. Good food market in the evenings. The Indochina Market is good for those who like general markets. Nice to hear everyone speaking Lao. I asked a grade 5 student (friend's niece) from a village outside Mukdahan what language the teacher speaks to them in. She said "Thai, but if we don't understand she explains it in Lao". It's a far cry from Bangkok.

[paulmw]

I am interested if anyone has been there or stayed there, are there any Farangs living in the area:

Live here on & off for 4 yrs, Ok quiet & clean but that's the way I like it.

Yes a few falangs here mostly married to local girls no areas for falangs. (BARS)

Not much English spoken here.

Work very little if any.

Paul

[seonai]

Wilbur - cross at Mukdahan to Savannakhet and then take a bus/song thaew to the border crossing into Lao Bao in Vietnam - about 3 or 4 hours (??). Then take a train from Lao Bao to Hue. Roads okay. There is a thread about this somewhere in Thai Travel but I can't find it

[oceanrover]

Thanks for the links most of them I research already :

Really after some personal experiences or visits thanks again

Hey Mac,

I was up there last year and found it to be rather quiet compared to even Ubon. Noi's best friend is from there and her father is here now helping them with a start-up restaurant. I am sure that I can hook you with a tour guide or place to stay if you get up that way. We setup Noi's brother with a Pharmacy a few minutes south of town on the river as well this last year. Let me know if you need anything from this side of the pond as Noi is heading back over on 2 weeks to see her ill father.

Cheers.

Mike in Seattle

[citizen33]

Just got back from an overnight stay yesterday and thought this was a nice little town. The central area near the Ploy Palace Hotel has quite a few modern shops and some okay restaurants. Nearer the river there are one or two farang-oriented restaurants - Mumsabai was one that sticks in the mind. I did not see too many bars apart from a few offering karaoke. The Ploy Palace also has a more upmarket karaoke bar, though I did not have time to explore. There are boats across to Laos and the Friendship Bridge 2 is about 15 kilometres north. I heard that the crossing rules are quite strict here (all children have to have copies of birth certificates) and that there is a looser regime at the crossing near Nakon Phanom. There is a nice central park with a lake and the area around the river and the Indochina market has had quite a lot of investment in paving stones and so on. My initial impression was that I preferred the town to Nong Khai - though this may be overhasty. About 30 kilometres north there is a nice resort on the river, with an area of large bolders which one can walk out on, fish from and so on. I didn't really register the spelling but I think the place is called Keung Ka Bao. It is true that the general scenary gets better a little further north. While the west-east 2042 coming across from Somdet is rather flat and uninteresting, the west-east roads further north pass though various hills, and in places snake around quite dramatically. Would be interested in further reports from locals.

Edited January 4, 2008 by citizen33

[kalasin]

I have been visiting two times with my thai family. We go by a minivan and both time we have stopped at a restaurant that is build on the riverside.

It is fantastic to sit there in the afternonn/evening looking at the river.

And then it mayby not be isaan-cheap, but farang cheap it is.

Can recommend it!