Khon Kaen - everyone likes it !

[indyuk]

Great thread. I am contemplating a move after ten year in the south and until now ten years on the eastern seaboard of Thailand. KK sounds like a good option. So far I had my focus on Udon and Non kai. Some more research required I think.

[krisb]

KK is awesome. I've congratulated them on an earlier thread on here and seems I'm not alone on my thinking. Most noticeable are nearly no tourists, great nightlife in fantastic bars that have great atmosphere that seems to be almost a KK type atmosphere, live music, young hip crowd likely thanks to the uni?? ,the best night market in Thailand called Ton Tann(youtube it), lovely well priced hotels, and everythings cheap, typically cheap Isaan prices. It's a well equipped modern vibrant city that has continued to fly under the radar. I hope that continues.

The KK residents are thinking shutup krisb, we like it tourist free. Sorry guys, fair enough. I don't think things will change too much. It won't be a Phuket anytime soon. Personally it's my favourite city.

[Zodaka]

I bought a place here some years ago and really the only reason to come is to sit at home and enjoy my garden, read some books or watch Telly. The night life is too local, crowded and the people look down on foreigners more than in Udon. Its not a place to ventrue out alone. I actually find two weeks to be the max that I can stay here without feeling totally bored. I've come to appreciate Udon more than Khon Kaen as the people seem more friendly and liberal, and less discriminatory. The shopping is better in Udon in my view and the town's centre is easier to get around. On the plus side, they've got The Pullman's Hotel which has a very nice German restaurant although prices have about doubled over the past two years and little different to Bangkok (Ceasee salad is 300 baht). Roma Hotel beer garden is always good and cheap although only offers Asahi beer. Girlie places have reduced since I first came here more than a decade ago, while gay places get closed up within weeks by the police except for a sauna somewhere I'm told.

[Bpuumike]

Khon Kaen has the nicest hotel in Isaan in the Pullman.......also the Central Mall is nice to explore but for farang restaurants and bars and general nightlife and shopping,Udon is undoubtedly better.

Udon also has 3 nice lakes/parks in Nong Prajak,Nong Sim and Nong Bua which are nicer than Beung Kaen Nakhon in central Khon Kaen.

But Khon Kaen is OK for a few days break.

You are right about the hotel. The wife loves it for a 'romantic' weekend.

[Boo]

I like KK City because it is a real place with real people, no fake friendly grinning idiots being nice to you because they rely on you for a living. Which is likely the reason many other farang don't like it

If we ever get the chance to move back to Thailand KKC is where we will head, at my choice.

[JLCrab]

After living for years in Khon Kaen I use the same line regarding 'boredom' as I used while living in rural parts of USA:

If you don't bring it, it ain't there.

[Able]

We grew to love KK after staying in the Pullman - Raja Orchid hotel many times over past 12 or so years.

We moved up here into a place on the outskirts of the city a couple of years back, and we can honestly say we both love the place. It feels real to me, more like Thailand used to feel.

Fortunately boredom rarely affects us as we can always find something to do and the traffic of the city center is easily avoided where we are.

Central plaza is excellent and the odd bits and pieces we cannot get can always be picked up in Bangkok or Pattaya when visiting friends, or brought up to us by the friends when they visit us.

It might well be too quiet for many but we find the way of life up here perfect - so a big thumbs up from myself and the good lady.

[Totster]

It's much the same as any other city in Thailand, loads of concrete and one big traffic jam.

At least it does have some reasonably nice park and lake-side areas.

Exactly !

totster

[citizen33]

I have visited Khon Kaen for over 10 years as my main shopping centre, at least before some of the other provincial towns in central Isaan started to get their Makro, Tesco, Global House etcetera, and also somewhere to go for a night out around the bars. It is a big city with most of the facilities that you would expect. I'd say the main pluses are the best hospital, best university and best hotel (the Pullman) in Isaan. Some people will like Central mall, though I am not keen myself. The bars are variable: it is possible to have a good night out, but it doesn't always happen. To finish on a controversial note, I'd say Udon has more western-style bars, but Khon Kaen on average has the more attractive women - ducks for cover.

Edited October 7, 2013 by citizen33

[Travel2003]

Well, I live there, in Khon Kaen I mean.

I love it.

So free of tourists.

Please, keep it like that.

Thank you.

Let me guess.

You are one of the "old dogs" on the forum with the same name as the city, who shoot down each and every newbie?

[Uncle Pecker]

So bad. That's why Khon Kaen was chosen as one of the ASEAN Hubs for Thailand. Khon Kaen blows away many places in Isaan. Check the land prices there right now. Udon. Ubon, Korat, etc aren't even in the same league.

[Uncle Pecker]

I like KK City because it is a real place with real people, no fake friendly grinning idiots being nice to you because they rely on you for a living. Which is likely the reason many other farang don't like it

If we ever get the chance to move back to Thailand KKC is where we will head, at my choice.

Well said. I had my fill of the fake friendly grinning idiots you speak of in Korat. They are numerous and continue to polute the place. Khon Kaen really is a nice city and was my second choice before I moved to Hua Hin. If you can afford it and have a Thai wife, buy some land because it is going to sky rocket even more than it already has.

[Thai at Heart]

I like KK City because it is a real place with real people, no fake friendly grinning idiots being nice to you because they rely on you for a living. Which is likely the reason many other farang don't like it

If we ever get the chance to move back to Thailand KKC is where we will head, at my choice.

Well said. I had my fill of the fake friendly grinning idiots you speak of in Korat. They are numerous and continue to polute the place. Khon Kaen really is a nice city and was my second choice before I moved to Hua Hin. If you can afford it and have a Thai wife, buy some land because it is going to sky rocket even more than it already has.

Location location location.

It won't go much further. They will be selling the existing housing stock for a loooooong time

[Uncle Pecker]

The places around the big lake are nice. It's a good location with new developements coming up. The land is already going up in that area. The thing about Khon Kaen compared to other Isaan cities is that it seems to be more modern. I mean, they even have a nice airport. There is talk about Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) becoming the second biggest / popular city etc., but I don't see it. The airport is too far according to the Thais and it still has no flights in and our of it. It's useless. The retort is that Thailand is going to build a high speed train to connect Nakhon Ratchasima with Bangkok. They've been saying that for how many years now? Another nice thing about Khon Kaen is that it is centrally located.

[PREM-R]

Rough Guide said:

"At Isaan’s centre, KHON KAEN is the wealthiest and most sophisticated city in the northeast, seat of a highly respected university as well as Channel 5 and Channel 11 television studios. There’s a noticeably upbeat feel to the place, underlined by its apparently harmonious combination of traditional Isaan culture – huge markets and hordes of street vendors – with flashy shopping plazas and a world-class hotel. Its location, 188km northeast of Khorat on the Bangkok–Nong Khai rail line and Highway 2, makes it a convenient resting point, even though a startling modern temple and the provincial museum are the only real sights in town."

Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/thailand/northeast-isaan/khon-kaen/#ixzz2iPvxzYBY

[Uncle Pecker]

"Upbeat, sophisticated, harmonious." Describes the ambience of the place perfectly.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

and heaving with university girls.

[David48]

and heaving with university girls.

That's got to be a positive .. hasn't it ...

.

[MYKTHEMIN]

Not a patch on Udon Thani in my opinion.

[Jeffrey346]

I felt stigmatised and uncomfortable in Khon Kaen .

In Some ways you are right Goompa-- it is not what one would call a farrang friendly town---not that the people are unfriendly-- but compared to its neighbor Udon Thani ...which of course has a history of farangs station there for many years, even the infamous Air America flying out of there, many of those folks married in the 70s and now have / are returning to Udon many with adult age children , making it an Issan Town with a high level of English and acceptance of farang culture.

** KK is no where near the de-facto capital of the northeast---all the development is going on in Udon Thani, including the new university & the building of the high speed train station to china, U.T also has twice the population of KK.

You should get your facts straight prior to posting...

KK's population is:1,733,434..

Udon Thani is: 1,544,786

Khon Kaen is a regional center for education, financial institutions, government offices and transportation. The city is also an industrial center, especially for the region's silk trade, as well as an agricultural hub.^[1][2] Khon Kaen has played host to a number of regional conferences, such as the Asean Regional Forum and United Nations meetings.^[3] The Lao People's Democratic Republic maintains the office of Consulate-General on Phothisan Road.

Presently Khon Kaen is one of the major cities under Thailand's National Economic and Social Plan, along with Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chonburi. It is also the home of Rajamangala University and Khon Kaen University—the largest university in the Northeast, with a student population of around 25,000.

From what I understand, KK will become a major trading center and transportation hub. The Chinese Government has purchased 25 Rai of lake front property that will house the Chinese Consulate.

Thai Imergration has a very large office in KK. They are also Farang Friendly. Rarely a Visa problem.

The real difference between UT and KK is UT is over populated by Farangs.

KK is a good place to live if you want to enjoy life. Housing is still very affordable and the local price of goods is still much lower then many other cities.

[klikster]

Lots of building going on now. Not only people moving away from the floods, but houses that had to be torn down due to widening the rail bed for the railroad. The people got fairly generous compensation and are quickly buying land and building.

[richard_smith237]

I'll add my tuppence worth to this thread.

I was in Khon Kaen last week, I was also there for a few days 3 years ago - On both occasions I liked Khon Kaen.

As with visiting any new city we only see the surface and never get to see the idiosyncrasies and annoyances that a once scratched surface reveal.

The surface I saw was that Khon Kaen has a relaxed pace of life with some of the modern offerings we sometimes require. I can understand why its popular.

That said: I looked out of my hotel window and counted 6 large cranes - Khon Kaen is expanding rapidly and without planning and reasonable control will soon suffer the same debilitating congestion of the capital.

[Travel2003]

The traffic issues has already started here.

Already rush hours.

Same with no parking spots in the parking lots to the malls.

[JLCrab]

I live in the area due south of the airport. A 4-story condominium development is going in near my house -- they have just started construction and are now driving in the foundation pilings. I went into the office and asked how big are the smallest units at just under 1 million baht. 'All sold out' was his Thai reply. I asked are the people buying them all from Bangkok and he said Yes.

[Lancelot]

It's much the same as any other city in Thailand, loads of concrete and one big traffic jam.

At least it does have some reasonably nice park and lake-side areas.

I live 25 km north of Khon Kaen and was so pleased when they opened a Tesco-Lotus on the Northern outskirts. Now I hardly ever have to drive into Khon Kaen itself

I've been to Khon Kaen a couple of times, and while I can appreciate your comparison of aesthetics, I find the people to be more agreeable outside of the majot tourist ghettos