Hi Everyone,

I have been travelling to Mukdahan for 6 years and we have now built a home some 30 kilometres away.

Over the past 2 years ive noticed massive growth and investment around this city. Property prices have shot through the roof, land prices are as expensive as real estate at beach resorts.

there is talk of an airport within 2 years, there is a massive temple being built on the hillside overlooking Mukdahan,

In the city itself there are apartments shops superstores popping up everywhere. I know its a Visa Run border town into Savanakhet laos but there seems to more to it than this.

Can anyone enlighten me as to why such a sudden increase of investment here?/

Craig

Ask the head man from Bangkok about the mega billion baht railroad from Mukdahan to Tak and then you might get the idea.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Transport-mega-projects-set-to-stimulate-urbanisat-30250678.html

Other articles in the Bangkok Post can not post. You will have to use google.

Look in the parking lots of the big shopping areas and count the number of cars from Laos, and you have your answer.

The City of Mukdahan has tripled in size over the last 14 years. This has resulted from the Bridge over to Laos and the advent of ASEAN which is about a year away. There has been a lot of Foreign Investment in the area with Factories and Hotels going up in droves. 10 Years ago land on the Rivers edge was 1 Million Baht per Rai, now you will pay 10 times that. I know of 2 Nan on the river that has an asking price of 16 Million, ridiculous but there is not much land left available so the prices keep rising. Recently in the city, 1 Nan sold for 10 Million. I have had a couple of High Ranking Thai Officials recently tell me that they think Mukdahan will be like Pattaya within 5 years but not for Western Tourists, it will be Asian Tourists here which is currently the case as we have heaps of Tourist Buses in Mukdahan daily. The problem is that there is no control or planning for where these buses can park. Maybe when the New Bus Station is established something or someone will make some provision for this but it is doubtful. There is also a lot of Bangkok money being invested in land here so the prices will I think will continue to rise for some time yet for land in the right position.

all those tour bus's you see parked down town are bring tourists to shop

at the indo-china market by the river

most tour bus's are gone by 5:00pm,plus they also bring kids from the out laying villages to see the big city

but with more tourists the price of goods go's up,couple of years ago you could find some good deals

not any more