From memory Nong Khai used to be a bustling little town, with what seemed to be back then, always something happening in the area. There were a lot of tourists around the town then, albeit mainly backpackers, who obviously spent very little on accommodation, but did eat and drink well.

Guys that were coming to Laos for a visa run always stopped off for a night or 2 in town, which does not seem to be happening as much anymore. I find myself wondering, “What has happened to Nong Khai?” It’s always been called “sleepy”, even when it wasn’t really, but lately it’s almost as if it’s slipping into a coma.

I think that it is a combination of things that is detracting people from coming now, namely:
-- The recession
-- The fact that Thailand has been receiving bad press for a number of things over recent years, including: avian flu, swine flu, tsunamis, rip-off's (have you seen the series 'Big Trouble in Thailand'? If not, search YouTube and take a look.)
-- The fact that Nong Khai no longer has a decent listing in many travel guidebooks, i.e. Lonely Planet, etc.

The town still gets very busy on the weekends, but mainly from Laos people doing their weekly shopping run, from what I can gather. They come because the prices are a little lower here, and there’s more variety. Plus an excuse to pay thiaw of course! To go on a road trip across the bridge.

And because Nong Khai is a small town sandwiched between the river and the highway for the most part, it doesn’t take very much traffic to make it feel cramped and congested. Parking at the only superstore/mall in town is not for the faint of heart after noon on most days, not to mention the weekends. You won’t find many local expats there, then!

The places closing are mainly farang-orientated bars/restaurants/hotels; there are just too many around now, with not enough custom to be shared amongst them. The ones in prime locations always seem to do well, so don't need to advertise. And the ones that are in slightly obscure locations just don't have the money to advertise their business. There is an increasingly high turnover rate for these businesses.

So it's a Catch 22 scenario really. For instance, a French guy’s homestay in Kuan Wan Noi is up for sale; he has had it for years now, and it has always been pretty full most of the year, and from what I can ascertain now, he's been empty for quite a while.

What are its attractions? Well a number of things really, including the fact that it's one of the few larger towns that has remained relatively untouched and still retains it's true Thai identity, although it does have a number of other influences, including Lao, Vietnamese, Chinese and French.

There are quite a few nice to see places around the area: Sala Keow Ku, Phu To, Sangkhom's waterfalls, fishing villages, tobacco-making villages, and so on. There are a lot of things unique to Nong Khai that you wont find elsewhere.

So why the apparent morbidity? Or is it just me? What do you think?

My wife and I moved to Nong Khai almost three months ago and opened our business two months ago, we were told by several of the local ex-pats that it gets busier in Nong Khai in November.

If anything there seems to be fewer people around than ever.

I agree, Nong Khai really doesn't seem to get much more than 'it's on the way to Laos' in most travel guides.

But the question is, what can we, as the people here in Nong Khai do to change it?

Anyone got any ideas?

Some very good points made above.

I too can associate a number of the points raised from times gone by.

Ultimately, it is all down to promoting the attractions that are here, and trying to capture an audience that may at some stage be passing through Nong Khai either on their way to (or from) Laos or maybe contemplating a retirement or settlement here, and making them aware that there is a little more to the town than meets the eye.

Unfortunately, there seems to be very little in the way of interest nationally, either local or Western, unless there is a larger than normal event in town, i.e. Bang Fai Phayanak, which does bring tourists flocking in, although even this years event didn't seem to bring the crowds it had done in previous years.

Where I am based right next to the bridge, I see 1000's of people milling around every day, but very few have the inclination to stay.
So I have to say that it is all going to be about marketing the area and joint ventures with the local TAT office and trying to get local tour operators to try their bit in bringing some extra visitors into town.

I have tried to contact the Lonely Planet about local listings needing updating, but they didn't seem to responsive. perhaps if there was a number of enquiries/complaints then they might take more notice.

There is another thing to add, where else in the world can you get sunsets like this pretty much every day of the year?


I love it here!

Now that is what I call a sunset, we don't get too many like that around my area of the US, awesome!

I really hope that some of the points raised above do not go out of their way to spoil some of the better things in Nong Khai.

Gawd, I Think I've been here Toooooooooo Long,I remember when you hardly saw a car in NK,Only the odd Songtaew ferrying the kids to & from School,And it really WAS a pleasure walking around the town in those days,when even the motorcycles used the ROAD & NOT the Bloody Sidewalk !!

Another point. Maybe all the ex-pats that used to have to travel that way every 90 days as well as the annual interrogations, and now go to Udon and Khon Kaen just don't go that way anymore .
Go on . Blame the immigration .

Some very valid points there TB, but there is still a large number of visa runners crossing the bridge on a daily basis, but they just don't seem to want to stay in the area for some strange reason.

There always used to be new faces around town with people stopping over for a night or 2 before or after their crossing, but it just does not seem to happen so often now.