Nong Khai province ( th, หนองคาย, ) was formerly the northernmost of the
northeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
(Isan)
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
(''changwat'') of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
until its eight eastern districts were split off to form Thailand's newest province,
Bueng Kan province
Bueng Kan ( th, บึงกาฬ, , ), also spelled Bung Kan, is the 76th province (''changwat'') of Thailand, established by the Act Establishing Changwat Bueng Kan, BE 2554 (2011) on 23 March 2011. The province, consisting of the districts ...
, in 2011. Nong Khai province lies in
upper northeastern Thailand. Nearby provinces are (clockwise, from the east): Bueng Kan,
Sakon Nakhon
Sakon Nakhon ( th, สกลนคร, ; sometimes written Sakhon Nakhon) is a city (thesaban nakhon) in Thailand within the Isan region, and capital city of Sakon Nakhon Province as well as Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, with a population of ap ...
,
Udon Thani
Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan (Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...
, and
Loei
Loei (; ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeast Thailand. Loei covers the whole ''tambon'' of Mueang Loei district and is the capital of Loei province. In 2017, Loei had a population of 21,013. Loei lies 545 km north-northeast of Ba ...
. To the north it borders
Vientiane province,
Vientiane Prefecture
Vientiane (or ''Viengchan'', Also known as ''Vientiane Prefecture'' or ''Vientiane Municipality'') ( Lao: ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ, ''Nakhônlouang ViangChan'') is a prefecture of Laos, in the northwest Laos. The national ...
, and
Bolikhamsai province of
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
.
Geography
The province is in the valley of the Mae Nam Kong (
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...
River), which also forms the border with Laos. There are highlands to the south. The total forest area is or 7.1 percent of provincial area.
The Laotian capital,
Vientiane
Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...
, is only from the provincial capital of Nong Khai. The
First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge
The First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge ( th, สะพานมิตรภาพ ไทย-ลาว แห่งที่ 1, ; lo, ຂົວມິດຕະພາບ ລາວ-ໄທ ແຫ່ງທຳອິດ, ) is a bridge over the Mekong, c ...
, which connects the two countries, was built jointly by the governments of Thailand, Laos, and Australia, and was opened in 1994.
Nong Khai is the smallest province in the northeastern after Bueng Kan and other seven districts became Bueng Kan province in 2011.
History
Over the centuries, control of the province swung between the Thai Kingdom
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
, and the Laotian kingdom
Lan Xang
existed as a unified kingdom from 1353 to 1707.
For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The meaning of the kingdom's name alludes to the power of the kingship and formidable war machine of the ea ...
, as their respective powers ebbed and flowed in the region.
The Prap Ho Monument in front of the historic city hall (now a museum and cultural center) memorializes the war dead of the
Haw wars
The Haw Wars ( th, สงครามปราบฮ่อ) were fought against Chinese quasi-military refugee gangs invading parts of Tonkin and the Siam from 1865–1890. Forces invading Lao domains were ill-disciplined and freely demolished B ...
.
In more recent years, Nong Khai has become a popular destination during the
Buddhist Lent
The ''Vassa'' ( pi, vassa-, script=Latn, sa, varṣa-, script=Latn, both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada practitioners. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July ...
festival when mysterious balls of light, or
Naga fireball
Naga fireballs ( th, บั้งไฟพญานาค; ), also known as ''bung fai phaya nak'' or "Mekong lights" and, formerly, "ghost lights" are a phenomenon said to be seen annually on the Mekong River. Glowing balls are alleged to natura ...
s, rise from the
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...
River. The balls resemble an orange sun. They rise out of the river approximately 6–9 meters (20 to 30 feet) and disappear after three to five seconds. Although the fireballs can be seen at other times, most Thais travel to see them during the full moon in October when the incidence of them is considered to be much higher.
Nong Khai's main sight is
Sala Keoku
Sala Keoku ( th, ศาลาแก้วกู่; ; , also spelled as Sala Keo Ku, Sala Keo Koo, Sala Kaew Ku, Sala Kaew Koo, Salakaewkoo, Sala Gaew Goo, Sala Kaeoku, etc. Alternative name: Wat Khaek) is a park featuring giant fantastic con ...
(alternatively spelled as
Sala Kaew Ku, also known as
Wat Khaek), a park of colossal sculptures, some over 20 m tall. The park is the handiwork of the mystic
Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat
Bunleua Sulilat (June 7, 1932 – August 10, 1996; often referred to as Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat; th, หลวงปู่บุญเหลือ สุรีรัตน์, , ; numerous variants of the spelling exist in Western languages ...
, who bought the land in 1978 when he was exiled from his native Laos, where he had built a similar park in Vientiane in the 1950s. Synthesizing
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and
Hinduist ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, a seven-headed
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
snake, and various human-animal hybrids dominate the site.
Notable figures from twentieth century Buddhist history have lived in Nong Khai—the world renowned Buddhist scholar and leading meditation teacher
Ajahn Sumedho
Luang Por Sumedho or Ajahn Sumedho ( th, อาจารย์สุเมโธ) (born Robert Karr Jackman, July 27, 1934) is one of the senior Western representatives of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was abbot of Amaravat ...
ordained in Wat Sisaket in Nong Khai.
Symbols
The
provincial seal shows a pond with a
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
clump close to it. The bamboo symbolizes stability, glory, and continuity for the peaceful and fertile land.
The
provincial tree is the tamalan or Burma pallisander (''
Dalbergia oliveri
''Dalbergia oliveri'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae which grows in tree form to 15 – 30 meters in height (up to 100 ft.). The fruit is a green pod containing one to two seeds which turn brown to black when ripe. It is thre ...
)''.
The provincial aquatic life is the seven-striped barb or Jullien's golden carp (''
Probarbus jullieni'').
Administrative divisions
Provincial government
![Amphoe Nong Khai renumbered](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Amphoe_Nong_Khai_renumbered.svg)
As of 23 March 2011, the province is divided into nine districts (''
amphoe
An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...
s''). The districts are further divided into 62 subdistricts (''
tambon
''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...
s'') and 705 villages (''
muban
Muban ( th, หมู่บ้าน; , ) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74,944 administrative mu ...
s''). The eight districts of
Bueng Kan
Bueng Kan ( th, บึงกาฬ, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in Mueang Bueng Kan district, in Bueng Kan province, far northeastern Thailand. It is the district capital and is on the Mekong River, opposite the Laotian town of Pakxan of ...
were districts of Nong Khai before they were split off to form Bueng Kan province.
#
Mueang Nong Khai
#
Tha Bo
#
Phon Phisai
#
Si Chiang Mai
#
Sangkhom
#
Sakhrai
#
Fao Rai
#
Rattanawapi
#
Pho Tak
Local government
As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Nong Khai Provincial Administration Organisation (') and 19 municipal (''thesaban'') areas in the province. Nong Khai and Tha Bo have town (''
thesaban mueang
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
'') status. Further 17 subdistrict municipalities (''
thesaban tambon
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
''). The non-municipal areas are administered by 48 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (''ongkan borihan suan tambon'').
Transport
Air
The nearest airport is
Udon Thani International Airport
: ''For the United States use of the facility during the Vietnam War see Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base''
Udon Thani International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี) is an international airport near the c ...
, 56 km from Nong Khai.
Rail
![Nong Khai Railway Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Nong_Khai_Railway_Station.JPG)
The main railway station in Nong Khai is
Nong Khai railway station
Nong Khai railway station is a railway station located in Mi Chai Sub-district, Mueang Nong Khai District, Nong Khai Province. It is a class 1 railway station located from Bangkok railway station.
History
Originally, Nong Khai railway statio ...
. This station can be considered the destination of the Upper
Northeastern Railway Line (only in Thailand's area).
Road
The
Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge was largely funded by a gift to the Lao government from the Australian government. It is the road and railway gateway to Laos's capital,
Vientiane
Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...
( upriver), on the north bank opposite the Thai town of
Si Chiang Mai District
Si Chiang Mai ( th, ศรีเชียงใหม่, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in the western part of Nong Khai province, northeastern Thailand. It may also be spelled Sri Chiang Mai.
History
Si Chiang Mai district was established by Kin ...
. Construction of a rail spur to
Thanaleng
Thanaleng station, also known as Dongphosy station (''Ban Dong Phosy'' in Lao), is a railway station in Dongphosy village, Hadxayfong District, Vientiane Prefecture, Laos. It is east of the Lao capital city of Vientiane and north of the Lao-Th ...
outside of Vientiane was begun early-2007 and officially opened 5 March 2009.
Nong Khai is 626 km north of Bangkok and 60 km north of Udon Thani.
Human achievement index 2017
The
Human achievement index
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
(HAI), a composite index covering eight key areas of human development, has been tracked by
(NESDB) since 2017.
References
External links
*
Provincial websiteNong Khai Travel Guide
{{Coord, 17, 52, 5, N, 102, 44, 40, E, type:adm1st_region:TH, display=title
Isan
Provinces of Thailand
Populated places on the Mekong River