Nong Khai Attractions & Best Things To Do in 2024

-- Last Updated on February 29, 2024 by Jonesy

There are various things to do in Nong Khai to keep travellers in the flow and rhythm of visiting the wonderful land of smiles – Thailand.

It could be a night or so relaxing near the mighty Mekong River and enjoying the fantastic sunsets that are needed, or you may need to balance chilling out with a few things to do.

Beautiful Sunset On Mekong River In Nong Khai

Pick yourself a free map up from your hotel or guesthouse when you arrive. If you’ve got a guidebook, that’s likely to be better than the one I picked up (it was better than a compass, though) –before I got to know Nong Khai very well after many visits.

Nong Khai Attractions

While the northeastern city of Nong Khai does not have the attractions like Bangkok, Chiang Mai or other places have – its wonderful relaxing vibe is endearing, and there are enough things to do in Nong Khai city and province (the best attractions are outside the main town area) to keep the traveller on their toes.

Temples

Riding or walking along the riverside promenade will probably give you enough temples for the day. Wat Pho Chai, Sala Keoku Park (5km out), Phra That (other end of the Rim Khong) and Wat Lam Duan (big Buddha on the chapel) are popular. Nong Khai Temples »

Sala Keoku Snake Heads Sculpture In Nong Khai

Sala Keoku Park

Sala Keoku park is well worth a visit which is about 5km outside the main tourist area. Small, short, long and tall Buddhist sculptures surround the unique park. You can take a tuk-tuk here from the town or even better – hire a 60 THB cycle and ride out Sala Keoku Park »

Aquarium

Only 6 km from the Issan Rum Distillery is the aquarium, with many species of fish to view. Maybe not the world’s greatest aquarium but worth a visit. Nong Khai Aquarium »

Museum

While the museum in Nong Khai is not the most extravagant of museums, it’s situated within the main tourist and provides pictures and artifacts about the history of Nong Khai. Nong Khai Museum »

Cycling & Hire

Hire a 60 THB bicycle, and get yourself a map to enjoy visiting the temples and riding down the promenade. Nong Khai is very bicycle-friendly and safe, unlike the bigger cities. Bicycle Hire & Cycling in Nong Khai »

Tha Sadet Market

The Tha Sadet market might be worth visiting. It’s quite good for picking up cheap t-shirts and other items. Plenty of bits and bobs, plus a lot of tacky stuff, but you might find some useful items. Tha Sadet Market »

Saturday Night Market

Every Saturday the Nong Khai promenade has a night market which is lively, colourful and entertaining. Fortunately, I arrived on Saturday and was unaware of the night market and pleased when I found out it was on. Nong Khai Saturday Market »

Issan Rum Distillery

A great place tucked away a few kilometres from the city and worth a visit…, especially for those who are a fan of the booze. Issan Rum Distillary »

Tobacco Farms

Further out of Nong Khai town (about 30km) is the beautiful tobacco fields that are farmed from Jan – March each year. Nong Khai Tobacco Farms »

Nong Thin Park

Nong Thin public park is about 2.5 km from the Tha Sadet Market. It’s not going to wow travellers, but it’s worth a mention. Nong Thin Park in Nong Khai »

Riverfront

Along the Nong Khai riverfront and promenade is the best attraction of all. Its relaxed vibe is endearing and the sunsets are very special. Nong Khai Riverfront »

Day Trip – Wat Pa Phu Kon & Wat Pha Tak Suea (skywalk)

Two places well worth a visit if you can spare a day and don’t mind paying for transport is Wat Pa Phu Kon & Wat Pha Tak Suea (skywalk).

Wat Pa Phu Kon and Wat Pha Tak Suea both have wonderful views of the mountains and Tak Suea has a skywalk while Pha Phu Kon is just a uniquely beautiful temple, and its surroundings.

Khun Deun from the Rim Guesthouse drove me on a day trip that included both these temples and another, Wat Hin Mak Peng. Was well worth the trip and one of the highlights of this visit.

You could hire a car for this trip and will only cost around 1000 THB.

More Attractions Outside The Town

The best of the attractions are further out of town. Here are the best within the province and going into the province of Udon Thani.

Wat Pa Phu Kon

Wat Pa Phu Kon, also known as the forest temple is an outstanding place situated in the province of Udon Thani, but slightly closer to Nong Khai. Wat Pa Phu Kon……

Wat Pha Tak Suea

Wat Pha Tak Suea (skywalk) is located within the beautiful mountainous and forest areas of the Nong Khai province in Thailand. Wat Pha Tak Suea »

Wat Hin Mak Peng

Wat Hin Mak Peng was really an add-on to the Pha Tak Suea and Pa Phu Kon trip, but still a great temple, especially the surroundings. Wat Hin Mak Peng »

Phiang Din (Caves)

Another gem in the Nong Khai province is the Naga caves. It is well worth a visit and about 80 km from the town. Phiang Din Naga Caves »

Phu Phra Bat

Phu Phra Bat is an excellent historical park that’s within the Udon Thani province, but closer to Nong Khai town then Udon town. Rock formations and thousands of year-old paintings are the attraction here. Phu Phra Bat »

2 or 3 Days Itinerary

Here’s a put-together itinerary for those seeking some ideas for a couple of days in Nong Khai.

Day 1 – Get booked in to the hotel and hire a bicycle, then grab yourself a map. Ride around the river front and grab a bite to eat, and or a beer. After about 5 pm it’s worth going down the riverfront promenade to see the sunset. The further down the promenade you get the more beautiful the sunset is. For me, the view of the sunset makes Nong Khai worth staying at for that reason alone.

Day 2 – Visit Sala Keuku on a bicycle, or if the heat and riding are too much you can get a tuk-tuk. If you do this in a tuk-tuk then you only need up to 2 hours, including getting there. It’s best to go quite early to avoid as much heat as possible.

The afternoon could be spent visiting a couple of the popular temples and taking a look around the Tha Sadat Market.

In the evening, it’s worth checking out Dee Dee Pochana restaurant if you like good Thai/Chinese food or any of the restaurants (see Nong Khai restaurants here) down this street (Prajak Road). There are also good street food vendors along this road.

Dee Dee is very close to Soi Nitapat where the most western bars are if you fancy checking it out for a beer after, or head back to the riverfront for a quiet beer or to relax.

Day 3 – If you like the look of the trip I did to Wat Pa Phu Kon and/or the other two beautiful places this would take up the best part of the day. It’s a really good trip and quite unique. In the evening I would do the same as day two, which is go and eat and maybe have a beer, of course.

If you’re only staying 2 nights you may want to do the Wat Pa Phu Kon outing on day two if it’s something you would like to see. The other temples of Nong Khai and the market can be found everywhere in Thailand, although you might want to fit Sala Keuku on day one when you arrive and take a tuk-tuk ride.

Those are just a few tips, and I am sure there are other things you could do. You could just relax, eat and have a beer…….as Nong Khai and its Mekong river sunset are perfect for it, and do little else.

Jonesy

I’m Jonesy. The one responsible for whole lot of things including having this Thailand site up and running. I first arrived in Thailand in 2008 and being a web developer it made sense to create a website and write some stuff about my second home. Enjoy your travels!