Nong Khai is the provincial capital of Nong Khai Province in the north-eastern Isaan region of Thailand. The city lies on the western bank of the Mekong river, only 20km from Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Nong Khai is a sleepy Thai town with strong Lao influences, and is home to small Chinese and Vietnamese communities as well.

 

Nong Khai has one sight that should not be missed - Sala Kaew Ku (also known as Wat Khaek), located 6km east of Nong Khai on Highway 212. The handiwork of the mystic Luang Pa Bunleua Sulilat, this park has massive, bizarre sculptures (some over 20m tall) that synthesize Buddhism, Hindu and Confucianist ideologies; Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, naga snakes and all sorts of human-animal hybrids dominate the scenery.