The Khamriang campus is the larger of Mahasarakham University's two sites, built from scratch in the 1990s on what was open paddy nine kilometres north of the downtown campus. Brick administration buildings, lecture halls, and student halls of residence sit among artificial lakes and grass squares; the land beyond the perimeter is still rice fields, and on weekday mornings you can watch farmers plough behind buffalo within sight of the engineering faculty.
The campus is not a "sight" in any tourist sense, but it is one of the most striking expressions of modern Isan in the country: a state university dropped into a working agricultural landscape, with 30,000 students from villages across the northeast feeding into it. Songthaews from the central market run out to Khamriang frequently and cheaply during term. Bring time and curiosity, walk between buildings, and stop at one of the campus canteens for a 40-baht plate of kai jiao kraprao.