Nong Khai sits right on the Mekong River, 630 km northeast of Bangkok, staring across the water at Laos. It is one of Thailand's most atmospheric border towns — unhurried, friendly, and with a stretch of riverfront that turns golden at sunset.
The Friendship Bridge here was the first to span the Mekong between Thailand and Laos, and the town remains the main crossing point into Vientiane. But Nong Khai is worth more than a transit stop. The riverside promenade is lined with guesthouses and restaurants, the Tha Sadet market overflows with goods from Laos, China and Vietnam, and just outside town the surreal sculpture park at Sala Kaew Ku is unlike anything else in Thailand — towering concrete Buddhas, Hindu deities and mythological figures set among gardens.
The spiritual heart of the town is Wat Pho Chai, home to the sacred Luangpho Phra Sai Buddha image with its gold head and ruby-studded bronze body. Nong Khai also makes a good base for exploring Isaan, Thailand's vast and undervisited northeast. The strange rock formations of Phu Phra Bat Historical Park are an easy day trip, and the pace of life here is about as far from Bangkok as you can get while still being in Thailand.