Mukdahan

In Isaan close to Ubon Ratchathani lies Mukdahan, which is one of only four cities with border checkpoints to Laos.
The area lies on a high plateau with dense forest on one side and the Mekong river on the other.

In Mukdahan resides several of Laos minority groups, and in January every year the city hosts the annual Thai Mukdahan Cultural Heritage festival which promotes the cultural heritage of the 8 main ethnic groups:  Thai I-San,  Thai Kha Phu Thai,  Thai Ka Loeng, Thai Kaso,  Thai Yo, Thai Saek and Thai Kula, and also promotes their local produced handicrafts.

Some of the interesting locations in Mukdahan are:

The Indochina Market

In the center of the city you will find The Indochina Market. It’s a famous trading center for local produced goods,  like the pha khao ma cloth, the Khit triangular pillow and hand-woven matmee silk, and attracts buyers from all over Isaan. On the Indochina Market you will also find products produced in countries like Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and China. You will find prices very low, but don’t forget to bargain anyway.

Mukdahan Tower

The Mukdahan tower, also known as Ho Kaeo Mukdahan, is an observation  tower, 65 meter high, build in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary celebration of His Majesty the King.

Within this tower you can get an insight of Mukdahan’s cultural heritage. On the first floor you will see an arts and culture museum, on the second floor the history and culture of the 8 ethnic tribes of Mukdahan with ancient artifacts, old photographs and ethnic costumes.

The sixth floor has an observation deck with stunning view of Laos and the Mekong river, and the seventh floor a beautiful silver Buddha image designated for each day of the week.

Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

The Thai-Lao friendship bridge connects Mukdahan province with Savannakhet in Laos. The bridge opened early 2007 after 3 years of construction and is 1600 meter long and 12 meter wide.
Because Laos used right side driving and Thailand left side driving, the cars exchange side on the Thai side of the bridge.