Nakhon Phanom

The Happy Capital in the Land of Smiles

Nakhon Phanom is the ideal Thai city; big enough to have what you need, but small enough to be personable. It has an attractive setting with views across the Mekong River to jagged limestone mountains in Laos. Traffic is leisurely, locals are friendly, food is consistently good, and it exudes a progressiveness that evolved to suit residents rather than the demands of foreign tourists.

Even tuk-tuk drivers quote the correct fare from the bus station!

Unsurprisingly, a survey released in early 2013 by the Thai National Statistical Office revealed Nakhon Phanom to be Thailand’s happiest province, a contentment that’s reflected in its namesake capital, if my recent visit is any indication.

This cheery disposition is not a result of honest tuk-tuk drivers …the survey indicated the people were more likely to me middle-income earners and that family stability was high (frequent relocations being a factor in least happy provinces).

Nakhon Phanomians seem to be night people – streets that are empty during the day will be occupied till late by locals dining at food stalls. The tendency to eat out, already a factor in the rest of Thailand, is even more pronounced here.

For a progressive town, though, English is not as widely spoken as might be expected, and there’s limited choice of centrally located budget accommodation, but there’s little else for a visitor to quibble about.

The accommodation issue is partly a result of Nakhon Phanom not being on the main travelling circuit. Other travellers were few when I visited – certainly it was low season, but I doubt the city sees heavy foreign tourist traffic. That’s a good thing if you want to escape the well-worn path. Enjoy it while it lasts.

The completion of the 3^rd Friendship Bridge to Laos in November, 2011, doesn’t appear to have had the impact some may have anticipated or wanted – not yet at least.

Travellers are possibly more inclined to cross the Mekong in the north and south of Isan rather than this middle location. Nakhon Phanom does provide convenient access to central Vietnam, though and, undoubtedly, as these regions develop, the city and province will become more interconnected.

Nakhon Phanom made me happy enough to want to return from Australia to see the “Lai Reua Fai” (fire boats) festival that celebrates the end of Buddhist lent.

Below are some pics of Nakhon Phanom (with a slideshow at the end), and a bit more info…

The Indochina Market has a balcony where you can look out over the river and mountains. It’s a relatively modern building. Upstairs is open and deserted: there was one stall selling beer, and one other customer – an expat Englishman who had been living here 12 years. He said this used to be packed out every night when it was first built – had to wait for a seat. There are plenty of market stalls and activity at ground level during the day, however.

According to the Englishman, 12 hotels had been built in anticipation of extra custom the Friendship Bridge would bring, but hadn’t seen the reward for it yet. He said there used to be a lot more timber buildings in town, but were increasingly being pulled down in favour of less attractive concrete replacements.

There’s a row of temples along the river, downstream of the main centre.

This clocktower is at the junction of three streets, in which are good bars and restaurants.

Nakhon Phanom has small ‘walking street’ type market on Friday and Saturday nights in Sunthonwijit Road, by the river.

Five kilometres out of town is a little known part of Thai history. Ho Chi Minh stayed here while a resistance leader, establishing the Indochina Communist Party among the Vietnamese community.