Thailand Guides - Khon Kaen

Khon Kaen is Thailand’s fourth largest city and the commercial capital of the north east. This vibrant city has expanded quickly in recent years and is a melting pot of traditional and contemporary traditional Issan culture.

Overview

Khon Kaen sits at the heart of the north east and is widely regarded as the capital of Issan. Although the province of Khon Kaen is largely rural and undeveloped the city itself has benefited from commercial investment and attracted migrants from towns and villages across the north east. Khon Kaen continues expand rapidly and with a wide range of international hotels and restaurants the city is worth a stay of several days. The surrounding districts also have much to offer visitors and Khon Kaen makes an excellent base from which to explore Issan. The city is also renowned for its production of high quality silk and hosts an annual silk fair in December.

Attractions

Khon Kaen National Museum is a fine museum with exhibits charting ancient civilisations and examples of artifacts discovered in the region.

Khon Kaen makes an excellent base from which to explore surrounding towns, villages and historical sites. Excellent mudmee silk is produced in Chonnabot Village, 50 km southwest of the city. Visitors can see the whole silk production process and silk is for sale as ready made garments or by the metre.

Phu Wiang National Park is a plateau surrounded by mountains and forest. The park is home to the site of the first dinosaur fossil discovery in Thailand and lead to further significant finds. The fossils of large herbivores and carnivores were unearthed here and dinosaur footprints can be seen at Lat Pa Chat. The prints are thought to be over 140 million years old.