Indochina's Gate

If you are a fan of relaxed riverside locations, then Mukdahan is heaven for you. The Mekong River is especially wide and slow flowing here; adding to the general calmness of the zone. Its presence assures a fresh supply of fishes to the market; and more specifically to the night market – where apparently the entire town dines. The sixty-five meters high Mukdahan Tower with its circular viewpoint at the top is at the southern part of the town and offers very green views of the surrounding area.

Quick Tips:

The city is slowly building itself as a regional centre, thus all the essentials are available there. The night market is an exceptional place to eat: it offers many Laotian foods and fruits, including things like rarmood, which usually is only seen fresh across the border. Taking advantage from the near Mekong, you should look for an extra-fresh Plah Kluk Ka-min: a fresh fish coated with a paste of garlic, turmeric and salt and stuffed with leaves before being grilled.

One block away from the river, at the connection of the market with the main axial road and the fountain, is placed the only Seven Eleven in the town in a nice semicircular corner.

Best Way To Get Around:

Mukdahan is well connected to the rest of the country. A good way of arriving is with a night bus from Bangkok, which will save you a night at a hotel. All the main cities in Isan have buses to Mukdahan: Ubon, Korat, Udon and Khon Kaen are just a few hours away. Due to this facts, Mukdahan is you r perfect base while exploring Isan, an excellent alternative to the over-toured towns along highway 2, which connects Bangkok with Vientiane in Laos. Since Laos is a long and relatively narrow country, it makes sense to cross the border here and then advance to the north: otherwise you will be making loops. If you are planning to cross to Laos the Thai Immigration Office is by the northern side of the Indochina Market.

Mondays and Thursdays are the perfect days for making a day trip from Mukdahan to That Phanom, since these are the market days. That Phanom is an important pilgrimage centre for Thais and it hosts downscaled replicas of some Vientiane’s monuments.

Location

Between Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan, and along the Mekong River, the town of That Phanom is usually overlooked by travelers in Isaan. By bus, the way from Mukdahan takes little more than an hour. The main bus stop is by the main axial road’s sharp curve.

Views

Across the Mekong River the mountainous Laotian province of Khammouan can be seen.

In-Town Attractions

Wat Phra That Phanom is a few blocks away from the bus stop along the main road, at the western end of a short and wide avenue connecting it with the river.

Within the temple complex is the Phra That Phanom Chedi, which is one of the most important Theravada Buddhist structures in Isaan. After the destruction of the old stuppa in 1975, the new one was built as a fifty-seven meters high replica of the Pha That Luang Stuppa in Vientiane.

Its base is much smaller than the original one, there are no walls surrounding it and instead of being coated with gold, it has a complex golden ornament over a white plaster coat, but otherwise the similarity is striking. The temples around it are always full with pilgrims and monks and make an interesting sight.

In front of it, at the other side of the avenue and a block before the river, there is a miniature replica of the Patuxai Victory Monument in Vientiane. Again, this one is much smaller and has funny metal stairs steps stuck inside the plaster; it makes a perfect frame for the picture of the Wat Phra That Phanom usually taken from here.

All the area was pleasantly designed with many open spaces, gardens and grass surrounded ponds. If arriving during a market-day, Monday or Thursday, then by the river there is a big concentration of Thai and Lao merchants offering many typical products for sale. It is worth visiting especially if not planning crossing the river to Laos.

Food

Being almost in Laos, it is a good idea to taste a Laotian popular dish while staring at the Victory Monument replica. Nearby it, is the That Phanom Pochana restaurant, which offers excellent food. Isaan food is practically undistinguishable from Laotian one – as the languages spoken in both areas.

The laap served there is recommended; laap is a refreshing salad of minced meat, chilies and mint leaves, with other occasional additions. The meat can be pork, beef, poultry, fish or my favorite: duck. A bit of lime juice – look at the table for the green wedges – improves the taste; take care of the small chilies as they are of the extra-spicy kind.

A casual look at a map or a quick pass through the city is not enough to tell why Mukdahan is different from the other towns along the Thai Mekong.

The first clue appears only after taking a glimpse across the Mekong River, which reveals a little town half hidden among the endless greenery of the Laotian side: Savannakhet is the main river port in landlocked Laos.

Yet, the quest is incomplete; the importance of Mukdahan cannot be seen by eye, since it is not related to its position within Thailand or to any sizeable trade with Laos, trade that takes place all along the shared limit.

Strategic Location

Mukdahan’s - and Savannakhet’s as well – peculiarity is the result of being placed at the Thai end of the main road crossing the Annamite Mountains into Vietnam; thus, this is the main trade point between Thailand and Vietnam, more specifically the main Thai contact with Danang, one of the biggest Vietnamese ports. The ferries crossing the river loaded with trucks and trailers give a heavy testimony to that exchange of merchandises.

Indochina

Indochina was the name given to the French colonies in South East Asia. The name refers to the people inhabiting the area, since they migrated from modern China’s territory south and adopted Buddhism and modified Sanskrit alphabets brought by Sri-Lankan monks; thus creating a zone mixing Chinese and Indian characteristics.

Actually the area is divided into three countries; namely Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Vietnam displays a mainly Chinese culture, with only light Indian signs brought by the southern Champa people, while Cambodia shows a heavy Indian influence, since the Khmer Empire was the main regional center of the Sri-Lankan monks.

The Market

As most Thai cities along the Mekong, Mukdahan has an Indochina Market placed along its promenade, in front of the pier in this case. Unlike the other towns, here the market is enriched by the merchandise crossing the border in both ways.

Thai fabrics (like pha khao ma), khit triangular pillows, hand-woven matmee and prae wa silk, Laotian coffee, Vietnamese souvenirs, Chinese, mass produced household products and Cambodian scarves rule here; rare are the Western products spotted here.

The market is open every day and the shopping experience is rather pleasant since the locals are quite relaxed, nobody tries actively pushing merchandise at the visitors.

Downtown Mukhdahan is just one block away from the river, so that walking away for a relaxing coffee and returning to the market is simply and eases the experience.

The town of Savannakhet does not have a counterpart market, so do not delay the shopping with the hope of finding better choices in Laos; bargains are found along the entire length of the riverside market.

Thailand was spared the long years of colonialism experienced by Indochina; for Thailand the French colonies east of the Mekong meant new trade opportunities. The town Mukdahan became one of the main traffic points.

Mukdahan’s strategic location along the Mekong transformed this eye-catching and relaxed town into one of the main crossing points into Indochina and the home to one of the best Indochina Markets in Thailand.

Mekong

Roughly a mile wide, the Mekong River is at its widest point in Thailand here. Adding the new bridge to the sight, it offers here one of its more attractive spots. On January 2007 a second bridge connecting Thailand and Laos was opened in Mukdahan, easing thus the crossing between the countries. The river assures a fresh supply of fish to the market, especially to the night market – where apparently the entire town dines.

Night Market

The night market is an exceptional place for dinner; it offers many Laotian foods and fruits, including fruits like the rarmood, which usually is seen fresh only across the river.

The adjacent Mekong River assures extra-fresh Plah Kluk Ka-min: a fresh fish coated with a paste of garlic, turmeric and salt and stuffed with leaves before being grilled.

One block away of the river, at the connection of the market with the main axial road and the fountain, is the only Seven Eleven in the town in an attractive semicircular corner built in colonial style.

Indochina Market

As most Thai cities along the Mekong, Mukdahan has an Indochina Market placed along its promenade, in front of the pier in this case. See the dedicated entry in this journal for more details.

Ho Kaeo

The sixty-five meters high Mukdahan Glass Tower with its circular viewpoint on its sixth floor is at the southern part of town and offers green views of the surrounding area, including of Savannakhet in Laos.

Its base includes a museum of local history and heritage. The first floor is dedicated to old tools excavated in the area, while the second concentrates on local history and customs.

Traveling

Mukdahan is well connected to the rest of the country. A good way of arriving is with a night bus from Bangkok, which takes around twelve hours and saves a night at a hotel.

All the main cities in Isaan have buses to Mukdahan: Ubon, Korat, Udon and Khon Kaen are just a few hours away. Due to these facts, Mukdahan is a perfect base while exploring Isaan, an excellent alternative to the over-toured towns along Highway 2, which connects Bangkok with Vientiane in Laos.

Since Laos is a long and relatively narrow country, it makes sense to cross the border here and then advance to the north; otherwise making loops would be necessary in order to thoroughly explore the county.

If planning crossing into Laos, the Thai Immigration Office is by the northern side of the Indochina Market.

Mukdahan is the perfect base for exploring Isaan, especially for visiting the Mekong River area; south from the city are some of the most beautiful spots along the way. Unfortunately this area is not well covered by buses or travel agencies: to travel along road 2148 you will need a good Thai friend with a private car. Renting a car in one of Isaan main cities and doing it independently is also an option, but a less fun one. Thais are very friendly; don’t be shy and you would be surprised from the results. Road 2148 is a relatively new one, running along the riverside towards Khong Chiam. The greenery along the way is captivating and among it there are two stops worth mentioning.

The first is the boat restaurants in the town of Khong Chiam. There the Mun River meets the mighty Mekong after having crossed much of Isaan. The Thai culture being cradled along rivers, they feel doubly comfortable here, and the locals took advantage of the situation by placing a few restaurant boats along the Mun banks. The restaurants specialize in traditional delicacies, which are served in classical dishes, unlike in many of their counterparts elsewhere. A local companion to help you with the formalities is recommended but not essential. The food, especially the ones based on aquatic ingredients, is always fresh and tasty. The boats provide a very suitable environment to enjoy your meal; they offer shade but do not have walls, letting the lazy river breeze to refresh you. For Thailand, the dishes are relatively expensive but not exceedingly so. Try the Tom Yam Kung in a traditional heater or the giant river shrimps.

The second point of special interest is further south and is called Chong Mek, which is the only land border-cross between Thailand and Laos, and is located a bit north from the triple border with Cambodia. The place is peculiar for being more accessible from Laos than from Thailand. This is quite a strong statement: in Thailand there is a twelve-lanes highway connecting any two villages and VIP buses using them, while Laos hardly has tiny roads connecting its major cities and decrepit old buses carrying enough bananas on their roofs to bend them in. Yet, in Laos one bus from Pakse, a bridge over the Mekong River and a forty kilometres way do the trick, while in Thailand the way to Chong Mek is a very secondary one and most Thai people look at this area as the local equivalent to Russian Siberia. Low green hills, a classical green-roofed Laotian structure hosting the immigration authorities and a quite large market in the Laotian side with a small "duty free", all of them catering to the Thai visitors, summarize the place.
If you are not crossing any deeper, you do not need to deal with the Laotian authorities, just drop a five Bahts coin (12 cents) at the Thai immigration stall by the border, pick up the receipt and you can cross legally, no stamp will be added to your passport. A basic restaurant serves Laotian coffee and other local delicacies and around it is a huge market. Many Thais come here specifically to buy birds, and I was surprised to see owls and other endangered species for sale there. Another unusual product for sale is the Betel Nut; its users, usually old women, are easily recognizable since the chewing of the nut causes a reaction that turns the teeth and gums into a deep red color and from time to time they spit "blood". The use is very uncommon these days and seeing it in a market in the quantities seen in Chong Mek is rare and added some spice to the visit.

You can do easily this trip in one long day and finish it either by returning to Mukdahan or by continuing to Ubon – the Emerald Triangle’s main city. The last term is relatively new and denotes the triple border between Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Why Emerald? The first glimpse of the lush green area would provide the answer.