Chiang Khan: a picturesque town on the banks of the Mekong

Chiang Khan is located in the province of Loei, which is part of the large region of northeastern Thailand called Issan. A rural region par excellence and above all relatively little visited by tourists in general. Chiang Khan is a small town of 10 inhabitants where the charm lies in its old street, nestled on the banks of the mythical Mekong River, which serves as a border with Laos, located just opposite.

It is a unique atmosphere that only small provincial towns in Thailand can offer us.

A street that has become iconic

The main charm of Chiang Khan comes from this collection of old wooden houses, most of which were already there when Laos opposite was under French domination.

With the development of tourism, many of these houses have become souvenir shops, restaurants and guest houses. And the charm works. In the afternoon, the street bordering the Mekong is very lively.

Chiang Khan by night.

With one small downside, in particular, following local TV reports, Chiang Khan is a bit of a victim of its success, weekends can be crowded and I know that hotel prices and the atmosphere have evolved with tourism in recent years (which remains above all local that said).

But let it be said, Chiang Khan is certainly worth a visit, as is the whole province of Loei and surroundings, which I have not yet had the time to explore properly unfortunately, but like Issan in general, remains fairly neglected by basic tourism.

If I arrived there early in the evening (around 20 p.m.), I only saw a tiny glimpse of it, because it remains a small town, whose liveliness quickly dies down.

But even so, I don't regret this excursion to Chiang Khan, because after all, it's not necessarily these rows of shops and restaurants that I came to see, but rather these wooden constructions, becoming rare in Thailand, which make the place so atypical and create this atmosphere of a Thailand that we would willingly call "authentic".

Almost too quiet…

A little tour of Chiang Khan

The morning atmosphere is quite deserted. We barely come across a few bikes ridden by locals out for a walk, others returning from their shopping at the local market. A tuk tuk passes by, but we can't say that the traffic bothers us, there isn't any in fact...

As a photography enthusiast, Chiang Khan proved to be an excellent playground, as I photographed all the wooden houses lined up along the main street.

In detail, there are small signs on the facades of old buildings, outdoor kitchens, the activity in the street which is limited to a small eatery selling noodles, a few open shops. It is peaceful and you can feel the cool life around here.

There is a small life there that is ultimately little disturbed by tourism, less at the time of our visit, because we were alone in the streets at this time of the afternoon. As Thais love markets, it is rather in the evening that they stay in the small town, visiting the region during the day

Further on we set foot in a small local temple, of Lanna architecture, influenced by the presence of neighboring Laos, with its very realistic wax statues of monks, its staircases lined with the mythological naga, its murals and an Olympian calm reigning in the courtyard.

Nothing to get too excited about, but a typical atmosphere conducive to strolling.

The Mekong, a mythical river

The other attraction of Chiang Khan is undoubtedly the presence of the mythical Mekong River. A river that rises in the Himalayan mountains and flows through China, then forms a natural border between Thailand and Laos (only part of it) before crossing Cambodia and joining the sea in the Vietnam Delta (that was a quick geography lesson). For my part, this is obviously not my first encounter with this majestic river, I even had the opportunity recently to make a mini cruise between Houai Sai and Luang Prabang, in Loas) unfortunately in danger due to the increase in dams on its course, altering its natural level and its ecosystem.

The walk along the banks is a "must" in Chiang Khan, where you can see fishermen and a few floating huts, while in this season, the water level is particularly low.

Getting around Chiang Khan

As it is quite small, the town (some even call it a simple village, but with 10 inhabitants, I think that the term is a bit exaggerated...) can be visited on foot, which was my option, if we stick to the essentials.

Most guesthouses provide bicycles for free, otherwise rental is usually 20 baht/hour and 100 baht for the day.

How to get to Chiang Khan

If I were to go there by car, after a 5 hour journey from Phrae, the most logical options are to go there from Loei, and possibly from Udon Thani or Nong Khai, which are the main towns near Chiang Khan.

Loei being only 50 kilometers away, it is a small town accessible either by bus or by plane via Nok Air. While Udon Thani and Nong Khai are more than 180 km away, but both are accessible by bus, train and plane, thus offering one more option to get to the area (and necessarily more options of schedules).

From Loei, there are buses running around 6am and 11am that come from Nakhon Ratchasima and stop in Loei before continuing on to Chiang Khan. There are also local buses running every hour from 14pm until early evening for 38 baht.

There are also, as is often the case for this type of distance between small secondary towns, songtaews who make the journey for 30 baht (the last one leaves at 16 p.m.).

It would be possible to get there directly from Bangkok via the Mo Chit Northern Bus Terminal, for 450 baht with a basic bus and 700 baht with a VIP bus.

Where to sleep in Chiang Khan

I put my suitcases down at Poonsawasdi Hotel. One of the many GH located near the market and in an old teak wood house.

The decor gives a charm specific to Chiang Khan. It is a small hotel since there are only 9 rooms, some are small, being there with my parents, we had a room on the ground floor with 2 large beds.

Poonsawasdi Guesthouse.

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