Nakhon Phanom, the destination of Vietnam-Thailand friendship

On the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Thailand (August 6, 1968 - August 6, 2023), let's explore Nakhon Phanom - a place that clearly demonstrates the loyal and close friendship between the two peoples.

Nakhon Phanom is located in the northeastern region of Thailand, on the right bank of the Mekong River, adjacent to Thakek town of Laos. Since ancient times, this has been considered Thailand's gateway to the Indochinese countries.

In July 1928, under the alias Thau Chin, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc came to Nakhon Phanom to open training classes and enlighten patriotic overseas Vietnamese youth.

Nakhon Phanom, điểm đến của tình hữu nghị Việt Nam-Thái Lan

Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Village. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

Here, he suggested that the villagers change the name from Nachok village (Wolf village) to May village, meaning "new village", marking the renewal of the village established by the Vietnamese community.

Currently, there are up to 80,000 people, accounting for 80% of Vietnamese people living in Thailand, concentrated in the Northeast region of Thailand, of which the largest number of Vietnamese people live in Nakhon Phanom.

In Ban May alone, there are 118 households with nearly 1,000 people, but more than 90% are Vietnamese. Today, Ban May still retains the original ethnic space of a pure Thai-Vietnamese village with curved communal house roofs, lush fruit trees...

In 2004, the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Village and President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House were built by the two governments right in May village, symbolizing the cooperation and development of the two peoples.

President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

The Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area consists of 12 items, including the memorial church space, built in Vietnamese architecture.

In addition, there are three buildings built to display artifacts and souvenirs: lotus pond, fish pond, artificial rock mountain... This is also a must-see place when tourists come to the Northeast of Thailand.

If there were no image of King Rama 9, at first glance many people would mistake this for another angle of Ben Thanh Market (Vietnam). But in fact it is the Overseas Vietnamese Clock Tower in Nakhon Phanom, built by the Vietnamese community in 1960.

Overseas Vietnamese Clock Tower in Nakhon Phanom. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

The 50m high tower has clocks on all four sides and a curved roof designed in the traditional Vietnamese architectural style. In the center is written the words "Overseas Vietnamese Tower commemorating the occasion of repatriation".

Nowadays, in Nakhon Phanom there are many relics associated with the Vietnamese community, but every time tourists come here, they must visit the Overseas Vietnamese Tower at least once.

Phra That Phanom Temple blesses those born on Sunday. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

They come to take check-in photos, shop, admire the winding Mekong River and to appreciate the beautiful symbol of friendship between Vietnam and Thailand.

Nakhon Phanom not only attracts tourists by the places associated with the activities of President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese community, but also by many other attractive attractions and experiences.

This is also the only place in Thailand that has a complete set of Buddhist relics corresponding to each person's birthday for a week. These relics are scattered throughout Nakhon.

Experience a dinner cruise on the Mekong River. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

Coming to Nakhon Phanom, visitors should not forget to experience a dinner cruise on the poetic Mekong River. While enjoying traditional Thai dishes, you can also admire the picturesque natural scenery on both sides of the river of Thailand and Laos.

Naga Serpent God Monument. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

The Naga Monument is an elaborate bronze statue of the seven-headed Naga. Locals and tourists alike flock here during the annual festival from July 7-13 to pray for peace, luck, and wealth.

The Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge, 780 m long and 13 m wide, is an ideal place to watch the sunset or the sparkling golden sunrise falling on the Mekong River.

Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

From Nakhon Phanom, it is easy to connect to famous tourist destinations in the provinces of Northeastern Thailand such as Udon Thani and Mukdahan.

Pakhukon Temple in Udon Thani. (Source: Flamingo Redtours)

To get to Nakhon Phanom, visitors can travel by air or road. With reasonable costs, road tours are popular with visitors.

From Hanoi, tourists travel by car to Laos through Nam Can border gates (Vietnam); Nam Kan, Huu Nghi border gate (Laos) and enter Thailand at Noongkhai gate.

Source