Sa
Located on the bank of the Mekhong River, the province has beautiful
scenery overlooking Laos. The town's riverside promenade offers a
pleasant place to enjoy river views. However, the premier reason for
visiting here is to pay homage at Phrathat Phanom, the Northeast's
foremost symbol and most sacred religious site. The 52-metre-high,
Laotian-style chedi, weighed down with gold, is over 1,500 years old,
but legends claim it is older. It has been renovated a number of times,
but disaster struck in the 1970s when it collapsed due to heavy rains.
The government soon rebuilt Phrathat Phanom to its former glory, if
not better. A smaller scale version, Phrathat Renu Nakhon, can be
found at Renu Nakhon, a busy handicrafts centre famous for silks,
cottons and other local products. |
Location & Access
740 kms north-east of Bangkok
on the border with Laos. Access
via road through Khon Kaen,
Maha Sarakham, Sakon Nakhon.
Geography
On the eastern border with Laos,
the province features 150 kms of
basin alongside the Mekhong
River.
Borders
North : Nong Khai and Laos
South : Makdahan
East : Laos
West : Sakon Nakhon
Highlights
Attractions: Phrathat Phanom,
Phrathat Renu Nakhon, Riverside
Promenade.
Souvenirs: Cotton fabric, silk,
khlip fabric, Lao silk, khit and
mudmee silk, plaited handicrafts,
pottery, local musical
instruments, iron tools, moo yor
(local pork sausage), Chinese
pork sausage, Isarn sausage,
Vietnamese food and kalamae
(sticky sweets).
Festivals: Phrathat Phanom
Homage-Paying Fair (February);
Illuminated Boat Procession
(October) |
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