Isan also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ऐशान aiśāna or Sanskrit ऐशान aiśāna “Northeast”) consists of 20 provinces in the northeastern region of Thailand. Isan is Thailand’s largest region, located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River (along the border with Laos) to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Sankamphaeng Range south of Nakhon Ratchasima. To the west it is separated from northern and central Thailand by the Phetchabun Mountains.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, northeastern Thailand has been generally known as Isan, while in official contexts the term phak tawan-ok-chiang-nuea (ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือ; “northeastern region”) may be used. The term “Isan” was derived from Isanapura, the capital of the Chenla Kingdom. The majority Lao-speaking population of the region distinguish themselves not only from the Lao of Laos but also from the central Thai by calling themselves khon Isan or Thai Isan in general.
However, some refer to themselves as simply Lao, and academics have recently been referring to them as Lao Isan or as Thai Lao, with the main issue with self-identification as Lao being stigma associated with the Lao identity within Thai society. The Khmer-speaking minority and the Kuy people (“Soui”), who live in the south of Isan, speak Austroasiatic languages and follow customs more similar to those of Cambodia than to those of the Thai and Lao, who are Tai peoples.
The main language is Isan, which is a dialect of the Lao language. Currently written with the Thai alphabet (instead of the slightly different Lao alphabet), Isan belongs to the Chiang Saeng and Lao–Phutai language groups, which along with Thai are members of the Tai languages of the Tai–Kadai language family. Thai is also spoken by almost everyone and is the language used in education as official language, however only in Nakhon Ratchasima Province use Khorat dialect, which is a dialect of the Thai language as main language.
Khmer, the language of Cambodia, is widely spoken in areas along the Cambodian border: Buriram, Surin and Sisaket. The Lao Isan people are aware of their Lao ethnic origin, but Isan has been incorporated as a territory into the modern Thai state through over one hundred years of administrative and bureaucratic reforms, educational policy, and government media.
Despite this, since the election of Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister in the January 2001 elections, the Lao Isan identity has reemerged, and the Lao Isan are now the main ethnolinguistic group involved in the pro-Thaksin “Red Shirt movement” of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship. Several Thai prime ministers have come from the region.
Prominent aspects of Isan culture include mor lam (Thai: หมอลำ), an indigenous folk music, muay Thai (Thai: มวยไทย) boxing, cock fighting, and celebratory processions (Thai: กระบวน).
Isan food, in which glutinous rice (Thai: ข้าวเหนียว, khao niao) and chili peppers are prominent, is distinct from central Thai cuisine, though it is now found throughout the kingdom. Sticky rice is a staple of northeastern cuisine and it accompanies most meals.
Isan’s culture is predominantly Lao, and has much in common with that of the neighboring country of Laos. This affinity is shown in the region’s cuisine, dress, temple architecture, festivals, and arts.
Isan food has elements most in common with Laos and is somewhat distinct from central Thai cuisine. The most obvious difference is the consumption of sticky rice that accompanies almost every meal rather than non-sticky long-grain rice. French and Vietnamese influences found in Lao cuisine are absent in Isan.
Popular Lao dishes that are also staples in Isan include tam mak hung, or in central Thai, som tam (green papaya salad), larb (meat salad), and kai yang (grilled chicken). These dishes have spread to other parts of Thailand, but normally in versions which temper the extreme heat and sourness favoured in Isan for the more moderate central Thai palate. Conversely, central Thai food has become popular in Isan.
The people of the Isan region in Thailand, a mixture of Lao, Vietnamese, Khmer, Mon, Cham, and other Tai groups, famously eat a wide variety of creatures, such as lizards, frogs, and fried insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, silkworms, and dung beetles.
Originally forced by poverty to be creative in finding foods, Isan people now savour these creatures as delicacies or snacks. Food is commonly eaten by hand using sticky rice pressed into a ball with the fingers of the right hand. Soups are a frequent element of any meal, and contain either vegetables and herbs, noodles, chunks of fish, balls of ground pork, or a mixture of these. They are eaten using a spoon and chopsticks at the same time
Isaan doesn’t have huge tourist infrastructure, it’s hard to get out of the big cities to the smaller attractions, and English isn’t as widely spoken, but those “challenges” actually make it much more exciting. Here are six things you should know before you travel Isaan:
1. You don’t need to pre-book – Since the region doesn’t see many tourists, just showing up to guesthouses and bus stops is fine. I didn’t pre-book anything on my trip and never had any issues. You aren’t fighting for space.
2. Try to have your own transportation – Isaan is one of those parts of the world (like Ireland, Southern France, or Iceland) that is best explored with your own transportation. To really get out and see everything the area has to offer, rent your own bike or car and drive around. My fondest memories were getting off the main roads on the back of my taxi driver’s bike and wishing I had my own ride.
3. Drivers can be hired and prices shared – Since I didn’t have my own transportation, I had to hire drivers a lot. That’s expensive, but it was the only way to get to the national parks and ruins I wanted to see as most of the parks and ruins are far outside the cities. However, the drivers all charge set prices, so you can share tuk-tuk or car hire costs with new friends!
4. There are a lot of expats who can help via Couchsurfing – Isaan is filled with English teachers (and old guys and their Thai wives), so if you want to break into the local scene, you can find a lot of hosts on Couchsurfing, as well as people who will show you around (foreigner or Thai!).
5. National parks are far from cities, and day tours are hard to organize – See points #2 and #3 for this.
6. English is not widely spoken – Since there are fewer tourists, there is going to be a bigger language barrier. You’ll be able to get around but expect to use more hand gestures, pointing, and language dictionaries!
Compared to other parts of Thailand, Isaan is SUPER cheap and quite a bargain, especially when compared to the other parts of the country. I averaged around 900 baht ($25 USD) a day. That included only private rooms, hiring motorbikes to take me around (see points above), and drinking a few too many beers with my friends who live in the region. Here are some common prices:
Dorm bed: 100 baht
Private room with bathroom: 300 baht
Bike hire for the day: 300 baht
Short distance train rides: 50 baht
Phimai Historical Park: 100 baht
National Park fees: 50-200 baht
Car hire for the day: 1200 baht
Som tam and rice: 40 baht
Soup from a street vendor: 35 baht
A daily budget of $15–25 USD would be plenty for Isaan if you were to stick to dorms rooms (or the occasional cheap private room), street food, and buses (or had your own transportation). If you were hiring drivers, wanted more Western meals, a few more beers, or only private rooms with A/C, I would budget $25–35 USD per day. For anything higher than that, you’re just spending too much money for no reason!
Cities
Khon Kaen — Mittraphap Road passes the edge of the town centre
Loei — known for its numerous high hills, mountains and is one of Thailand’s vineyards
Nakhon Phanom — border town with Laos along the Mekong
Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) — the chaotic main city of Isaan
Nong Khai — gateway to Vientiane and beautiful Mekong Valley surroundings
Roi Et — home to the tallest standing Buddha image of the world, Phra Phuttha Rattana Mongkhon
Surin — known for its annual elephant parade and Khmer temples
Ubon Ratchathani (Ubon) — famous for its annual candle festival
Udon Thani — best known for the archaeological site Ban Chiang
Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum is a geological museum mainly with fossils. It is under the administration of the Department of Mineral Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Royal Thai Government, and situated in the Khok Sanambin public area in Tambon Nai Muang, Wiang Kao district, Khon Kaen province in the northeastern region of Thailand.
The museum was constructed with a budget from the Tourism Authority of Thailand under supervision of the Department of Mineral Resources and comprises an area of 40 acres (160,000 m2). It has been open to the public since 2001.
Beginning in 1970, the US Geological Survey conducted a mineral exploration in the Phu Wiang area of Khon Kaen province and discovered a type of uranium ore, coffinite, in association with copper ores, azurite and malachite. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later joined in.
Between 1975 and 1980, the Department of Mineral Resources conducted a detailed drilling program and in 1976 Sudham Yaemniyom, a geologist, discovered a piece of bone on a streambed, Huai Pratu Tima, which was later identified as a distal part of the left femur of a sauropod dinosaur (a large plant-eating dinosaur walking with 4 legs with long neck and long tail), regarded as the first dinosaur discovery of Thailand.
ROI ET
Roi Et is a province on the Khorat Plateau in the center of Isan, the North East of Thailand. The province is mostly rural, known for its silk and cotton fabrics. The province’s name translates to “hundred and one”. At one point in history Roi Et was an important town; it had 11 satellite cities and 11 city gates. The name Roi Et probably derives from either an exaggeration of this number to make the town look more important, or from a different spelling of the number 11 (e.g. 10 plus 1). For several centuries the area was under control of the Khmer empire from Angkor. The Khmer build several temples in Roi Et, the ruins of which still remain today in various states of preservation. During the Ayutthaya era people from Laos migrated to the Selaphum district in the East part of Roi Et province.
Roi Et features a great number of Buddhist temples, historical sites and natural attractions.
Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol
Roi Et hosts one of the largest and most beautiful pagodas in Thailand, the Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol. The very elegant chedi measuring 101 meters tall is painted white and elaborately decorated in golden artwork. Visitors can climb a spiral stairway in the interior of the chedi to the top, which enshrines relics of the Buddha. The chedi is located on the grounds of the Wat Pha Namthip Thep Prasit Vararam temple in Nong Phok district, about 80 kilometers from Roi Et town.
Wat Klang Ming Muang Temple
The Wat Klang Ming Muang is a small 18th century temple. The ordination hall dates from the late Ayutthaya period. Its walls are adorned with murals depicting scenes from the Jataka tales, the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha. The temple is located on a small hill on Damrongrathwithee road near the old city moat in the center of Roi Et town.
Wat Buraphaphiram
The Wat Buraphaphiram is known for its huge Buddha image standing in front of the temple, dominating the area. The golden image named Phra Phuttha Rattana Mongkhon Mahamuni measures nearly 60 meters tall and another 8 meters for the platform on which it stands, making it considerably higher than the better known standing Buddha image at Wat Intharawihan in Bangkok. The temple is located North of Padungpanit road (road 2044), just West of the Nuea river.
Roi Et National Museum
Roi Et National Museum started out as the Isan textile museum. The museum consists of several exhibition rooms dedicated to archeology and history, arts and the geography and geology of the area. The museum exhibits objects from several era, including prehistoric pottery, Dvaravati era (8th – 10th century) Buddha images, models of old houses, dioramas depicting life in past times as well as locally made handwoven silk textiles. The museum is located on Phloen Chit road in the South East part of the old city near the East moat. It opens daily from 9 am until 4 pm, closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Thai National holidays. Admission is 100 Thai Baht per person.
Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park & Bueng Phan Chai lake
Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park is a nicely kept public park in the center of Roi Et town, where local people come to relax and enjoy a picnic. Adjoining the park is Bueng Phan Chai, a large lake with an artificial island in the center. On the island are a shrine holding the Roi Et city pillar and a golden walking Buddha image on a high pedestal.
GETTING THERE
By plane. The cities of Buriram, Khon Kaen, Loei, Nakhon Phanom, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani can be reached by plane from Bangkok on several airlines. If you want to go directly to Nong Khai, then take a plane to Udon Thani. Every plane is met by a minibus service (tickets available in the arrivals hall – 200 Baht) and will take you straight to Nong Khai in 1 hour. It will bring you straight to your hotel if you ask the driver.
By bus. Frequent bus services go everywhere.
By train. Regular train services connect Bangkok with Ubon Ratchathani (via Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Surin, Si Saket and other stations along the way) and Nong Khai (via Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, etc).