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Nong Khai หนองคาย | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Nong Khai Old City Hall, Nong Khai City | |
 Location inNong Khai province | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Province | Nong Khai province |
| Area | |
• Total | 31.15 km2 (12.03 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 46,180 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (ICT) |
Nong Khai (Thai:เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย,RTGS: Thetsaban Mueang Nong Khai) is a city in northeastThailand. It is the capital ofNong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located inMueang Nong Khai district.
Nong Khai lies on theMekong River, near the site of the firstThai–Lao Friendship Bridge, spanning the river toLaos. The Thai-Lao Friendship bridge was largely funded by a gift to the Lao government from the Australian government.[1] It is the road and railway gateway to the Lao capital,Vientiane, 25 kilometres (16 mi) upriver, on the north bank opposite Thailand'sSi Chiang Mai district. Construction of a rail spur toThanaleng outside Vientiane was begun early-2007 and opened 5 March 2009.[2]
Nong Khai is 626 km (389 mi) north ofBangkok by road[3] and 60 km (37 mi) north ofUdon Thani.[4]
The Prap Ho Monument before the old city hall (now a museum and cultural center) memorialises the dead of theHaw wars.[5]
Nong Khai has become a popular destination during theBuddhist Lent festival when mysterious balls of light, orNaga fireballs, rise from theMekong River. The balls resemble an orange sun. They rise out of the river approximately 6–9 meters (20–30 ft) and disappear after three to five seconds. Although the fireballs can be seen at other times, most Thais travel to see them during the full moon in October when the incidence of them is considered to be much higher.[6]
Nong Khai's main sight isSala Keoku (alternatively spelled asSala Kaew Ku, also known asWat Khaek), a park of colossal sculptures, some over 20 m tall. The park is the handiwork of the mysticLuang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, who bought the land in 1978 when he was exiled from his native Laos, where he had built a similar park in Vientiane in the 1950s. SynthesizingBuddhist andHinduist ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, a seven-headedNaga snake, and various human-animal hybrids dominate the site.[7]
Notable figures from twentieth century Buddhist history have lived in Nong Khai – the world renowned Buddhist scholar and leading meditation teacherAjahn Sumedho was ordained in Wat Sisaket in Nong Khai.[citation needed]
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The area has atropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw).
| Climate data for Nong Khai (1991–2020, extremes 1968-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.3 (99.1) | 39.1 (102.4) | 42.8 (109.0) | 43.3 (109.9) | 43.7 (110.7) | 39.5 (103.1) | 39.9 (103.8) | 37.5 (99.5) | 36.7 (98.1) | 36.7 (98.1) | 36.6 (97.9) | 35.8 (96.4) | 43.7 (110.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) | 32.1 (89.8) | 34.7 (94.5) | 36.3 (97.3) | 34.7 (94.5) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.2 (90.0) | 31.3 (88.3) | 29.4 (84.9) | 32.6 (90.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 25.3 (77.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 26.9 (80.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.3 (63.1) | 19.1 (66.4) | 22.2 (72.0) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.4 (75.9) | 23.2 (73.8) | 20.4 (68.7) | 17.5 (63.5) | 22.3 (72.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.2 (41.4) | 9.1 (48.4) | 10.2 (50.4) | 15.7 (60.3) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.9 (69.6) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.0 (69.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 14.2 (57.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 4.9 (40.8) | 4.9 (40.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 10.6 (0.42) | 18.3 (0.72) | 43.8 (1.72) | 83.9 (3.30) | 232.1 (9.14) | 252.7 (9.95) | 321.9 (12.67) | 346.5 (13.64) | 268.8 (10.58) | 88.4 (3.48) | 15.6 (0.61) | 8.2 (0.32) | 1,690.8 (66.57) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.2 | 13.5 | 15.7 | 18.0 | 18.9 | 14.5 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 101 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 68.4 | 65.0 | 64.2 | 66.6 | 76.3 | 81.1 | 83.3 | 84.6 | 82.8 | 75.7 | 69.9 | 68.1 | 73.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 257.3 | 243.0 | 275.9 | 204.0 | 158.1 | 117.0 | 120.9 | 117.8 | 144.0 | 198.4 | 216.0 | 257.3 | 2,309.7 |
| Source 1:World Meteorological Organization[8] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun 1981–2010)[9](extremes)[10] | |||||||||||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link),
Nong Khai travel guide from Wikivoyage
17°52′5″N102°44′40″E / 17.86806°N 102.74444°E /17.86806; 102.74444
 Borders of Thailand andinternational crossings | |||||||||||
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