Nong Khai province (Thai: หนองคาย, pronounced [nɔ̌ːŋ kʰāːj]; Northeastern Thai: หนองคาย, pronounced [nɔ̌ːŋ kʰa᷇ːj]) was formerly the northernmost of the northeastern(Isan) provinces (changwat) of Thailand until its eight eastern districts were split off to form Thailand's newest province, Bueng Kan province, in 2011. Nong Khai province lies in upper northeastern Thailand. Nearby provinces are (clockwise, from the east): Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani, and Loei. To the north it borders Vientiane province, Vientiane Prefecture, and Bolikhamsai province of Laos.
Tourists flock to Nong Khai as sacred stupa emerges from Mekong River
Phrathat Nong Khai, Phrathat Klang Nam or Phrathat La Nong is an ancient stupa that was eroded and tumbled into the Mekong River in 1847, approximately 200 metres from the bank in Tambon Hat Kham. According to the Urangkhathat (Phrathat Phanom) Legend,the stupa enshrined 9 foot bone relics. An underwater survey by the Regional Fine Arts Unit revealed that the square stupa with indented corners high and was broken into 3 parts. It is believed to have been constructed in the 15th century A.D. based on similarity to Phrathat Bang Phuan. Later, a replica of Phrathat La Nong or Phrathat Klang Nam was built in honour of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on the occasion of her 72nd birthday anniversary, as well as for later generations to remember the long-lasting relationship of the people on both banks of the Mekong River. Phrathat La Nong houses a 7-tiered golden umbrella cast in honour of the late King Rama IX on the occasion of his 84th birthday anniversary. The umbrella feaures 7 tiers of lotus flowers decorated eith auspicious gemtones. The pattern of each tier conveys the grace wisdom.
Nong Khai's main sight is Sala Keoku (alternatively spelled as Sala Kaew Ku, also known as Wat Khaek), a park of colossal sculptures, some over 20m tall. The park is the handiwork of the mystic Luang 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. Synthesizing Buddhist and Hinduist ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, a seven-headed Naga snake, and various human-animal hybrids dominate the site.
The province is in the valley of the Mae Nam Kong (Mekong River), which also forms the border with Laos. There are highlands to the south. The total forest area is 233 km2 (90 sq mi) or 7.1 percent of provincial area.The Laotian capital, Vientiane, is only 25 kilometers (16 mi) from the provincial capital of Nong Khai. The First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, which connects the two countries, was built jointly by the governments of Thailand, Laos, and Australia, and was opened in 1994.
Nong Khai is the smallest province in the northeastern after Bueng Kan and other seven districts became Bueng Kan province in 2011.
Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae plants in the historical and geographical bounds of Nong Khai Province (including areas now part of Bueng Kan Province, such as Phu Wua) include specific native and limestone-adapted genera like Microchirita and related African violet family members found in dry evergreen and sandstone/rocky forest habitats.
Habitats and Distribution
Phu Wua / Mekong Basin: Areas previously or currently linked to Nong Khai's rich border sanctuaries feature specialized epilithic and terrestrial gesneriad flora.
Forest Types: Typically found clinging to moist shaded sandstone rocks or lower-altitude dry evergreen trees.
Notable Gesneriaceae Groups in the Region
Microchirita species: Frequently discovered in northeastern sandstone and low-lying canopy margins.
Local Genera Surveys: Documented in regional floristic assessments covering the Mekong basin border zones.
As of 23 March 2011, the province is divided into nine districts (amphoes). The districts are further divided into 62 subdistricts (tambons) and 705 villages (mubans). The eight districts of Bueng Kan were districts of Nong Khai before they were split off to form Bueng Kan province.
The province is best known for the prehistoric archaeological site at Ban Chiang and its Bronze Age relics, in a hamlet about 50 kilometers (31mi) east of Udon Thani. Udon Thani is one of the more bustling markets for agricultural goods in the relatively dry northeast of Thailand.
Udon Thani first came to historical notice in the Rattanakosin era, when Anuwong of Vientiane staged a rebellion against Thai rule and marched his army to Nakhon Ratchasima in 1826. He captured the city by a ruse, but the garrison he left to hold it unexpectedly met with fierce resistance from the disarmed local forces led by Lady Mo, the wife of Nakhon Ratchasima's governor. Anuwong advanced as far as Saraburi, but was forced to retreat. The Thai army pursued him, and the rival forces met in battle at Nong Bua Lamphu, a small city near today's Udon Thani. After two days of fierce fighting, Anuwong's army was defeated and fled back to Laos.
Udon Thani province, northeastern Thailand, Gesneriaceae family plants—notably genera like Microchirita—thrive primarily in sandstone and limestone karst terrain, with collaborative taxonomic research actively conducted alongside Udon Thani Rajabhat University.
Key Habitats and Taxa
Limestone and Sandstone Zones: Local rocky outcrops, seasonal dry forests, and sandstone formations (such as areas around Phu Phrabat) harbor specialized seasonal Gesneriaceae.
Microchirita Species: Frequently recorded in the region's localized seasonal or karstic habitats, responding dynamically to the monsoon rains.
Research Context: Botanists from academic institutions like Udon Thani Rajabhat University frequently partner on nationwide revisions of Thai Gesneriaceae, documenting new or localized taxa across northeastern provinces
Since 1993 when five districts were split from Udon Thani to become the new province of Nong Bua Lam Phu, the province consists of twenty districts (amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 155 sub-districts (tambon) and 1682 villages (muban):
