Things to Do at Phra That Nong Khai

Phra That Nong Khai is the stupa you cannot quite visit, at least not on foot. It sits submerged in the Mekong River just offshore from Nong Khai town, leaning at an unmistakable angle, its weathered brick crown breaking the muddy surface like the spine of some half-drowned animal. Locals call it Phra That Klang Nam, the chedi in the middle of the water. The structure collapsed into the river around 1847 when the bank gave way, and the Mekong has been slowly claiming it ever since. You will find the best vantage point along the riverside promenade near Tha Sadet market, where the current pulls past in slow brown swirls and the air smells of grilled river fish and damp earth. The stupa's tilt is the thing that stays with you. From shore it looks impossibly precarious, as if one good monsoon will finish the job, and yet it has stood like this for the better part of two centuries. During the dry season, roughly March through May, more of the brickwork emerges and you can make out the tiered shape of what was once a proper Lan Xang-era chedi. By August it is mostly gone again, just the tip showing above the swell. Worth noting that this is not a manicured heritage site, there is no entrance gate, no ticket booth, no English signage explaining what you are looking at. It is just there, in the river, doing its slow disappearing act. The feel of the place tends to surprise visitors who come expecting a temple experience. There is no incense, no chanting, no orange-robed monks. Instead you get fishermen casting nets from longtail boats, vendors frying bananas on the embankment, and the low rumble of trucks crossing the Friendship Bridge in the distance. Some find it underwhelming, I think it is underwhelming in the best possible way, a piece of history that has not been polished up for tourism. You stand on the bank, squint at the leaning brick, and try to picture the riverside village it once anchored.

Phra That Nong Khai sits on the Mekong riverfront in central Nong Khai town, easily reached on foot from anywhere in the old quarter. From the Nong Khai train station, a tuk-tuk or songthaew to the riverside takes about ten minutes and costs roughly the price of a coffee. If you are arriving from Udon Thani, the bus to Nong Khai runs frequently from Bor Kor Sor terminal and drops at the central bus station, from which the river is a short tuk-tuk hop. Cyclists can rent bikes from several guesthouses near Tha Sadet and reach the viewing area in minutes. From the Friendship Bridge border crossing with Laos, it is a quick taxi ride west along the river road.