Thailand
Nong Khai
A riverside sculpture park of concrete demons and Buddhas built by a single mystic visionary.
A concrete Buddha the height of a building stares blankly across a sculpture park of Hindu deities, naga serpents, and mythological beasts rendered in raw grey cement. Sala Kaew Ku in Nong Khai is the life's work of one mystic — Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat — and it sits on the banks of the Mekong, directly opposite the capital of Laos.
Nong Khai is a Mekong river town in Thailand's northeastern Isaan region, connected to Vientiane by the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. The town's headline attraction is Sala Kaew Ku — a sculpture park containing over two hundred concrete statues depicting Buddhist and Hindu mythology, built over twenty-five years by a self-taught mystic who claimed to have been taught by a hermit in a cave. The sculptures reach over twenty metres tall; the largest depicts a seven-headed naga serpent. Beyond the sculpture park, Nong Khai's Mekong riverfront promenade offers direct views across to Laos, with sunset restaurants lining the water's edge. The town's slow pace, French-colonial shophouses, and proximity to Laos create an atmosphere distinct from the rest of Isaan.
Solo
Sala Kaew Ku's visionary weirdness, the Mekong promenade, and the quiet town atmosphere reward solo travellers looking for something genuinely strange. The cross-border proximity to Laos adds a geopolitical edge.
Couple
Sunset dinner on the Mekong facing Laos, followed by a morning visit to the sculpture park's surreal giants — Nong Khai delivers a combination of romance and strangeness unique in Thailand.
Friends
The sculpture park is endlessly photographable, the Mekong food scene is convivial, and the proximity to Vientiane makes Nong Khai a natural stop on a group Isaan road trip.
- Sala Kaew Ku sculpture park contains giant concrete Buddhas, Hindu deities, and mythological beasts built by one visionary monk.
- The sculptures reach over twenty metres tall — Naga serpents, multi-headed elephants, and a wheel of life rendered in raw concrete.
- The Mekong riverfront promenade faces directly across to Vientiane — you can see Laos from every riverside restaurant.
- Converted French-colonial shophouses and wooden Mekong-facing guesthouses offer rooms for a few hundred baht.
Vietnamese spring rolls wrapped tight at the Mekong riverfront market.
Grilled Mekong fish served whole with fiery Isaan dipping sauce.
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A jagged cliff pointing directly at Laos across a tumbling ocean of morning clouds.