Discovering Khon Kaen – Isan’s Growing City

I have enjoyed seeing how towns and cities develop since my first visit to Thailand in 2004. Some grow, then stagnate or even decline. Others continue to develop. The worldwide pandemic had a huge effect, stalling progress as businesses disappeared. Khon Kaen has continued to grow since I first stayed in the Isan region in 2018.

About Khon Kaen City

Khon Kaen is one of northeastern Thailand’s largest and fastest-growing cities. Located 450 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, it is the commercial, educational and transport hub of the Isan region, with a city population of around 100,000.

It is home to Khon Kaen University, one of Thailand's leading regional universities, and has an international airport, major shopping centres, hotels and a busy railway station. It is a modern, bustling provincial city which combines traditional Isan culture with an increasingly cosmopolitan character.

My First Visit

While touring Isan in 2018, I took a bus south from Udon Thani to Khon Kaen. My first surprise was finding that the bus terminal was located south of the city, by the ring road. I thought our driver had got lost! I booked into the Hotel Glacier, my accommodation for the evening. 

As ever, I tried to see as much as possible. My walk took me past 24 Taps, a bar selling draft beers and a slightly ageing shopping mall where I ate and sheltered from a heavy downpour. My hotel was near the Pullman, the city’s premier option, which had a German beer bar and live music downstairs.

As a Western tourist, I enjoyed the surrounding area, visiting its bars and restaurants. Pracha Samran Road, near the railway market, offered Thai options, with some places opening late for dance and live music. My visit certainly whetted my appetite, the whole idea of a tour that would serve me well a few years later.

A 2024 Return

By February 2024, I had become accustomed to living in Isan. I regularly supported Sisaket United FC and was keen to watch them playing away when I could. By then, my friend Dale and I were hosting A Thai Football Podcast, a weekly show covering all things about the game in the Land of Smiles. Dale and his wife Nui had moved to their new home north of Khon Kaen city, and he was over for a break from the UK.

I introduced my wife Taew to live football. She enjoyed going if other friends were heading along, as she knew she would have fun, with the ninety minutes being sometimes incidental. Because we were continuing to Bangkok after the weekend, we caught the bus from Sisaket to Khon Kaen.

We decided to stay for two nights. The football was not until the following day, leaving us Saturday afternoon and evening to explore. We ate noodles for lunch on Pracha Samran Road before checking into our accommodation. Again, I booked Hotel Glacier, which was a disappointment.

As I mentioned earlier, the pandemic damaged businesses. The hotel remained aesthetically pleasing. However, it appeared to have suffered from two or three years of low occupancy. It was a shame. I hope they have made improvements, so it is a good place to stay. Its location merits it.

A Perfect Table for Two at Ton Tann

In our lunchtime restaurant, the lady who served us told Taew about somewhere we might like to visit that evening. I’d heard good things about Ton Tann Market, so I was keen to visit. We were impressed and amazed by its size, with stalls selling food and drink around a lake. 

It had a similar covered area with large screens showing football and shopping opportunities in what seemed like endless lanes. The cheer when Liverpool scored in their match around the market was huge. The whole venue was better than others I'd visited in Thailand.

Our visit coincided with Thai singing superstar Gavin D, who was performing on the lake’s island. Taew pointed to unoccupied seats and a table right by the water's edge and told me to sit down. She went to buy food to bring back and order drinks. What a fantastic view!

After we settled, I noticed a plate turned away from us with “reserved” on it. I thought the young ladies arranging things gave us strange looks. We apologised and got ready to move, but they insisted we stay. The young kids were out in force to see their heartthrob. It was great fun for an hour, even if we were among the eldest there. They may have thought we’d taken the kids or grandkids along.

Gavin D and Brentford v Liverpool
What More Could You Ask For On A Saturday Night!

An old tuk-tuk took us back to the Pullman, which has since become The Heritage Grand Khon Kaen Hotel and Convention. I’m not sure what the concierge made of us getting out of an old rust bucket by the steps. We had a drink after a little walk around the area before calling it a night.

Khon Kaen had a Central Mall within walking distance of our hotel. It has since added a second. On Sunday morning we headed there to buy some new clothes and generally act like a hi-so couple on holiday, before meeting Dale and Nui for some pre-match refreshments and a late lunch at Yokotai Restaurant, where the food was excellent, if on the expensive side.

While the football was not anything to write home about, it was still fun. We met Mike, a Welshman living in Khon Kaen, whom I knew online, and during the match, Andy, an Oldham Athletic fan, like Dale, was at his first game, minding his own business until we invited him to sit with us.

He went with the four of us to the Rimrang Station complex, an excellent bar and food area built on the old railway tracks, with the line now going overhead through the city. Drinks at a sky bar near our hotel, which only our new friend knew about, rounded off the evening. Khon Kaen’s modern and expanding airport was our route to Bangkok the following morning.

Rimrang Station complex

Further Visits

We returned the following September to meet Dale and Nui, attend another football match, and catch up with more podcast friends. It was rainy season, which was a shame. Our Ingtara Hotel had a rooftop bar, but drinking while trying to shelter takes away the fun. Before this, Taew, who had driven, and I enjoyed a fine meal at a favourite chain restaurant.

At the rain-sodden stadium, Taew won a stuffed cushion toy in the halftime draw, so I remember Khon Kaen in our lounge. The ladies headed off to the far side to collect the prize, used their common sense, and stayed downstairs undercover. Again, we adjourned to Yokotai Restaurant. 

A live musician was very amiable. It led to an extremely long evening as we played pool and sang karaoke. Badly. Our carriage took us away at 3 am. We had lots of fun. The next morning, our friends took us north of the city to their home, where we spent the night in the stunning countryside with the mountains of Nam Phong National Park in the distance.

Our Reminder of Khon Kaen

At the end of the year, Khon Kaen proved an ideal stopover during our tour into Laos and then all the way south to the Malaysian border. We spent the previous evening a couple of hours north of Vientiane and needed somewhere before heading to Samut Songkhram. 

It reminded us how quickly a city can change. On the way to our hotel, we passed Central Mall and crossed the railway below the elevated tracks. The Rimrang Station complex had gone, and with it one of our evening options. Ton Tann Market did the job, even if it took ages to fight through the traffic. It was far bigger than we imagined, with a large separate park gearing up for live music.

I explored during my usual morning’s exercise. I walked past Tumkratoei, the restaurant that we enjoyed last time, on Na Mueang Road. Monks were walking down the street, blessing those outside their homes. I cut through to Bueng Kaen Nakhon Public Park with its large reservoir.

It was the ideal place to start the day. I wasn’t alone, with several others out walking and using the free exercise equipment. I found a man who zigzagged so his wife could keep up, truly heartwarming. 

Bueng Kaen Nakhon Public Park

In Closing

I like Khon Kaen. Each visit has offered something different, whether discovering somewhere new, meeting friends, watching football or simply enjoying an evening out. The city has changed, with old favourites disappearing and new attractions taking their place. I suspect it will have changed further when we next return. It makes exploring Thailand so enjoyable. You never quite know what you will find.

If you enjoyed this story, feel free to check out my YouTube Channel, where I share videos about everyday life in Thailand, local football, and travel across the country.

Thanks for reading.