"Ever Bustling Udon Thani" a Udon Thani Travel Page by chiabh

Udon Thani lies 564 km’s northeast of Bangkok and the province covers an area of 11,730 square kilometers, with its boundary stretching to Nong Khai in the north, Khon Kean in the south, Sakon Nakon in the east and Nong Bua Lam Phu in the west. Udon Thani is situated on a plateau, the western region is mainly highland with forests along Phuphan range and then the elevation gradually declines towards Hualuang and then to the Mekong river in the northeast. The central part of the province is mainly flat making it an excellent location for rice farming and other agricultural work.

Udon Thani grew rapidly when US air bases were established in and around the city during the Vietnam War; there were 7 bases in total until the US pulled out in 1976. Although some of the bases no longer remain, the US presence lives on but in a much more limited degree.

Today UdonThani functions as a transport hub and an agricultural market centre for the surrounding provinces. In terms of touristic sites , there is nothing much to offer within the city limits... The only notable exception is the World Heritage Site of Ban Chiang.

Located some 55km from Udon Thani, excavations at the Ban Chiang site produced evidence of a Bronze Age civilisation that flourished here more than 5,000 years ago. Today, the site comprises two parts: on the left is Ban Chiang National Museum, displaying pre-historic artifacts including Ban Chiang's highly distinctive pottery, and on the right is an open air excavation pit with bones and other finds left in situ, which are in the compound of Wat Pho Si Nai...

You can go to Udon Thani from Bangkok by road, rail and air...

The fastest way to Udon Thani is to fly... Thai Airways, Nokair and Thai Airasia fly this route with flying time of 70 minutes... Phuket Air flies from Chiangmai 3 times a week...

Daily buses depart from Bangkok's Mochit II Bus Terminal with the journey taking about 8 hours... Of course, you can also drive from Bangkok, taking Highway 1 to Saraburi...then onto Highway 2 to Nong Khai via Nakhon Ratchasima and Khon Kaen...

There is also a direct rail link from Bangkok to Udon Thani with travelling time of about nine and a half hours...