Page 74 - Experience Thailand and More

KHON KAEN

Heartwood

The provincial capital of Khon Kaen is set at the cross road of the Mitthrapap,
or Friendship Highway, running from Bangkok north to Nongkhai and the First
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, and National Highway 12. Today, it is the hub for
commerce and education for central I-san. Leading in this metamorphosis is
Khon Kaen University; now, ranked among the country’s best, it is attracting
top students from around the country, not just the northeast region. At the
same time, businesses, many serving the agricultural industry, have been
flourishing, which has also led to the expansion of shopping plazas, hip
restaurants and pubs as well as entertainment venues.

The city was established only around 200 years ago by Chao Phia Mueang
Pan during the reign of King Rama I, but like Kalasin, traces remain of the
age when dinosaurs roamed these lands 150 million years ago. There are
also remnants from when Angkor’s influence stretched this far northwest in
th
th
the 12 and 13 centuries. From these early times, the province, especially
in the district of Chonnabot, is still producing some of the finest hand-
woven mudmee patterned silk, which is sought by collectors, both Thai and
foreign.

74