Most travelers would follow the Mekong right past this tranquil town if it wasn’t home to one of Thailand’s most sacred pilgrimage sites, Wat That Phanom. Towering nearly 60m high, the Lao-style (gem-encrusted, gold-gilded) chedi is revered by Thais and Laos alike. The energy of the visitors that flock in homage to this formidable tower is palpable. The its radiant Buddha images have even been covered in gold foil by faithful worshippers.
That Phanom, midway between Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan, is easily reached by either bus or songthaew (30฿), which stop along Chayangkun Rd. (Hwy. 212) and at a small bus station (☎042 547 247) south of town. Buses leave for Ubon Ratchathani (3hr., 14 per day 6:30am-2:30pm, 121-197฿) via Mukdahan (1hr., 27-47฿), and Udon Thani (5hr., 9 per day 9:30am-6pm, 115-195฿) via Sakhon Nakhon (1hr., 35-52฿). Several companies run to Bangkok, including government buses (11hr., every 30min. 7-9am and 4-6:30pm, 400-620฿). Buses and songthaew to Nakhon Phanom (1hr., 7 per day, 26-40฿) leave from a stop 150m north of the wat, across from the gas station.
Wat That Phanom is on Chayangkun Road (Highway 212), the main thoroughfare through town. Running parallel to Chayangkhun Rd., along the Mekong River, is Rimkhong Road, where many restaurants and hotels are situated. Kuson Ratchadamnoen Road runs straight out from the wat under the Lao Arch of Victory and all the way to the river.
Siam Commercial Bank, 359 Chayangkun Rd., diagonally across from the wat, has an AmEx/Cirrus/MC/V 24hr. ATM. (☎042 525 784. Open M-F 8:30am-3:30pm.) The Lao Market, on the far end of Rimkhong Rd., sells wood products from Laos and other trinkets and wares. (Open M and Th 6am-noon.) Other services include: the police station (☎042 541 266) and That Phonom Hospital (☎042 541 256) are both about 2km out of town on the Chayangkun Rd.; Internet access, at Jan Internet, 45 M1 Phranongphrarak Rd., across the road from the Arch of Victory; (open daily 8am-9pm, 20฿ per hr.); and the GPO, 373 Chayangkun Rd., past the bank and songthaew stop, which also has international phones. (☎042 541 169. Open M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, Sa 9am-noon.) Postal Code: 48110.
Accommodations fill up fast during the February festivals, so when possible, make reservations ahead of time.
At food stalls on Chayangkun Rd., 20฿ buys savory roast chicken, sticky rice, or a bowl of Vietnamese pho . A good night market sets up off Chayangkun Rd., across from the school, and dishes up tantalizing cuisine like pad mun sen (pork and bean vermicelli. Most dishes 20-30฿. Open until around 9pm.) A number of riverside restaurants hang precariously over the Mekong, giving them some of the best views around.
Wat That Phanom is the most sacred religious structure in northeast Thailand. Legend says it was built to house one of the Buddha’s clavicle bones, transported all the way from India. Topped by a 110kg gold spire, the shrine has been restored seven times since its initial construction, most recently in 1978, after heavy rains in 1975 collapsed the 57m tall chedi. The wat is surrounded by a cloister housing dozens of golden Buddha images. Depending on whom you ask, it’s between 12 and 26 centuries old. Look for the raised platform in front of the chedi with a large golden Buddha sitting under an ornate umbrella. On the platform, there are groupings of seven Buddhas, each one representing a day of the week, starting on the left with Saturday. People commonly donate a few baht and pray to the Buddha representing the day of the week on which they were born.
Upon entrance, most visitors make a small donation and pick up a bundle with three sticks of incense, a candle, some gold pieces of paper, and a couple of roses. Light the incense and place it in an incense holder; do the same with the candle. The flowers are usually left near the foot of the tower, and people sometimes attempt to stick the gold flakes of incense onto the Buddhas situated around the chedi in hopes that wealth and wisdom will be bestowed upon them. You can also get your fortune read behind the chedi. Give a small donation, then pick up the cup full of sticks and shake until one falls out. It will have a number on it which will correspond to a fortune on one of the pieces of paper in front of th small Buddha. For more luck, free a turtle, some birds, fish, or snakes (100฿ each) at one of the vendors to the right of the chedi. Afterwards, check out the informative museum with interesting relics and information boards detailing the region’s religious history.
A particularly good time to visit is at the beginning of February during the annual Phra That Phanom Homage Fair, when thousands come to pay their respects and emulate the journey that the Buddha himself took to this important location thousands of years ago. There’s no set date for the fair—it takes place from the 10th day of the waxing moon to the day of the full moon in the third lunar month. ( Wat open 5am-8pm daily.)
About 15km northwest of That Phanom is the silk-weaving village of Renu Nakhon. Visitors to the Renu Nakhon Wat can enjoy Isaan music and dance, sporadically performed during the winter and holidays. Contact TAT in Nakhon Phanom for more information. To get there, take any Nakhon Phanom-bound songthaew to the Renu Nakhon junction 8km north of town. From there, hire a tuk-tuk.
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