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Northeastern Region
Home » Thailand » Thailand Major Cities & Regions » Northeastern RegionThe Northeastern Region is called Isaan. This area is the poorest region in Thailand. However, it is quite possibly the friendliest. The main industries include rice farming. Silk production is also an important industry. There is strong Laotian influence in the dialect and wonderful Vietnamese food to enjoy in the area. The traditional Isaan meal consists of gai-yang (barbequed chicken), sticky rice and papaya salad. Thais (mostly adolescents) determine bragging rites over who can eat the most amount of peppers in their papaya salad (called som thom). A foreigner would be wise to ask for only a tiny sliver of a pepper in a salad, while Thais will go for three or four. Isaan music and dance are distinct; any festival will give you the opportunity to see this part of the culture. Festivals are abundant; here are some of the larger ones: the silk festival is held in Khon Kaen in late November or early December, the elephant round-up is held in Surin in November, and the Rocket Festival is held all over the Northeast in mid-May to mid-June. The major cities in the Northeastern Region are Nathon Ratchasima (Korat) and Udon Thani, which both had a large US military presence in the Vietnam War; Khon Kaen, home to the largest university in the Northeast; and Nong Khai, the gateway to Laos.
Related Thailand Major Cities & Regions Articles
- Thailand Major Cities & Regions Overview
- Northeastern Region
- The Central Plains
- Northern Thailand
- Southern Thailand