[1] It is the road and railway gateway to the Lao capital, Vientiane, 25 kilometres (16 mi) upriver, on the north bank opposite Thailand's Si Chiang Mai district.

[4] The Prap Ho Monument before the old city hall (now a museum and cultural center) memorialises the dead of the Haw wars.

[5] Nong Khai has become a popular destination during the Buddhist Lent festival when mysterious balls of light, or Naga fireballs, rise from the Mekong River.

Although the fireballs can be seen at other times, most Thais travel to see them during the full moon in October when the incidence of them is considered to be much higher.

Synthesizing Buddhist and Hinduist ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, a seven-headed Naga snake, and various human-animal hybrids dominate the site.