Chong Mek () is a border town in the

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

region of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It is located in the Sirindhorn District of Ubon Ratchathani Province, about east of

Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani (, ) is one of the four main cities in Thailand's Isan region, alongside Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat), Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen, collectively known as the "big four of Isan." Located on the Mun River in the southeastern Isan, ...

. The town is the only land-based crossing open to most travellers from Thailand to

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, the other such crossings being across the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

river. Vang Tao is the settlement on the Lao side. The town has a busy market popular with Thai visitors, however its popularity has diminished since the opening of the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

Mukdahan Mukdahan (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') and capital of Mukdahan Province, which became Thailand's 73rd province in 1982. In the northeastern region of the country, on the right (west) bank Mekong River, it was formerly a district of Nak ...

in 2007.

Sights and attractions

About west of Chong Mek is the large Sirindhorn Reservoir created by the construction of the Sirindhorn Dam in 1971.

References

Populated places in Ubon Ratchathani province {{Borders of Thailand