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Major city · Thailand

Roi Etร้อยเอ็ด

Give Roi Et one night, two if you want the Khmer ruins at Ku Ka Sing: it is a lake town with a 59 m Buddha, not a sightseeing base.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
THB
Best months
Nov–Feb
avoid Mar–May (hot and smoky), Sep–Oct (wet)
Airports
ROI · KKC
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
  • Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
  • Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
  • Thailand ↗Check entry rules and any arrival card on the official Thai government sites for your passport; visa-exempt stays and pre-arrival forms change.
  • Thailand ↗Do not criticise or mock the monarchy: insulting the royal family is a criminal offence.
  • Thailand ↗Temples and palaces: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before entering halls.
  • Thailand ↗E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal to import or use; do not pack them.

Roi Et is a mid-Isaan provincial town built around Bueng Phalan Chai, a lake with a walking Buddha on an island in the middle. The town itself fills a relaxed day; the province's Khmer prangs and silk villages need a car or a long songthaew ride. Most travellers pass through between Khon Kaen and Yasothon, or stop for the June rocket festival.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Roi Et, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or iced drink฿35–70 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup or khao pun฿40–70 (≈ US$2–3)
  • BeerBeer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven฿70–120 (≈ US$3–4) / ฿35–60 (≈ US$2)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week฿300–500 (≈ US$10–16)
  • Museum or sight ticketRoi Et National Museum entry฿100 (≈ US$4) for foreigners (check)
  • Budget bedFan double room, a night, per room฿300 (≈ US$10)
  • Mid-range bedFan double room, a night, per room฿450 (≈ US$14)
  • High-end bedFan double room, a night, per room฿700 (≈ US$25)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ฿700 (≈ US$25) · Mid ฿1,400 (≈ US$45) · High ฿2,600 (≈ US$80)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Bueng Phalan Chai lake and walking BuddhaWat Buraphaphiram's 59 m standing BuddhaKu Ka Sing Khmer prangsBun Bangfai rocket festival in JuneIsaan khaen panpipes and silk
Airports
ROI Roi Et Airport (About 15 km from town; AirAsia and Nok Air from Bangkok Don Mueang, daily (check schedules).) · KKC Khon Kaen Airport (About 2 h by bus or car; the usual arrival point if you are working down from the north.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Roi Et: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

30°C

17°C

1 rd

Feb

33°C

20°C

2 rd

Mar

35°C

23°C

4 rd

Apr

36°C

25°C

7 rd

May

35°C

25°C

14 rd

Jun

33°C

25°C

15 rd

Jul

33°C

25°C

16 rd

Aug

32°C

24°C

18 rd

Sep

31°C

24°C

18 rd

Oct

31°C

23°C

10 rd

Nov

31°C

20°C

3 rd

Dec

30°C

17°C

1 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Samlors (three-wheeled taxis) are the local way to move: ฿20–50 a hop in town, found at markets, hotels and the bus station. There is no useful city bus network for visitors. For Ku Ka Sing, Pha Nam Yoi or the silk villages you need a rented car with driver or your own vehicle; distances run 40–70 km each way.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Ku Ka Sing

go

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min each way

Car or hired songthaew on Hwy 23 toward Kaset Wisai, about 60 km

Three laterite prangs on one base with a moat; the best Khmer ruin in the province. Go early, there is little shade.

Wat Pha Nam Yoi

go

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min each way

Car via Hwy 2044 and 2136 (≈ US$70), about 70 km

Hilltop temple with wide views over the plain; pair it with Pha Mok Mi Wai if you have a car.

Ban Wai Luen silk village

caution

Door to door: About 45 min each way

Car on Hwy 23 near the km 145 marker

A weaving cooperative, not a showroom; buy only if you are genuinely in the market for silk.

Yasothon

go

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min

Bus from Roi Et terminal, about 1 h 30 min

Easy onward leg; the rocket festival here in May is bigger than Roi Et's.

Khon Kaen

go

Door to door: About 2 h

Air-con bus from Roi Et terminal

The nearest railhead and airport with real connections; useful as your exit.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Around Bueng Phalan Chai

The lake is the centre: walk to the walking Buddha, the park and the night market. Most hotels sit within 1 km of it.

Hai Sok Road / north of the lake

A cluster of older hotels 400–700 m north of the water; quiet, cheap, walkable to the centre.

Kalasin Road (north edge)

Newer hotels with parking, 1–2 km from the lake; you will want a samlor or your own car.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
฿700–1,200 (≈ US$25–40) excl. bed
Mid
฿1,200–2,200 (≈ US$40–70) excl. bed
High
฿2,200 (≈ US$70)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Air-con double room1 × 1 night × ฿900฿900
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ฿1,400฿2,800
Samlor hops around town, one day2 × ฿150 · check฿300
Car with driver, full day to the ruins1 × ฿2,500 · check฿2,500
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ฿350฿700
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge฿720
Trip total≈ ฿3,960 per person per day, bed included฿7,920≈ US$250

2026 estimate in baht; flights and long-distance buses excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or iced drink฿35–70 (≈ US$2–3)
Noodle soup or khao pun฿40–70 (≈ US$2–3)
Isaan plate with sticky rice (som tam, grilled chicken)฿60–150 (≈ US$2–5)
Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven฿70–120 (≈ US$3–4) / ฿35–60 (≈ US$2)
Samlor ride in town฿20–50 (≈ US$1–2)
Roi Et National Museum entry฿100 (≈ US$4) for foreigners (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week฿300–500 (≈ US$10–16)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Roi Et is a low-crime provincial town and the main risks are practical: traffic on the ring roads, unlit roads after dark, and heat in April. Solo women report few problems; the usual Isaan caution about late-night drinking spots applies.
  • English is limited outside hotels and the museum; have your hotel name and address written in Thai.
  • Samlor drivers may quote a flat tourist price at night: agree the fare before you get in.
  • The province's Khmer ruins and hill temples are far apart and poorly served by public transport; do not plan them without a car.
  • March–April brings crop-burning haze across Isaan; air quality can be poor.
  • Some temples close their main hall outside morning and evening chanting hours: check locally.

Emergency numbers

Police
191
Ambulance and rescue
1669
Tourist police (English)
1155

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Roi Etร้อยเอ็ด

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ไปที่อยู่นี้ครับ/ค่ะTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police191
  • Ambulance and rescue1669
  • Tourist police (English)1155

Embassy

No embassies in Roi Et; the US, UK, Canadian and Australian missions are in Bangkok. Consular help for Isaan is handled from Bangkok (check the embassy site before you travel).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Samlor in town: ฿20–50 (≈ US$1–2), agree before you get in
  • Bus Roi Et → Yasothon: about ฿60 (≈ US$2), 1 h 30 min (check)
  • Bus Roi Et → Khon Kaen: about ฿120–180 (≈ US$4–6), 2 h (check)

Say or show

  • สวัสดี — Hello (sawatdee)
  • ขอบคุณ — Thank you (khop khun)
  • เท่าไหร่ — How much is it? (tao rai)
  • ไม่เผ็ด — Not spicy, please (mai phet)
  • ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหน — Where is the toilet? (hong nam yu nai)
  • ไปที่อยู่นี้ — Please take me to this address (pai tee yu nee)

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Roi Et. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Feb · avoid Mar–May (hot and smoky), Sep–Oct (wet) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for ROI: last flight times from Don Mueang field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: Bueng Phalan Chai, Hai Sok Road hotels, the museum and park quarter.
  3. Place pages with verified hours (Roi Et National Museum, Wat Buraphaphiram, Ku Ka Sing) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Festival fixtures for Bun Bangfai (June) and Bun Phawet (early March) so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Thailand

Sources