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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Roi Et
ร้อยเอ็ด
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.
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.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- ร้อยเอ็ด
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot and smoky), Sep–Oct (wet)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,200 excl. bed · High ฿2,200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance and rescue 1669 · Tourist police (English) 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or iced drink | ฿35–70 |
| Noodle soup or khao pun | ฿40–70 |
| Isaan plate with sticky rice (som tam, grilled chicken) | ฿60–150 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven | ฿70–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Samlor ride in town | ฿20–50 |
| Roi Et National Museum entry | ฿100 for foreigners (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿300–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ROI · Roi Et Airport
- About 15 km (9.3 mi) from town; AirAsia and Nok Air from Bangkok Don Mueang, daily (check schedules).About 9.3 mi (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.
Typical fares
- Samlor in town
- ฿20–50, agree before you get in
- Bus Roi Et → Yasothon
- about ฿60, 1 h 30 min (check)
- Bus Roi Et → Khon Kaen
- about ฿120–180, 2 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get 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 (25–43 mi) each way.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 25–43 mi (40–70 km) each way.
See and do
Known for
- Bueng Phalan Chai lake and walking Buddha
- Wat Buraphaphiram's 59 m standing Buddha
- Ku Ka Sing Khmer prangs
- Bun Bangfai rocket festival in June
- Isaan khaen panpipes and silk
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ku Ka Sing | Car or hired songthaew on Hwy 23 toward Kaset Wisai, about 60 km (37 mi)Car or hired songthaew on Hwy 23 toward Kaset Wisai, about 37 mi (60 km) | About 1 h 15 min each way |
| Wat Pha Nam Yoi | Car via Hwy 2044 and 2136, about 70 km (43 mi)Car via Hwy 2044 and 2136, about 43 mi (70 km) | About 1 h 30 min each way |
| Ban Wai Luen silk village | Car on Hwy 23 near the km 145 (mile 90) markerCar on Hwy 23 near the mile 90 (km 145) marker | About 45 min each way |
| Yasothon | Bus from Roi Et terminal, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 30 min |
| Khon Kaen | Air-con bus from Roi Et terminal | About 2 h |
Sleep
- 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 (0.6 mi) of it.The lake is the centre: walk to the walking Buddha, the park and the night market. Most hotels sit within 0.6 mi (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 (0.6–1.2 mi) from the lake; you will want a samlor or your own car.Newer hotels with parking, 0.6–1.2 mi (1–2 km) from the lake; you will want a samlor or your own car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Please take me to this address | ไปที่อยู่นี้pai tee yu nee |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Roi Et yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Bueng Phalan Chai lake and walking Buddha
- Wat Buraphaphiram's 59 m standing Buddha
- Ku Ka Sing Khmer prangs
- Bun Bangfai rocket festival in June
- Isaan khaen panpipes and silk
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Roi Et Municipality (official): www.roietmunicipal.go.th/
- Tourism Authority of Thailand — Isaan: www.tourismthailand.org/
- State Railway of Thailand: www.dticket.railway.co.th/DTicketPublicWeb/home/Home
- Wikivoyage: Roi Et, revision 5258448 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5258448
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Roi Etร้อยเอ็ด
ไปที่อยู่นี้ครับ/ค่ะ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
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).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/roi-et). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.