The Latest Breaking News from Isan

Rockin' in the Free World

Last year, World Beat went to the annual Boon Phra Wet Festival in Roi Et City in Isan. The three-day event celebrated one of the monthly merit-making ceremonies -- heet sip song -- with parades, huge dance performances (10,101 dancers on the streets), Buddhist sermons and nightly molam stages for…

Bangkok Post · Jul 24

Regional innovation

This year, the Isan Creative Festival, organised by the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), kicks off under the theme "Northeast Modern: Abundance, Adaptation And Connectivity".

Bangkok Post · Jul 17

Isan Creative Festival is back for a 6th run

The 6th annual Isan Creative Festival is set to return next month, inviting visitors to discover new regional possibilities and answer the ultimate question: "What can Isan do?"

Bangkok Post · Jun 10

The many tastes of rice

For several decades, cracked ground in Isan or the Northeast of the country captured the public's imagination. In the 1970s, readers submitted their poems to Satri Sarn, the country's first women's magazine, recounting tales of drought, crop failure and hardship. Some were forced to eat leaves and grasshoppers, not rice,…

Bangkok Post · Apr 9, 2023

Somtum Der celebrates 10 years with a new design

To celebrate the milestone, a new design concept called Metro Isan has been created for Somtum Der Saladaeng. Developed by Saran Yenpanya, it draws inspiration from truck art which expresses the homesickness of Isan truck drivers, who long for the familiar sight of a rural landscape. Saran has adapted truck…

Bangkok Post · Dec 8, 2022

Break the flood cycle

As part of the southern region braces for expected seasonal floods, a vast area of the lower North, including Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, and Isan remains inundated. Media photos show several houses in flood-hit areas entirely submerged.

Bangkok Post · Oct 21, 2022

Anutin unfazed by Pheu Thai's big wins in Isan

Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul remains unimpressed by two decisive political victories by the Pheu Thai Party in northeastern provinces over other parties' candidates in local government elections.

Bangkok Post · Sep 27, 2022

Deconstructing Isan

If you need one, just one, reason to visit Udon Thani in Thailand's Northeast, it would be to eat at chef Weerawat "Num" Triyasenawat's brilliant Samuay & Sons. Since I first wrote about Num in 2018, Samuay & Sons has gone far beyond its menu of local ingredients cooked with…

Bangkok Post · Apr 26, 2022

The fiery flavours of Isan

Isanista, this week's subject of review, is a northeastern Thai eatery and part of a newly-opened multi-cuisine restaurant called Metro Square.

Bangkok Post · Apr 14, 2022

The heart of a nation

With a culture of intellect and entertainment, northeastern Thailand is a hotbed of new ideas and inventions. It is also a diverse region that excels in cuisine, handicrafts and folk music.

Bangkok Post · Mar 6, 2022