Udon Thani History, Thailand

Udon Thani, previously called Ban Mak-kaeng is one of Thailand's north-eastern provinces

Udon Thani made its first mark in history in the year 1826, when Prince Anuwong of Vientiane marched the Laotian troops to Nakhon Ratchasrima, but he met with a fierce counter attack from local troops led by Lady Mo, the wife of Nakhon Ratchasrima Governor. Hence, Anuwong had no other way than taking his troops back

Udon Thani province is world famous for its archaeological site “Ban Chiang”. Ban Chiang holds valuable evidence of the bronze age and the early farming of prehistoric times. Today, Udon Thani is seat for some of the busiest market places that sell agricultural goods. The province, also known as Udorn, is said to have received its best boost in economy, during the Vietnam war, when it became an American military base. The US base is said to have owned the Thai Royal Forces, since 1976.

Even today, we can see the significant effects of US settlement in Udorn. Many of the citizens have learned English and have well paid jobs. This has led to improvement in the education levels of the people of Udorn. Today, Udorn natives are able to get jobs around the world, due to their English language skills. Apart from these developments, the US had also built a post for veterans of foreign wars and a Consulate which was eventually closed in the year 1995. All this has helped Udorn to grow rapidly into its current form as a major Industrial Centre.

Today, Udorn has gained the world's interest following the discovery of a huge potash deposit which very well has the prospects of making Udorn a major exporter of potash. The mining process was however delayed due to unrelenting public protests. It has been reported that the villagers living above the potash deposits are suspecting and afraid of aftereffects like earth quake, pollution etc, as these can directly affect rice farming and thereby destabilize the economy of the local farmers. Nevertheless, the drilling has started, and the results of the exploration programs have found that there is more than 200 million tons of high grade sylvinite ore at depths of about 250 meters to 370 meters below the ground. If these resources are carefully extracted and exported, we can surely expect a major boost to the Udon Thani economy, in addition to what it got during the Vietnam war.

email to a friendAsk our travel experts a question about Udon Thani