The people of Udon Thani, Thailand

A proud young father and his sleeping child.

Thailand's northeast region, known as Isan (ee-sahn) is the largest geographical part of Thailand, and contains the largest population. Mainly agricultural, the region has several medium to large cities, which are typically provincial capitals. The cities hum with commerce, but also retain much of the traditions from its rich and varied history. 

Near the northern border with Laos is the province of Udon Thani (Thailand has 77 provinces). Its capital, also called Udon Thani, has a population of about 155,000. East of the city is one of the world's earliest bronze age archaeological sites, Ban Chiang.

In this blog entry, I share photos of some of the people I encountered in this city during a recent four day excursion. It is also a departure from my normal posting of my experiences in color. All of the photos in this post are rendered in black and white, as the colorful backdrops of Udon Thani tended to distract from the images of the people. I hope you enjoy the images of the people of Udon Thani. I welcome your feedback!

All images are copyright © by the author. It is illegal for any image to be used for any purpose without permission. If interested in securing any of the images for personal or commercial use, please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com.

Decorations were being placed at a Chinese temple pavilion prior to a festival.

A traditional yoke with baskets being carried by a vendor

I did a double take when I saw this woman pedicab driver, which is unusual enough, but her clothing and wig were eye catching.

Her pedicab was decorated with ribbons and flags.

Near the bustling market across from the main bus station, I waved to this child, who gave me a cute smile.

Tired vendors

This man seemed to be right from Lord of the Rings.

These young women were part of a festival stage show at the night market.

We ate at this street-side noodle stand, and when I asked if I could take their photo, these smiles were the result.

Many small family run shops in Thailand are multi-purpose: the goods are displayed on the sidewalk, and the living space is just inside. Here a woman watches the shop while a TV show plays in the background.

About an hour's drive east of the city is a unique temple ("wat") in the shape of a lotus bud. It is a big tourist attraction. Here, touring monks take photos to record this part of their trip.

Novice monks ("naen") take photos of a senior monk.

In the late afternoon shadows, these men run a small restaurant.

This sweet woman was living on the street under an umbrella. She had her "babies" with her, and was happy to show them to me. I asked if she had no house, and she replied that she did, but it was in another province. I don't know why she was living on the street in Udon Thani, but she seemed to be pretty happy.

These servers apparently are well known for their flamboyant clothing and wigs. They make mainly one dish: spicy papaya salad (somtam). 

Loy Krathong, Thailand's Festival of Light

Loy Krathong is one of Thailand's biggest festivals. The name means "to float a krathong," (pronounced kra-tong) which is a special name of a small decorated platform used only during this observance. A krathong traditionally is a cut section of banana trunk and is decorated with intricately folded banana leaves and colorful flowers. Usually lit candles are added, as well as incense sticks, and some people add one baht coins (about $0.03). The krathongs are floated on moving waterways to pay respect to the water spirits, as the observance falls on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month of the Thai calendar. This is generally in November, when the rainy season and harvests end.

The sight of hundreds of krathongs floating down a canal or river is lovely (and unfortunately in recent years quite polluting due to the use of styrofoam, but now most people are more aware and have returned to using banana trunks). Associated with the festival are night markets and temple activities. This year I went to a large duo of temples, or wats (Wat Bang Peng Tai [South] and Wat Bang Peng Nua [North]) that are on each side of Bangkok's largest klong, or canal, the Saen Saeb, which flows east to west from the outskirts of Bangkok's eastern districts to the main river, the Chao Phraya, which empties into the Gulf of Thailand just south of the capital city.

By the time I had left, thousands had gathered for the festivities, and scores more were arriving by the minute. It was a colorful, happy and loud scene: monks broadcast announcements and performed blessings in the temple halls, people swarmed through the temple grounds to buy and float krathongs, buy a dizzying array of food (lots and lots of it!), give alms to the temple monks, and make merit by giving coins to beggars. 

It is a very important family observance that occurs as the dry season begins, thus a reason to give thanks to the water spirits. It is also a time for making amends for any wrong doing, and to ask for good fortune in the months ahead. If you are ever in Thailand during November, find a nearby temple and take in the sounds and sights of this one day festival. It is a great way to observe and learn about Thai culture.

I hope you enjoy the sights I captured at this year's Loy Krathong festival.

All photos are copyrighted © by the author. No images may be used for any purpose without permission. If you wish to use any of the images, please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com.

Krathongs are sold by the hundreds by numerous vendors outside the temple grounds, and by the temple monks inside the grounds. Designs range from the traditional with orchids to newer, such as cartoon characters and whimsical animals.

Traditional krathongs

Loy Krathong is a time for families and friends to gather in a festive atmosphere.

Vendors of all types crowd the temple grounds and the market next to the temples.

Candles and incense are usually added to the krathongs.

Many vendors get into the celebratory mood with costumes. It is very important in Thailand to have "sanuk" (fun)!

A young girl is steadied by her father as she floats her krathong.

Many activities take place in the halls of the temple grounds. Here a senior monk is blessing the faithful, most of whom give alms.

A man adds gold leaf to a statue of the Buddha, a sign of respect.

A young girls lights an incense stick, which will be added to her krathong.

One of the many shopkeepers in the market outside the temple grounds

A man records his family's visit to the temple during the festival.

More activity within the meeting hall.

The temple bell tower behind a wall of smoke from a charcoal grill.

Multi-level gathering

The lovely parade of krathongs 

Thank you for taking my photo tour. Please feel free to share this post.

The streets of Saigon

A short two day visit to Viet Nam's largest city, Saigon (or officially, but not often used, Ho Chi Minh City) left me with wonderful memories of meeting friendly people and seeing the fascinating culture on the streets of the main part of the city, District 1. As my former teaching colleague and fellow photographer Jason Cordray, who lives in Saigon summed it up: "Elegance and decay weave a tapestry of urban life here."

Everywhere I went, there were people sitting in groups on the sidewalks, sharing a meal or drinks or just friendly conversation. It is a very social society.

From the moment I began exploring this city of nearly seven million inhabitants, I saw that its atmosphere and cultural signatures are different than in other cities, but also there is a familiarity that tapped on my memory, with wisps of images of other places in Asia, yet it is distinct, even from its in-country neighbor to the north, Hanoi.

Saigon is at once beautiful and degraded, sleekly modern and ancient, international and traditional. Walking the streets of Saigon is an unforgettable and exhilarating experience. I hope you enjoy the tour, and plan your own visit to this enchanting city.

All photos are copyrighted © by the author. It is illegal to use any images for any use, commercial or non-commercial without permission. If you have inquiries, please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com.


Rising early on my first morning, I took a short walk through the neighborhood near the Saigon River in District 1. I didn't have to go far before I encountered scores of people buying fruit, omelettes, breads, and drinks for breakfast.

This man insisted that I take his picture.

Tiny shops, most a meter off the ground, were packed with just about anything one would ever need.

In a small alleyway, a man prepares food for locals.

It is not hard to imagine this woman doing the same thing in the same shop 50 years ago.

Bamboo and weathered concrete combine to form a beautiful image.

I met smiling people everywhere.

The popular Ben Thanh market is under renovation, so the stalls have moved to nearby streets. It is a sensory overload!

These bags are full of various types of sugar!

A remarkable variety of mushrooms.

This woman was tediously (but very quickly) peeling water chestnuts. It took her about five seconds to completely peel one.

A common sight is people moving huge loads of commerce through the narrow streets. Whether over the shoulder, by motorcycle, hand truck or yoke baskets, they moved a lot of inventory!

The meat market

A commonplace small business is the mobile carrying pole with two baskets or buckets (depending on what they are selling) on both ends.

A young man takes a cigarette break.

Ben Thanh market is undergoing renovation.

In Chinatown, shops are jam packed with festive paper lanterns and other decorations.

Colorful decorations for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. Unfortunately, I was a bit early.

Inside a Chinese Buddhist temple we came across several young men working on a long dragon that they will dance under in the festival parade.

A woman places large joss sticks at various altars in the temple.

Two men pass the time in conversation and drinking tea at the temple.

A woman pauses to pray before placing joss sticks in sand-filled bowls around the temple.

This old woman must have been in her 90s. She walked slowly through the alleyway, pausing any time a chair was available for resting. 

The "elegance" to which my friend Jason referred is found mainly in the beautiful French colonial style buildings that are scattered about the city, many in District 1. the Vietnamese have restored them and they continue to be in use.

The Saigon Opera House

Ho Chi Minh City Hall, finished in 1908.

Hotel Majestic, built in 1925 by a Chinese business man in the French colonial and French Riviera styles.

Hotel entrance

Hotel reception lounge

Gorgeous Majestic windows

Quite noticeable everywhere is the practice of "motorcycle perching." The people of Saigon have perfected it!

In this city of motorcycles, nearly everyone wears a helmet.

Motorcycles are ubiquitous in Viet Nam. It is gratifying to see that nearly all who drive or ride on motorcycles wear helmets. I am especially pleased to see that children's safety is a priority in this country, unlike in so many others in Southeast Asia.

As in many cities, graffiti art graces many of Saigon's walls. The paintings are often both stylistic and thematic.

Friendly smiles are seen everywhere in Saigon.

These are air roots of the oldest tree in Saigon (approximately 300 years). 

A woman sleeps on the ground in a covered passageway. I do not know if she was homeless, but there was a small altar and some belongings next to her.

Saigon has many upscale and sub culture cafes, book stores and coffee houses. This one is popular with both tourists and Vietnamese: the Propaganda Cafe, which has a revolutionary theme.

In step with places around the world, Vietnam has its own craft breweries. This one is on Pasteur Street, from which it got its name. The beer shown is quite unique: dragon fruit gose, which has a sour, fruity taste. 

An air conditioner had just been lifted through the upper window. As for the towels in upper left, my experience tells me they are from a massage shop.

A lot of people in Saigon nap in the daytime, and just about anywhere. This old man slumbers on a furniture display in a park.

There are two model boat builders near the Opera house. The scale models they build are amazingly detailed.

Vietnamese know this best.

An iconic street scene in Saigon.

Parents and grandparents were happy to show off their children to us.

View from the 49th floor of the Bitexco Building, across the Saigon River to the Landmark 81 building, now the tallest building in Southeast Asia.

I hope you enjoyed the photo tour of Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. If you ever have the chance to visit the city, do. You won't regret it! 

Contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com