Volunteer Thailand: Nongkhai

Nongkhai provides a perfect setting for a first time volunteer. Not unknown to backpackers, there is plenty here to cater for the western needs while losing none of its rural charm. Nongkhai is the home of Travel to Teach and therefore our most established volunteer location. Over three hundred volunteers have passed through here, many staying longer than they had originally intended. Nongkhai acts as our Thai headquarters and the base for our home stay volunteers. Many projects are trialed here making it the ideal placement if you are unsure what project area to dedicate your time to.

As our name suggests our initial volunteer work was all teaching and Nongkhai still boasts the largest selection of teaching projects. English language for all abilities and ages, TOEFL training, computer teaching, sports coaching and restoration camps are just some of the things you can assist with.

Photo Gallery: Nongkhai Volunteering

Volunteers in Nongkhai stay in one of two volunteer dorms

The Green Dorm, in the center of Nongkhai

Relaxing on the Green Dorm balcony

Green Dorm living room

Green Dorm Kitchen

Soi Wat See Chum Cheun outside of the Green Dorm

Mee Chai, the second of our volunteer dorms located about 5 minutes from the center of Nongkhai

The living room at Mee Chai

The computer room in the Mee Chai Dorm, where volunteers can use the internet and prepare lesson plans.

Kitchen inside Meechai Dorm.

Relaxing outside the Mee Chai Dorm.

Thai cooking lessons.

Mee Chai Road outside of the volunteer dorm

The big Buddha outside of Wat Lam Duan

There are over 30 temples of various sizes around Nongkhai.

The view across the Mekong to Laos with the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge in the distance.

Sunset over the Mekong

Isan children next to the Mekong

The new walkway that runs alongside the Mekong

A Naga statue. The Naga is a seven headed serpant that according to Buddhist tradition lives in the Mekong close to Nongkhai and helped to protect the Buddha. Close to a million people come to Nongkha

Rimkong road which runs along the Mekong east of the town centre.

The entrance to Wat See Chum Cheun, next to the volunteers Green Dorm.

Mee Chai Road and Wat See Chum Cheun

Wat Poo Chai, the largest and most well known temple in Nongkhai.

Inside the main Bot at Wat Poo Chai.

Pagoda at Wat Pra Tat

Nongkhai train station, many volunteers first experience of Nongkhai

More Nongkhai Volunteering images.

Volunteer Projects in Nongkhai

Michai School. English teaching, restoration camps, summer camps.
Michai is a poor primary school 2 km from the center of Nongkhai and situated next door to our Michai volunteer dorm. Michai has been our most involved and possibly most successful project. We've run 2 restoration camps which completely renovated the school and saved it from possibility of closure and our volunteers have taught English and run a number of summer camps here. View the Michai School Restoration Gallery

CBAT Tourism and Business College. English teaching
The tourism college is around 30 km out of Nongkhai on the way to Udon Thani. Students are aged 15-19 and the level of English is relatively high as many of the students are aiming for careers in which English is likely to be especially important.

Wat Si Sumang. Teaching monks
Wat Si Sumang is temple next to the Mekong and about 2 km west of our volunteers Green Dorm. Young men often go to be monks in Thailand to get an education if their families are unable to support them during their studies. We teach English to novice monks in the evenings four days a week. Teaching is for 2 hours a night with the first hour usually grammar and the second hour coversation. The general standard of English of the monks is pretty good so conversation can be very interesting for both volunteers and monks.

Jommenee Primary School, English teaching
This small primary school is located on the outskirts of Nongkhai underneath the Friendship Bridge. Students range from nursery age through to 12 and there are around 30 students in each class. There are usually 2 volunteers working at the school at a time.

The Scorpion Primary School. English teaching and restoration camps.
The Scorpion school is a small and very poor primary school located in the grounds of a temple 2km from Nongkhai. There are around 150 students at the school aged between 5 and 12 in classes of approx 25. We have previously run a restoration camp at the school. View the Scorpion School Restoration Camp Gallery

Nongkhai Special School
The Nongkhai special school houses children aged between 5 and 20 with various physical and mental disabilities including autism, down syndrome and muscular dystrophy.

Volunteering at the school is a mixture of teaching and caring for the children. We do some basic English teaching but more importantly our volunteers look after and give a lot of attention to the students. Yvette a volunteer with experience caring for disabled children in Holland recently built a Sensory room at the school for the children to relax in. View the Special School Sensory Room Photo Gallery

We also have English teaching placements at a number of other schools in and around Nongkhai.

Photo Gallery: English Teaching in Nongkhai

More English Teaching in Nongkhai images.

General Nongkhai Info

Where Will I Stay?

Our volunteer dorms, as we call them, are actually two very nice four and five bedroom houses. Each house has a large communal area with balcony, living room and spacious gardens to relax in.

There isn’t air conditioning but we do have plenty of fans. Both dorms have hot water showers, refrigerators and water boilers. There are also both Western and Thai style toilets in both dorms and a kitchen in the Michai dorm. Thai cooking courses are included in your placement fee but if cooking is not your thing do’nt worry as there is a huge selection of food for sale very close to the dorms. Volunteers are responsible for keeping the accommodation clean.

The green dorm is right in the town centre, on a small soi (street) that is just off the main high street which is surrounded by shops, bars and restaurants. The Michai dorm is a 5 minute bike ride from the town centre and is situated in a small suburb.

Food

Nongkhai has an innumerable amount of restaurants and food stalls where volunteers can buy a variety of food. Local specialties include Som Tam (papaya salad), Mekong river fish and Vietnamese spring rolls all eaten with Sticky Rice. There are also many western restaurants to cater for the less adventurous palate.

Weather

Ask a local about the weather in Nongkhai and they will tell you there are three seasons, hot and wet, hot and dry and just plain hot. In reality the temperature can drop to as low as 10 C between November and February and the brief monsoon rains and Mekong river breeze throughout the summer months provide a welcome respite to the heat.

Free Time

All sorts of activities are available in Nongkhai. Amenities include swimming pools, gyms, golf courses, tennis courts, table tennis at the Michai dorm, saunas and spas. For those interested in accruing new skills there are yoga and Reiki courses, personal trainers and aerobic sessions. Nongkhai is also famous for producing Muay Thai (Thai Kick Boxing) champions and volunteers can enroll in Muay Thai training camps.

Where Is?/ Getting To Nongkhai

Trains
There are 2 trains a day from Hualamphong train station in central Bangkok, one departing in the early morning and another at around 20:00. We recommend the night trains since they are quicker and usually more convenient as most long distance flights tend to arrive in Bangkok in the afternoon.

The night train costs around 600 baht and most people manage to sleep reasonably well on them in comparison to the buses.

General information on trains can be found at traveller2000.com.

Buses
There are several buses from different companies daily from Bangkok to Nongkhai. Most buses leave in the evening and arrive in Nongkhai early in the morning. Although we recommend the trains as they are more comfortable if you do decide to go by bus the best option is probably the buses that depart from Kao San Road at around 19:00. These go directly to Nongkhai (and on to Vientiane in Laos) and are relatively easy to find. Its costs around 400-450 baht and you can buy tickets from any travel agency on Kao San Road. There are also regular buses from Bangkok's northern Mawchit Bus Station although this is extemerly large and chaotic, and probably best avoided if you've only just arrived in Thailand for the first time.

Flights
Three airlines fly daily from Bangkok to Udon Thani, Thai Airways and the budget airlines Air Asia and Nok Air. Nok Air also fly from Chiang Mai to Udon 3 times a week. There is a "limousine" (actually minibus) service from the airport to Nongkhai after each flight.