府
Loei Province
Loei is a mountainous province in upper northeastern Thailand bordering Laos to the north, renowned for its cool climate, dramatic highland scenery, and national parks. It is commonly described as the 'sea of mountains' of Isan, with peaks such as Phu Kradueng (1,316 m), Phu Luang, and Phu Ruea dominating the landscape.
Covering 11,424 square kilometres, Loei is one of the more sparsely populated provinces with approximately 635,000 residents as of 2023, giving it a density of just 56 people per square kilometre. Phu Kradueng National Park, the second national park established in Thailand (1962), attracts hikers to its flat sandstone plateau covered with pine forests and wildflowers. Phu Ruea is famous for Thailand's lowest recorded temperatures during winter, when frost occasionally covers the summit. The province was created in 1907 under King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), and the historic Phra That Si Song Rak stupa in Dan Sai district, built in 1560, symbolises friendship between the Ayutthaya Kingdom and Laos. The Dan Sai district also hosts the colourful Phi Ta Khon (Ghost Festival) each June, one of Thailand's most distinctive regional festivals.