Yasothon

Travel guide

This sleepy provincial capital is about as quiet a place as you are likely to see in this area of Thailand, except of course during the Rocket Festival.

At that time, Yasothon city literally explodes as amateur rocket-engineers from all over northest Thaialnd descend on the town for a weekend of unadorned madness.

An all-day parade proceeds through town -- the weather is so hot that the tar roads bubble and hessian bags need to be laid down to protect the oft-barefoot marchers. In the evening dancing stages line the main street the thump tunes out all night in a jovial atmosphere.

Set to coincide with the end of the dry season, the festival has its roots in animist beliefs, believing that the firing of the rockets will appease the god of rain who will make sure that it pours down.

Over time the festival has incorporated Buddhist beliefs and today even the state has got involved -- just to make sure the event is good, safe and publicly acceptable.

This has lead to a degree of sanitising of the event with the public wearing of phallic symbols being outlawed. Meanwhile the rockets have got bigger and bigger with some carrying up to half a ton of gunpowder! The thought behind it -- the bigger the better.

Gambling is rife during the ceremony as people bet on the various rockets because the one which goes the highest wins.

Book online

J.P. Emerald Hotel
Yasothon
From: US$25.00 with Sawasdee

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Fresh off our Asia travel forum

Here are some discussions off the Travelfish forum, perhaps related to Yasothon. You can find the full forum here.

Yasothon reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

Yaso is pretty dead
By MADMAC (dabbler - 8 reviews)
Written on 9th June, 2009 after a visit to Yasothon in March, 2009
I've actually been to Yasothon many times, but it's easily the most boring province I've been to in Thailand. The Rocket Festival aside, there isn't much to see and there isn't much to do. Even the nightlife is slow and boring. The JP Hotel has a club in it, but most of it's clientele are now gay (I have no idea why, five years ago that wasn't the case). If there are any other clubs in town, I don't know about them. From food to fun, Yaso just doesn't have much going for it I'm afraid -- at least not in my view. Maybe others have more info than I, I'm certainly not an expert on the place.

Sights & activities   History & culture   Scenery & environment   Eat & drink

Traveller's scene   Romance   Value for money   I'll be back (or not)

Also reviewed by MADMAC: Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, Savannakhet, That Phanom, Udon Thani,

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