Ubon Ratchathani

Ubon Ratchathani (Thai: อุบลราชธานี, pronounced [ʔubon râːt.tɕʰa.tʰaːniː]), commonly shortened to Ubon (อุบลฯ, meaning "royal lotus city"), is a city (เทศบาลนคร, thesaban nakhon) in northeastern Thailand and the administrative centre of Ubon Ratchathani Province. It is one of the four largest cities in Isan, alongside Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen, collectively known as the "big four of Isan." The city lies on the north bank of the Mun River, approximately 497 km (309 mi) from Bangkok in a straight line, or around 629 km (391 mi) by road. Across the river on the south bank lies the town of Warin Chamrap, with which Ubon Ratchathani forms a functionally integrated twin-city conurbation: although the two remain separate municipalities linked by road bridges, decades of urban expansion have produced a single, largely continuous built-up area, and the two local governments have since the 2020s coordinated a joint comprehensive urban plan covering both jurisdictions. According to registration statistics compiled by the Department of Provincial Administration, the combined population of the municipalities and subdistricts making up the conurbation was approximately 390,886 as of December 2025 — around 224,338 on the Ubon Ratchathani side and 166,548 on the Warin Chamrap side. The city was founded in the late 18th century by Thao Kham Phong, later titled Phra Pathum Wongsa, and was formally granted provincial status in 1792 under King Rama I as the administrative centre of the Isan monthon. It grew as a regional administrative, commercial, and educational hub through the 20th century, notably as the site of Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, a major United States Air Force installation during the Vietnam War. Ubon Ratchathani is best known internationally for its annual Candle Festival, held each July to mark the beginning of the Buddhist rains retreat, featuring elaborate processions of carved beeswax...