on the far sideNong Khai is a sleepy Thai town with strong Lao influences, and is home to small Chinese and Vietnamese communities as well.Most locals speak both Thai and the local dialect called Isaan phrasebook|Isaan, which is closely related to both the Thai and Lao languages. Many locals speak a little bit of English, mostly tourism-related words, and are generally very friendly and helpful if you smile and are polite. http://wikitravel.org/en/Nong Khai