In this post, the Thai Fabric Chronicles visits the Baan Na Kha Fabric Market in Udon Thani. This old style Thai fabric market should be on everyone’s list of places for a “fabric safari” in Thailand.
Getting There
This fabric market is located 16 kilometers north of Udon Thani right off Highway #2. Just look for a huge golden Buddha on the right side of the highway (if you’re traveling north) and you’ve arrived.
Udon Thani is located near the Laos border with Vientiane. It’s Thailand’s 6th largest city. This region is known as Esaan (also spelled Esan or Isaan) which composes nearly all of northeastern Thailand. It’s the poorest part of Thailand and also attracts the fewest tourists.
Esaan is where most Thai silk and cotton fabrics are woven. Scattered about this endless high, dry plain are the small villages whose women weave Thai silk and cotton fabrics. For more info about Esaan, please read my post “A Vagabond to Esaan“, and “Confessions of an International Thai Pillow Dealer” (Esaan is where Thai pillows are made.)
The Market
The Na Kha Fabric Market has a huge selection of cotton fabrics, but you can also find Thai silk here. You’ll find more mudmee fabrics here, both cotton and silk, than any other location in Thailand.
Thai mudmee fabric (ikat weaving) is a cultural tradition. You can learn all about it at my post “Mudmee Fabric: A Cultural Treasure of Thailand“.
The market is housed under a single roof of a huge warehouse style building that holds dozens of fabric vendors. You could easily spend hours, if not a full day, perusing the different fabric shops with their assorted fabrics, dresses, blouses, men’s shirts, purses and handbags, shawls, sarongs, etc.
Let’s Shop the Market
Don’t be shy about shopping for fabrics. You gotta start rooting through the countless stacks and racks of textiles. The shop owners don’t mind. In fact they like that because they know you’re a serious shopper and not a lookie-loo.
Often a shop’s best fabrics are kept toward the rear. Don’t be afraid to pull out a fabric and unfold it to get a good look and feel. Again, the owners expect serious shoppers to do this and often begin unfolding lots of different fabrics to show you.
Another tip: This is not a tourist market and so trying to bargain prices won’t get you very far. Quality Thai silk is never bargained for and that also holds true for cotton fabrics. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get a few baht taken off the price, but expect a flat out “no” when you offer a lower price.
So let’s shop via a few photos I recently took so you can get a feel for inventory and prices. (The exchange rate I used was 35 baht = $1 US.)
Chan Ruen Fabric Store
One of the finest fabric shops in Thailand is located in this fabric market-Chan Ruen. It’s the first store on the right if you enter the market at the main entrance. They sell both Thai silk and cotton. Their selection of mudmee fabrics is one of the best. Their selection of sarongs may just be the best! This store is a must-visit.
Check out their Instagram feed and you’ll see what I mean. chanruennakha
Thai Silk at the Market
Although most fabrics are cotton, you can find excellent Thai silk here. If you’re a Thai silk novice, I urge you to read my tutorial about the basics of Thai silk fabric: “Thai Silk: A Buyer’s Guide“.
What I Bought
I shopped the market with my wife for a couple hours and barely scratched the surface. While I own more Thai fabrics than I’ll ever use, I just can’t stop myself from buying more.
Final Thoughts
Getting to this fabric market is not as hard as you think. Forty-five minute flights leave from Bangkok to Udon Thani all day and night long. You can even fly in just for the day, grab a taxi to take you to the market and be back in Bangkok for dinner.
But why not at least spend some time in Udon Thani and Esaan. Sample the Esaan cuisine, see some sights and spend a night or two or three. Get off the beaten tourist trail and go on a fabric safari. You’ll get an authentic dose of Thai culture.
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