Thung Kula Ronghai (Hom Mali Rice Fields)

About this Place

Thung Kula Ronghai (the Weeping Plain) is a vast, 2-million-rai (3,200 sq km) semi-arid plateau spanning five Isaan provinces, historically considered barren and inhospitable — its name means 'the plain that even the kula birds weep crossing.' A sustained royal development project over five decades transformed this harsh landscape into the world's most renowned production area for jasmine rice (Khao Hom Mali), Thailand's prized fragrant variety exported globally and regarded by rice connoisseurs as among the finest in the world. The harvest season (October–November) turns the vast plateau into an extraordinary sight of golden fields stretching unbroken to the horizon under enormous Isaan skies. Local festivals celebrating the new harvest include the Khao Hom Mali fair in Surin each autumn. The surrounding villages maintain centuries-old Isaan weaving and silk traditions. The landscape itself tells a story of hardship, transformation, and collective endeavour — an agricultural and cultural landscape that forms the foundation of Isaan identity and daily life.