Udon Thani lies in the Isan region of Thailand. Isan covers a vast swathe of the country to the north-east of Bangkok. It is characterised by open rice farming, with occasional rivers, hills and small mountain ranges. The region is dotted with towns and villages, and a string of large cities running from Nakhon Ratchasima along a corridor through Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Nong Khai (on the Mekong River at the border with Laos).

This is not a region for beach lovers or mountain trekkers. There are relatively few “must-see” tourist attractions. But it is an area that rewards curious travellers, and this is reflected in the increasing number of expatriates choosing to make their homes in Isan.

When I lived in Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand actively discouraged visitors from travelling to Isan, citing poor infrastructure and an almost complete lack of hotels and facilities.

When I first visited my wife’s village, I was the first foreigner to go there since the Vietnam War (when some people from the US Air Force came to apologise and pay compensation for accidentally bombing local rice fields).

In 1988, in her village of several hundred people, only one family had a TV and a car. Isan has changed dramatically since then. It is now served by an excellent road network, the cities are growing and prospering, every village seems to have 5G mobile service, and most households have cars – typically the ubiquitous pickup trucks. For tourists there are places to stay ranging from basic resorts to luxury hotels in every town – dozens in the city. There are good restaurants, great coffee shops, supermarkets, and a top class mall in Udon City.

Much of this change has been driven by money coming from outside the region. Infrastructure was improved by the Thai government, initially to counter communist insurgents and, more recently, in recognition of the huge number of voters in the region. Millions of Isan people moved to Bangkok to work in factories, as taxi drivers, or in the hospitality sector, including many women working in nightlife between the 1980s and 2000s. Many others have spent periods working abroad in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the UAE. Some, of course, marry foreigners. Together, they send billions of baht back to their families, funding large houses in villages and significant improvements in living standards.