town, northeastern Thailand. Nong Khai is a Mekong River port and the main Thai port of entry for traffic to and from nearby Vientiane, the capital of Laos. In 1994 the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, the first bridge across the lower reaches of the Mekong River, was opened; it links Nong Khai by road with Vientiane. Nong Khai is the northern terminus of a railway from Bangkok and lies on the Bangkok-Vientiane highway. Pop. (1992 est.) 26,381.