Roi Et Tower

The beautiful Roi Et Tower is found in the center of Roi Et city, a town in the northeast region of Thailand.  Though the province is mostly filled with low-lying rice fields and the journey to Roi Et Tower is off the beaten path, we recommend a visit if you ever have the chance.

The tower is unique in its shape as it resembles a wot, a Thai musical instrument.  This uniqueness makes it even more exciting to visit.  

Roi Et Tower Location

The Roi Et Tower was built in the center of the city overlooking the town lake.  It is surrounded by its own set of gardens with a walking path through them.  This building and the gardens really contribute to the aesthetics of the town. For more things to explore in this region of Thailand you can head over to our section of Northeast Thailand.

The Background of Roi Et

Both the town and province are named Roi Et.  Roi Et in Thai means one hundred and one.  

How the province first got the name one hundred and one is a bit of folklore with two different stories.  Many believe it is said that ancient Thai wrote 11 as 10+1 and it was named for the 11 city gates.  The 10+1 became 101 instead of 11 as the language progressed.  

The other possibility is that it borders so many provinces that it has 101 gates as border crossings.  Either way, it has kept the name ‘Roi Et’and the tower now gives greater significance to that name.

The builders made the Roi Et Tower 101 meters tall in order to match the name of the town along with naming the tower after the town.

Why the Wot Shape?

The tower was created in the shape of a circular wot.  The wot is a traditional cultural instrument in the Isaan region of Thailand.  It is a pan pipe with 11 pipes.  It comes circular and flat, but the circular style is by far the most popular version of this traditional instrument. You blow air through the pipes to create the sound.

Please note that a ‘wot’ (โหวด), a traditional Thai panpipe is different than the Thai word ‘wat’ (วัด) meaning temple in Thai. 

Open Hours

Open daily from 9 AM – 4 PM

Cost

Adult 50 baht

Student 40 baht

Parking

There is parking along the streets of Roi Et leading up to the tower, and these are the closest spots to the Roi Et Tower.  There is also a parking lot one block over where you can park. This parking is next to the aquarium building, but this is further away from the tower from the streetside parking. If you cannot find yourself a space along the street you can head to this parking lot.

Going Up the Tower

Follow the signs for the entrance to the building.  The entrance is up the stairs.  You will find the ticket counter right inside the door.  Buy tickets for the whole family. In good nature going with the 101 theme, children 101cm and under are free.

As the building is round, you need to walk around the building to get to the elevator to go up.  This area is filled with lots of information and pictures.  We really enjoyed learning about the wot in this area.  You can learn all about the wot and its significance to the people of Roi Et, along with the history of the tower, and the visit from the Princess to the tower.

Next you can show your ticket and go up to the 31st floor.  The 31st floor is enclosed in glass all 360 degrees.  You can use the binoculars provided to look out at the town and countryside below you.

There is also a glass floor where you can stand and look directly down.  My kids loved this, but it is not for someone afraid of heights!

Take the stairs to the 32nd floor.  You can go outside on the 32nd floor.  There are bars to keep you in.  But you get a really good sense of how high up you are.

The top of the tower is domed in shape. You can see this dome when you are looking at the tower. This dome area is part of the Roi Et Tower attraction as you can go inside this part at the top.  It has been made into a Buddhist religious space.

You can spend as much time up on these floors as you would like. There is no time limit to how long you can be there.  

Come back down the same elevators back to the 1st floor.  There is a gift shop with lots of souvenirs. Along with the gift shop there are also a few 3d art displays inside the tower to pose with and take photos. These 3d art displays are also enhanced with a QR you can scan which adds a bit of fun.

Gardens

When you finish in the tower, I recommend a walk through the gardens surrounding the tower.  The area is small but is nicely landscaped with pathways through it.

All throughout the gardens surrounding Roi Et tower there are models spread of different buildings from around the world.  There is a sign posted with each model, so your family can compare the different buildings and see the unique architecture of buildings from around the world.

Surrounding Area

If you are spending a few days in Roi Et, there are a couple of places that we recommend taking your kids in the area around Roi Et Tower.

Roi Et Aquarium

The Roi Et Aquarium is found just a two-minute walk from the Roi Et Tower.  It is a small building full of freshwater fish.

Entrance cost is free.  It is a great place to take your young children who get excited about seeing fish.  This is not comparable to large city aquariums.  It is stroller-friendly and well-maintained.

We suggest giving yourselves 30 minutes to an hour inside depending on the interest level of your children.

City Park

Right across from the Roi Et Tower is the city park.  This beautiful central area of Roi Et City is a meeting spot for locals.  There is a path the whole way around the lake where you can run or walk.  Inside the park area (the island), there is a large playground for 3–12-year-olds.  The playground was created in a ‘beach’ setting, so there is a large sandy area for the kids to play in.

Roi Et Science and Cultural Center

This attraction is a little farther away from the tower as it is outside of the city center.  It is about a 15-minute drive from Roi Et Tower.  I am including Roi Et Science and Cultural Center because it was a highlight for our kids when visiting Roi Et.

The Roi Et Science and Cultural Center is a huge regional center for science education.  There are different areas of science represented ranging from energy, dinosaurs, to space and exploration. The planetarium section has a wonderful display that educates all about the stars and planets in a state-of-the-art theater presentation.

The exhibits are incredibly hands-on for kids.  Even with a lot of school groups coming through, we were able to stay in our own exhibit areas away from the school groups and have time to look at everything.  Many of the signs are in English as well as Thai, so we learned a lot of cool facts.

There is also local artifacts in the museum, so your family can see some of the local culture and archeological finds from the northeast of Thailand.

We recommend giving yourselves several hours there depending on the age of your children.  It is definitely more geared towards elementary aged children than small children, but the area is stroller friendly.

Open Hours

8:30-4:30 Every Day

Planetarium shows twice a day.  Check with the museum for up to date times.

Admission Costs

Museum Entrance

Adult 20 baht

Child 10 baht

Planetarium Entrance

Adult 30 baht

Child 20 baht

Food

After checking out the Roi Et Tower and surrounding area, your family may be hungry!  There are many street stalls around Roi Et to pick up a quick bite to eat.

For sit down restaurants, we recommend eating at a restaurant on the road that wraps around the park.  You can find many good restaurants and you can enjoy the view of the city park and the tower. We really enjoyed eating at an Indian restaurant called Bombay Indian Cuisine.

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