Ban Khampun

The Khampun Museum sits beside the Ban Khampun weaving compound in Warin Chamrap, on the edge of Ubon Ratchathani, and documents the work of Khampun Srisai, the late National Artist credited with reviving north-eastern Thailand’s mat-mee and brocade silk-weaving techniques. Admission is 100 THB and the museum is open daily 9:00am-5:00pm — a separate, more accessible sibling to the original weaving house next door, which opens to the public only during Ubon’s Candle Festival each July.

Khampun Srisai learned weaving from family elders as a child and spent decades refining mat-mee ikat patterns alongside gold- and silver-thread brocade work, some of it produced for the royal household. She was named a National Artist in 2018 for this body of work and passed away in July 2024 at 91. The museum now functions as both a tribute and a working record of that craft: antique looms and tools sit alongside displays that trace silk-making from mulberry leaf and silkworm cocoon through to the finished mat-mee and brocade cloth the region is known for.

A small hall on the grounds holds Buddhist scripture and a room enshrines a Buddha relic, reflecting the spiritual dimension the family attached to their weaving practice. Finished silk lengths are on display and occasionally available to buy, and a café on site gives a reason to linger rather than rush through.

Insider Tip: If you want to see the looms actually in use rather than displayed as artefacts, time your visit to Ubon’s Candle Festival in July — that’s the only window the original workshop house opens its doors, distinct from the year-round museum.

Watch out: Don’t confuse the daily-access museum with the historic weaving house — arriving outside the Candle Festival expecting to see live weaving in the original building will disappoint. The museum itself, with its static displays and café, is the reliable year-round visit.

The setting is quieter and more personal than a typical provincial museum — closer to visiting a family’s working craft compound than a formal institution. It pairs well with the Ubon Ratchathani National Museum for a fuller look at the province’s history and craft, and it’s a 10-15 minute taxi or tuk-tuk ride from central Ubon Ratchathani across the river in Warin Chamrap. If your visit lines up with July’s Candle Festival, Wat Thung Si Mueang in central Ubon is worth combining with the rare open days at the original Ban Khampun weaving house.