Concrete poles in the middle of the Mekong River in Thailand are not an obvious tourist attraction, but Phairat Sakonphan, the Governor of Mukdahan province of Thailand hopes that those French colonial-era concrete pillars in the middle of the Mekong River will attract tourists due to the historical importance of those poles.

In the year 1893, when Laos was still a French colony, those poles where constructed in the Mekong River at Wan Yai in Thailand by French army engineers to show safe navigation routes for the French steamboats sailing on the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos.

Land transport in Thailand and Laos in 1893 was mainly by buffalo carts or on elephant back, but the French had build steamboat lines on the Mekong River, some of those French steamboats could transport up to 200 passengers. However, due to the many shallows and rocks in the Mekong River, navigation was dangerous and the French used concrete poles to mark save routes.

Several of the French steamboats sunk in the Mekong River, and one, named "The Maurice", can still be seen in Mukdahan, Thailand. Governor Phairat said that the presence of the poles are indicative to the technical advance of French engineering in 19th century colonial Indochina.

The provincial authorities of Mukdahan in Thailand are in coordination with local tour operators organizing guided trips on the Mekong River to see those French colonial concrete poles, at 20 Thai Baht (1US$ = 39 TBH) a person, the new attraction has already proven to be a huge success.