Udon Thani is a city in Isan, north-east Thailand, and the capital of Udon Thani Province. The province of Udon Thani has a population of 1,467.200, the city alone 500.000. Geographical location 17°25′N 102°45′E and is approximately 560 km from Bangkok. Udon is also a major commercial center in northern Isan and the gateway to Laos, North Vietnam and Southern China. Udon Thani has three Tesco-Lotus, a Big C Mall, a Makro center, a Carrefour and two large shopping malls. The largest shopping mall is CentralPlaza Udon Thani which hosts Udon Thani’s only movie theatre cinema Major Cineplex. The newest shopping plaza UDTOWN opened in winter 2009. Situated in a park like setting on an area of 38,000 m² / 24 Rai, UDTOWN is Thailand’s largest open air shopping center.