The province is best known for the archeological site Ban Chiang and its Bronze Age remains, located in what is now a hamlet about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Udon. Udon is one of the more bustling markets for agricultural goods in the relatively dry northeast of Thailand, and received its biggest economic boost in the 1960s when the US built the Udon Royal Thai Air Force Base as a joint-force military base during the Vietnam War. The Mel Gibson film Air America refers to Udon and includes shots from the Udon base.) Udon Thani was also the largest base in the region for the CIA's anti-communism campaign.