The composition of essential oils extracted from Amomum kravanh and Amomum compactum was determined by traditional hydrodistillation (HD) and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MHD). The optimum conditions for MHD were: microwave delivered power 800 W, microwave radiation time 5 min and a 1:25 ratio of material to water. Thirty components were identified in the HD oil and twenty-eight components in the MHD oil of A. kravanh, whereas twenty-seven components were identified in the HD oil and twenty-six components in the MHD oil of A. compactum, which accounts for over 95 % of all the volatile oils. The analysis of the extracts was performed by GC and GC-MS.