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Region: Northern Laos> Province: Xieng Khuang>Location: Phonsavan
Phonsavan sights and attractions
The secret war and UXO - Remnants of a hidden war
http://www.magclearsmines.org
Description
Most people are very aware of the war in Vietnam, and America's involvement there, but fewer are aware that a very large part of the war was fought in Laos. Called 'The Secret War' by many due to US denial of any involvement.
The Communist forces in Laos were building, and the US was threatened by their ties with Vietnam, so it moved in to help protect the royal family from falling to the communists. It enlisted the help of the Hmong people, a hilltribe group who lived high in the mountains. It is now widely known that the CIA's 'Air America' air force were used to transport the Hmong people's prime crop: the poppy from which both opium and heroin are derived. This was then sold overseas to raise funds to fight the war.
From 1963 to 1974, the equivalent of one bomb was dropped every eight minutes. Two million tones of ordinance was dropped on Laos, more than the US dropped on Germany and Japan combined during World War II.
Bombs were dropped on this area for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because it was part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where troops, supplies and artillery were smuggled out of northern Vietnam and through the mountains on the eastern edge of the country, and into southern Vietnam. Secondly, American aircraft flying out of their Thai air bases were sometimes unable to launch their bombs at the 'primary target', due to bad weather or other circumstances. Unwilling to land safely back at the base while still carrying bombs, they dropped them on Laos.
The most common bombs at this time had a rocket shaped outside, filled with up to 600 small 'bombies'. The rocket casing split open as it fell, launching the smaller bomblets, which in turn were filled with hundreds of ball bearings. Up to around a third failed to explode on impact, leaving up to 30 million bombs lying on or beneath the ground to this day. Bombs lie under houses and roads, in school playgrounds and rice fields.
These bombs were not designed to maim, so there is not an enormous amputee rate in the country. Instead there is a disproportionately large death rate from the exploding bombs, as inquisitive young children find them lying around and whole families work to hoe their land for farming. In 2001 there were more than 12,000 casualties.
De-mining teams can be seen working in fields and other locations around Phonsavan, including the Jar sites themselves. Most day trips will stop by the side of the road to see the de-miners in action. It is also possible to visit Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in the main street of Phonsavan if you have any questions or would like to donate money.
Opening Hours: MAG Weekdays 08:00-16:00
The Plain of Jars - An enduring oddity
Description
Covering a huge area in the centre of Xieng Khuang province, the Plain of Jars refers to the entire area the jars are found, within which there are 160 sites. Each site holds clusters of large stone containers, carved in one piece from limestone. In total there are around 4,000 jars. It was unclear until recently what their purpose was, but it is now believed that they were funerary urns. Bodily remains have been found under the jars, while the vessels themselves are believed to have contained treasure, which has long since been stolen. The jars come in a number of different shapes and sizes, all in different positions - some tipped over as the looters have tried to dislodge them for the bounty within.
Three of the largest jar clusters have been designated as tourist sites, and an effort has been made to ensure than these are free of UXO. It is important to note that while the main areas are bomb-free, the removal process is ongoing. Red markers around the sites identify paths outside which the bombs have not yet been cleared. And bomb removal teams can be seen everywhere. It's obviously not a good idea to wander off any well-trodden paths.
Site One has the most jars, including the largest jar of all, called Hai Cheaum, or Cheaum Jar. The location is fairly uninspiring, however, particularly when compared to the attractive scenery at the other sites. This is the most popular site, and the one best set up for tourism, with a snack and drinks bar, and a small sala to sit in if it rains, or while they're detonating mines in the vicinity.
Site Two has some large and interesting jars, and is atmospherically located at the top of a small hill with lovely surrounding views. There are still quite a few areas that are marked off limits because they haven't been de-mined. A good spot for lunch.
Site Three is the most atmospheric and beautiful, featuring a backdrop of rolling hills pockmarked with bomb craters and forests of pine trees. To get there you have to walk through fields of rice and across a small bamboo bridge. Numbering more than 130, the jars at this site are on average the smallest, and many are in bad condition.
To see the sites, there are a few options. Restrictions mean that it is not possible to go by yourself without a proper guide. Consequently, quite a few tourism agencies have sprung up in Phonsavan, all offering day tours with licensed guides. Per person these usually cost about $10, or to hire a whole car or minivan $50-100. A few guesthouses also run tours, generally at a cheaper price. A van and driver can cost between $20 and $50 for the day, depending on where you want to go.
The Tourism Office has descriptions of the five trips they offer of the attractions in the surrounding countryside, with a sliding scale of costs, depending on how many people will be going. This is also the case at KeoKong Guesthouse, a favourite on the backpacker circuit, which runs a tour daily for between $4 and $7.50, but will not go without a minimum of 5 people. This is one of the cheapest options, and the tour covers all three sites plus a few other quick stops, and the guide speaks good English.
Tuk tuk drivers regularly approach tourists offering trips to see the jars, at a much better rate than the official outlets offer, but this is because they can't get permits to take passengers, particularly to Site One. This is a money-saving trick to avoid.
Any tour of the Plain of Jars will usually cover all three sites, as well as a few extras, depending on the cost of your trip, and the wishes of the group. Extras include things like a visit to more than three sites (although unless you have a particular interest in archaeological sites, three is plenty); a scrap metal yard which has piles of guns, bombs, tanks and helmets; a small waterfall near Site Three -- dry in the hot season and difficult to get to in the wet -- and an abandoned Russian tank. Drivers will also stop by the side of the road to watch deminers at work. The fruits of their labours can often be seen sitting in a delicate pile at the edge of the field, which is usually bare with piles of freshly dug up dirt. For tours going a little further afield, there is also the town of Muang Khoun, the old capital of Xieng Khuang province, and at Muang Kham hot springs and Tham Piew cave.
Do-it-yourself activities - Handy ideas
Description
The Xieng Khuang Tourism Office has produced a terrific two-page sheet called 'Do-it yourself activities around Phonsavan'. It details a number of interesting things to do, as an alternative to the main tourist attractions. The information sheet includes regular sightseeing activities such as war memorials, lakes and wats, as well as seeing traditional umbrellas being made. It also tells you how you can volunteer at the local orphanage, and how to get invited to a Lao wedding or play badminton with the locals.
The sheet is for sale at 2,000 kip at the Tourism Office. It is also on display there, as well as a few other tourist restaurants and locations around town.
Hot springs - Combine it with a visit to Plain of Jars
Description
The naturally-occurring hot springs at Muang Kham are owned and operated by government organisations. The pool where the hot water bubbles up is off limits to the public, but can be viewed by walking down a short path starting opposite the Hot Springs Resort. To bathe in the waters, you have to visit the resort itself. Set up as a guesthouse with large bungalows, and baths in the bathrooms, there are also a series of individual bathrooms that day trippers can visit to soak in the spring water. Each bathroom has two baths and a private toilet and costs 5,000 kip per person to use.
A second guesthouse at the site has a small restaurant with views overlooking a small pond and the attractive local scenery. The hot springs can easily be visited as part of a day trip from Phonsavan, and perhaps tied in with a visit to nearby Tham Piew cave. The Tourism Office offers visits as part of the itinerary on their tours -- price varies widely according to the number of passengers -- as do all tour agencies and guesthouses. The visit can be added on to a day seeing the Jars, usually costing an additional $20-40 per vehicle.
Tham Piew - Cave witha tragic history
Description
Tham Piew is a cave near Muang Kham, which is locally famous for housing hundreds of local villagers as shelter from bombing during the war years. Four bombs were dropped on the caves in the early 70s, but only the fourth made it inside. All 437 inhabitants were killed. No memorial or monument have been erected. Only the blackened walls remain as testimony to the tragedy.
The cave can be visited in conjunction with the nearby hot springs, as part of a full day trip seeing the Jars, generally costing an additional $20-40 per vehicle.
Muang Khoun - Old Xieng Khuang
Description
Muang Khoun is the old Xieng Khuang, and was once the provincial capital. The ruins of a wat are all that remain of what was once a royal kingdom, renowned for the beauty of its many temples and stupas. They have all been destroyed by years of pillaging by raiders from invading countries, followed by the intense bombing of the war. There is no longer any evidence in Muang Khoun of the architectural style that made the kingdom so famous.
The wat in Xieng Khuang temple is worth a visit though. The enormous seated Buddha has a bullet shot through its forehead, and sits at the end of a row of towering brick pillars. The ruins of a single villa on the road between the market and Wat Pia is further evidence of what was once a vibrant city filled with French colonial architecture, not unlike Luang Prabang is today. A very different town has been rebuilt in its place, however.
Muang Khoun has nowhere to stay for now, and the only restaurants are basic, mostly serving noodle soup. Best visited as a day trip from Phonsavan, it can be attached to a visit to the nearby Jars, for an extra $15-30 per vehicle.