Phonsavan Town

Phonsavan is the capital of the province of Xieng Khouang in Laos. It has a population of 37,507 and the name Phonsavan roughly translates as ‘hills of paradise’. Built during the 1970s, Phonsavan has picturesque countryside full of green hillsides and forests of pine trees. It replaced Muang Khoun which used to be known as Xieng Khoung which was ravaged during the Second War of Indochina. The colourful houses in the villages here are made from wood. Cattle raising provides a livelihood for the locals in this region. One can often see Hmong cowboys dressed in violet-and-brown attire complete with hats. New Year’s Day here is celebrated with bullfighting.

Xieng Khouang Activities

The harsh realities of war are not lost in Xieng Khouang, a recurring battle zone throughout the early 19th century up until 1975 and much of the land is still littered with unexploded munitions, land mines and cluster bombs. For obvious reasons activities such as trekking and hiking should always be done with an experienced guide, who can lead you away from areas of potential danger.

The Mineral Springs in Baw Nyai are an innovational government-run project that combine a hot springs experience with a weekend trip, in which guests can stay at the Hot Springs Resort. Hopefully, this is the start of many activities and tours to reach the area.

Hot Spring

The hot springs of Muang Kham are situated approximately 52km north of Muang Phonsavanh. Owned and operated by government organizations, the pool where the hot water bubbles up, can be reached by following a path parallel to the Hot Springs Resort, this pool is strictly off limits to the public but makes for some interesting viewing. The resort consists of a number of old-fashioned style bungalows where electricity runs from 18:00 to the early morning, with its water supply coming from the fresh springs.

For those who wish to frequent the hot springs, staying at the resort is part of the package. The mineral springs are within a wooded area where bamboo rigs have been built so that you can bathe nearby. Baw Noi is the smaller spring that feeds into a stream, here visitors can bathe where the cool stream waters meet with the warm waters of the springs.

Xieng Khouang Impressions
Xieng Khouang consists of eight districts Muang Khoune, Muang Paek, Muang Nong Het, Muang Kham, Muang Mork, Muang Pha Xai, Muang Tha Thom and Muang Phou Kud. Situated in the northeastern remote provinces of Laos, the area 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 subsequently into southern Vietnam.While the vast majority of people reading this will be aware of the Vietnam War fought between 1963 to 1974, fewer know that a large part of the war was fought in Laos, giving the country the dubious title of being ‘the most bombed country in the world’.

During the space of eleven years, the equivalent of one bomb was dropped every eight minutes. In total, two million tonnes of ordinance was dropped on Laos, more than on Germany and Japan combined during the Second World War. As a result the vast majority of sights within the province are dedicated to paying respects to the great tragedy that was inflicted on the area and its people.

About Xiengkhouang
Xiangkhouang (Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ, meaning "Horizontal City") is a province of Laos, located in the Xiangkhouang Plateau, north-east of the country.[1] Originally known as Muang Phouan, the present capital of the province is Phonsavan. The population of the province as of the 2015 census is 244,684.[2]

Xiangkhouang Province covers an area of 15,880 square kilometres (6,130 sq mi) and has largely a mountainous topography. The province borders Luang Prabang Province to the northwest, Houaphan Province to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, Bolikhamsai Province to the southeast, and Vientiane Province to the southwest. Apart from floodplains, the largest area of level land in the country is located in the province's Xiangkhouang Plateau. This area is characterized by rolling hills and grassland whose altitude averages 4,250 feet (1,300 m). The country's highest peak, Phou Bia (9,252 feet (2,820 m)), rises at the southern side of the plateau. Nam Et-Phou Louey is a National Biodiversity Conservation Area (NBCA) in the province which covers a total area of 5,959 km2, and overlaps into Houaphan and Luang Prabang provinces.

Xiangkhouang Province is one of the main maize producing areas of Laos. It was heavily bombed during the Vietnam War era. The Plain of Jars site has been proposed for listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Monument.

History

While the origin of the Plain of Jars' people is unknown, the recorded history of Xieng Khouang is interlinked with the Tai Phuan. As an ancient civilization, its prehistory is linked to the enigmatic megalithic stone jars of the Plain of Jars (with prehistoric material recorded to the period of even 2000 BC, with Iron Age period of 500 BC and 500–800 AD period dominating the archaeological finds) representing burial grounds of ritualistic practices with extended history spread from Angkor period to the Hindu and Buddhist religious impacts. The Tai Phuan or Phuan people are a Buddhist Tai-Lao ethnic group that migrated to Laos from southern China and by the 13th century had formed the independent principality Muang Phuan at the Plain of Jars with Xieng Khouang (the contemporary Muang Khoun) as the capital. They prospered from the overland trade in metals and forest products with India and China. In the mid-14th century, Muang Phuan was incorporated into the Lan Xang Kingdom under King Fa Ngum.[4][5][6]

The Xieng Khouang Plateau has been surmised, based on archaeological finds of Bronze and Iron Age of the period between 500 BC and 500 AD, as the center of trade representing a large area of upland Southeast Asia covering Vietnam, Samrong Sen in Cambodia, and the Khorat Plateau in northeast Thailand, Danang City in Laos, and the North Cachar Hills of northeastern India.[5]

According to the Pongsawadan Meuang Puan or the Muang Puan Chronicles, the Tai Puan, a Buddhist Tai-Lao ethnic group, are said to be the first people who migrated in the 13th century from China and settled in this province; they had established trade in metals and forest produce and consequently were prosperous. During the mid 14th century they were subsumed into the Lan Xang Kingdom. The Siamese wars in the 18th and 19th centuries resulted in the Tai Puans' loss of freedom.[5]

In subsequent years the Haw invaders from China ravaged the province and also Luang Prabang by looting. the Franco-Siamese treaties of In the 1890s came under French colonial rule under Treaty of French Indochina, which extended to a short period beyond World War II. During the Second Indochina War of the 1960s and 70s there was more suffering to the people of the province due to the Laotian Civil War between the Royalist and the Pathet Lao until the 1975 when the Pathet Lao took power. Xiangkhouang was the province most bombed by the USAF airplanes in support of the Royalist forces. As a result of this extended war, Muong Khoun, the original capital of the province suffered much damage due to bombing by the USAF and resulted in shifting of the capital to Phonsavanh. During this war, most of the temples built in the period from the 16th and 19th century were destroyed except for the Vat Pia Vat temple.[5] The royalist were led by General Vang Pao, who was born in the province, during the war in the 1960s