Points on a Map: Xieng Khouang

The province of Xieng Khouang is full of nomenclature confusion. The province bears the name of a city that no longer exists. The city that replaced the city of Xieng Khouang is called Muang Khoun. Muang Khoun is about 20 miles from the city of Phonsavan which is the "capital" of Xieng Khouang province. However, even Lao Airlines sells their tickets to Xieng Khouang, not to Phonsavan. Somehow,despite all this, we found ourselves at a small single building airport about 3 miles from the town of Phonsavan for our recent trip.

Phonsavan has a different feel from the river valleys of Laos, especially Vientiane. It is often referred to as the wild west of Laos. First, it is cold there. Significantly colder than Vientiane, despite only being a 30 minute flight away. Temperatures can reach below freezing and we were grateful for the fire place in our room every night. Phonsavan sits on a large plateau surrounded by mountains, in area originally settled by the Tai and later the Hmong. These two groups are still the predominant groups in the area. The area is also a crossroads as the large plateau provides an easy path to and from Vietnam. Chinese raiders also made their way through the province, pillaging the religious monuments in search of gold and other valuables. The large plateau also served as a natural place for battles. Xieng Khouang was the most contested area and was the most heavily bombed province of Laos during the war in Indochina. The legacy of this bombing is everywhere you go.

Of course, despite the differences, there are still tuk-tuks