Points on a Map: The Caves of Viengxay

To escape the incessant bombings during the Indochina war, the Pathet Lao developed an entire city under ground that served as the administrative capital of communist control Laos in the 1960s and 1970s. This area of Houaphan province in northeast Laos not far from the Vietnamese border has hundreds of caves hidden in limestone karsts that provided shelter but also served as schools, offices, post offices, hospitals, radio and telephone operations, print shops, and embassies. The inhabitants of these caves, which numbered over 20,000, slept during the day and worked in the rice fields at night while the communist leaders managed their liberated zone and waged a war. When the bombing runs came to an end, the leaders built homes in front of the caves that protected them for over a decade. This isolated village nearly became the capital of Laos until the appeal of Vientiane's river front location prevailed. Today, some of the larger caves or caves belonging to the key figures of the era have been restored. There is even an audio guide that tells you about each of the caves.