Do-It-Yourself-Activities around Phonsavanh Town

Fresh Food Market
The Phonsavanh fresh food market is an excellent place to sample the variety of unique foods that Xieng Khouang has to offer. With a cool climate and relatively high altitude, Xieng Khouang produces many food items and forest products that are either not available or in scarce supply in other parts of the country.
Specialty fruits of the province are Chinese pear ‘mak  jong’, passion fruit ‘mak nawt’, peak ‘mak kai’, and plum ‘mak mun’. While at the market look for the many differentveriety of mashrooms found here, such as ‘hed deep’, a yellow, flower-like mushroom common tp the area. You’ll be lucky, however, to find the medical, and some say aphrodisiac-like mushroom ‘hed wai’ specific to the region, as this species fetch high prices around the world, esp. in Japan. Another notable medicinal forest product unique to the province is ‘ya hua’, a root used to give strength and good appetite and for treating ailment expericenced by women after giving birth.
Xieng Khouang’s local chili pastes are the ‘jaeow bong’, a sour version of the famous paste made from salted fish. One of the unusual foods that Xieng Khouang is famous so for is sour swallow ‘bok ann toong’. The swallows are caught while bathing on dust platforms and placed in a container to ferment. Later they are prepared by either frying or cooking in a stew.

Lao War Memorial
This memorial was constructed to commemorate the thousands of Pathet Lao soldiers who lost theit lives during the Indochina War. The names on the list are representatives of all majory ethnic groups in Laos, Lao Sung (Hmong), Lao Teung (Khmu), Lao Leum (Phuan). In the center of memorial is a large stupa, which house the bones of the soldiers. Admission to the memorial is 2,000 Kip. All proceeds are used to maintain and upkeep the grounds. Its open daily from sunrise to sunset. Please note that if you arrive and the gate is locked, be patient and wait for the caretaker to come and open it for you.

Vietnam-Lao War Memorial
The memorial was created to honor and offer appreciation to the Vietnames soldiers who fought alongside their Lao comrades for the independence of the Lao PDR. In the center is a stupa, which contains the bones of Vietnamese soldiers who died on Lao soil. To the left of the stupa is a carving set with gold leaf, symbolizing solidarity in the pursuit of national prosperity and development. Each person in the relief symbolizes a different sector of the economy (agriculture, industry, education, ect) with additional representations of the major ethnic groups of Laos.
The memorial is open daily from sunrise to sunset, admission fee is 2,000 Kip. All proceeds are used to maintain the grounds.

S.O.S. Children’s Village
The S.O.S Orphanage was founded by the Australian Herman Gmeiner to care for the many children who lost their families. The organization provides education, room and board and other basic services to orphans. The S.O.S Kindergartens and S.O.S  H. Gmeiner Schools attached to the S.O.S. Children’s Village in Xieng Khouang is one out of live orphanages in Lao and was founded in 1998 to take of the many children who lost their parents due to exploding bombs derived from the Indochina war. Today 145 children live in 12 ‘families’, each house with its own village mother. Tourists are welcome to visit the center during office hours on Monday to Friday between 8 am to 4:30 pm. First check in at the administration building, located at the S.O.S. Children’s Village (2nd entrance, front building).

Mulberries Silkfarm (Lao Sericulture Co., Ltd)
Lao Sericulture Co is dedicated to enable Lao village silk producers in the northern provinces of Lao. On the farm villagers are trained in sericulture (the care and cutivation of the domesticated silkworm through to the cocoon stage including the cultivation of the mulberry trees used to feed the silkworms) followed up by processing and improved techniques in weaving and natural dying. You are welcome to visit the farm; the staff will show you around and explain  the production cycle. The Silkfarm is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm;

Phonsavanh Market
At this market you will find dry goods and textiles with a lot of venders selling Hmong accessories. The Puan umbrellas which are made of oiled mulberry paper and bamboo in Phoukoud district can also be seen. The market is open from 9am to 5pm.

UXO-Visitor Center
The non-govenmental Mines Advisory Group began its Laos program in 1994 with the first internationally supported UXO-clearance operation in Xiengkhoang province. Their village assisted clearance approach was innovation in Laos and allowed communities to participate in the process. MAG works to help people to rebuild theit live and alleviate suffering by responding to the real needs of conflict affected communities. In Xieng Khouang 80 people were trained to clear away the brush, use a metal detector and organize ordnance. Gore more detailed information on MAG’s work visit their information center and have a look at the exhibition. The Visitor Center is open Mon-Fri from 8am to 8pm, Sat and Sun from 4pm to 8pm.

Cemetery
This large cemetery is located on a hill 1 km east of town on the way to the lake. What makes it unique is that Tai Dam animist tombs are mixed together with Catholic tombstones, Chinese graves and Lao Buddhist reliquary.

Lake Sadet Jao Supanouvong
This lake, known as ‘Nong Sadet Jao Supanouvong’ in Lao language, is a nice place for a quick retreat into the tranquil beauty of Xieng Khouang. It is named after Prince Supanouvong, a prince of Laos and the first president of the Lao PDR. He lived in Xieng Khouang from 1960 to 1964. In his honor and in appreciation of his great services to his country, the lake was named after him. The lake was also the side of the provincial Jail, which has since been moved.

Sunset view
The hill-tops surrounding Phonsavanh afford sweeping views. Especially for sunset it is worth to climb Phou Padeang, Phou Chan or the small hill of the Lao War Memorial.