Xieng Khouang is located 400km northeast of the capital of Vientiane capital with a total population of 240,600. It is home to numerous ethnic minority groups including Tai Puan, who make up the majority, Tai Daeng, Tai Dam, Hmong and Khmu.

History

Xieng Khouang and the enigmatic Plain of Jars make up one of the most important sites in the late prehistory of main land asia. While the ancient civilization that constructed the jars was flourishing, advances in agricultural production, the manufacturing of metals. And the organization of long distance overland trade between China and India were also rapidly transforming local society and setting the stage for urbanization across the region. Mortuary practices associated with the jars consisting of both cremation and secondary burial suggest a highly-evolved local tradition of ritual, symbolism and metaphysics which persisted through to the kingdom of the Angkor Period, long after the arrival of the Hindu and Buddhist philosophies into Southeast Asia. The jars appeared 2,500 years ago and there are similar sites in Vietnam and India. Together they formed a mosaic picture of a large area of upland Southeast Asia criss-crossed by traders with the Xieng Khouang Plateau at its center.

In the 13th century the Tai Puan, a buddhist Thai-Lao ethnic group migrated from China and formed an independent principality at the Plain of Jars that propered from the over land trade in metals and forest products. In the midst 14th Century, Muang Phuan was incorporated into the Lane Xang Kingdom under Fa Ngum, through the Puan were able to retain a high degree of automony. After Siam (Thailand) extended control to Lao territories east of the Mekkong in the 1770’s Muang Phuan became a Siamese Vassal state and also maintained tributary relations with Dai Viet (Viet Nam). To exert greater control the Siamese launched three campains ro resettle large parts of the Puan population to the south. Subsequent invasions by Chinese marauders called ‘Haw’ plundered Xieng Khouang and the Franco-Siamese treaties of the 1890’s placed Xieng Khouang under colonial rule as part of the Franco Indochina until briefly after World War II.

During the second Indochina War that ranged in Laos during the 1960’s to the early 1970’s Xieng Khouang suffered heavy aerial bombardment and intense ground battles due to its strategic importance. 85% of the villages were bombed and most of population fled or hided in caves. This conflict has left a deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO), which is still being cleared today.

Ethnic Diversity
It is to worthwhile to travel around the contryside and discover the traditional village life of different ethnic groups: Take a look at the weavings of the Tai Dam women, see how the Puan people cultivate their rice fields, learn more about making baskets in Hmong villages.

Hmong: They live in the high mountains and are known for their knowledge of forest, herbal medicines and expertise in raising animals. They trade a veriety of forest products and agriculture goods. Their traditional dress is adorned with intricate embroidery and silver jewelry. Hmong new year is celebrated in December with numerous festivities including songs, dances, bull fights and the tossing of a small fabric ball, as part of a charming courting ritual.

Tai Dam/Tai Daeng/Tai Puan: These minorities belong to the Tai linguistic family comprising 60% of the Lao population. They are plain and valley dwellers growing wet rice. The main religion is buddhism, but the Tai Dam practice a form of ancestor and spirit worship. They make the rice alcohol, called ‘lao lao’ that is consumed socially and used for ritual purposes. Old Tai Dam women still wear the traditional blue indigo cotton shirt, skirt and a black turban woven with colored patterns.

Khmu: They settled in Lao several thousand years ago and present one of the largest ethnic groups. The Khmu practice their own form of animism. Growing rice, hunting, gathering forest products and producing handicrafts provide some cash income. Take a taste of their famous brew ‘lao hai’ (jar alcohol) while visiting a villages.

Plain of Jars
These archeological sites consist of clusters of stone jars dotted in the landscape of Xieng Khouang varying in height from one to three meters size. More than 50 sites have been recorded. According to archeological studies the jars are funerary urns, carved by Iron Age People around 2,500 years old. Three major sites are easily accesible from Phonsavanh. Site 1 (10 km southeast of Xieng Khouang) has a collection of more than 250 jars and the largest single jar. At site 2 (25 km southeast) – known as Hai Hin Phu Salato – about 100 jars are spread across two adjacent hills. Site 3 (10 km futher south) is located on top of a small hill from which one can enjoy great views to the surrounding plains and the farming community of Ban Xieng Di. Hiking enthusiasts should go up to Ban Phakeo and explore the more than 400 jars in the surrounding forest of this Hmong village.

Muang Khoun (Old Xieng Khouang)
Muang Khoun, 32 km south of Phonsavanh, was one the royal capital of Phuan kingdom. Through the town was heavily bombed during the war, a few French buildings remain along with Wat Si Phum with its large sitting Budda built in 1582. Worth a short hike to the outskirts are the ancient stupa tower That Foun which was built in 1576 and nearby That Chomphet, built in 1564, both overlooking the town. That Foun covered ashes of Lord Buddha that were brought from India. That Chomphet was created to evoke Buddhist values, inspiring truth and clarity.

Tham Piu Cave (Muang Kham District)
The Pi Cave (56 km north) was one of the places where people had taken refuge during the Indochina war. In 1968 a rocket fired from an American jet fighter caused the death of 374 people. Apart from this significance it is worthwhile to make the trip to Tham Piu to see the beautiful scenery and traditional villages in the vicinity.

Tham Pha cave (Phoukoud District)
The impressive Tham Pha Cave is located near the pictoresque Nong Trang lake (52 km east of Phonsavanh), which is surrounded by lime stone cliffs. In the large network of caverns is an interesting collection of buddha images and statues that were stashed away to protect them during Haw invasions longside with an old war hospital with surgical equipment. In the main entrance cavern stands a very large sitting Buddha.

Ban Khai ‘Crater’ Village/ Ban Tachok War Scrap
The Ban Khai area is a document of the heavy fights in the province and how it was devastated by the Indochina war. The landscape is pockmarked with bomb craters. In nearby Ban Tachok as well as along Highway 7 plenty of  ‘war scrap’ architecture can be seen. The MAG exbihitionin the center of Phonsavanh provides detailed information about the UXO problematic and clearance in the province.

Hot Springs (Muang Kham District)
Two hot Springs can be visited on the way to Nong Het. The big hot spring 19 km east of Muang Kham has been developed as a resort with bugalows and bathing facilities. Local people enjoy a bath at the little hot spring of Ban Xieng, 3 km east of Muang Kham, the feeds into a stream just a few hundred meters off Route 7.