Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 388

rather austere blocks. There are four room types available
- some of the chea pest are actually brighter and larger
than others. Double 60,000K

and Oudomsin roads, the former facing Oudomsin Rd
and the latter facing Latsavongseuk Rd. You'll find ATMs
at both.
Consulates Thailand, Tha He Rd, opposite Lao Derm
restaurant (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1-4pm; T 041 212373);
Vietnam, Sisavangvong Rd (Mon-Fri 7.30-11am & 1.30-
4pm; T 041 212418).
Hospital The biggest hospital is located on Khanthabouli
Rd, near the provincial museum.
Internet access A handful of internet places can be
found around town. The gaming shop on Latsavongseuk
Rd, just across from the turn-off to Leena Guesthouse , has
computers available for 4000K/hr (daily 7am-11pm).
Otherwise, most guesthouses and Western-style cafés
have free wi-fi.
Laundry You'll get a fast and cheap service at the laundry
shops along Kouvolavong Rd, north of the town square.

5

EATING AND DRINKING
One famous local noodle dish worth seeking out is baw
bun (Vietnamese rice noodles served with chopped-up
spring rolls and beef ).
Café Chai Dee Latsavongseuk Rd T 020 5988 6767,
W cafechaidee.com. Chilled café-restaurant turning out a
mix of Western and Japanese dishes, plus lào-láo mojitos
(24,000K) and red wine by the glass (20,000K). There's also
a book exchange, and handmade local crafts for sale. Daily
except Fri 8.30am-9pm.
Dao Savanh On the northwestern side of the town
square T 041 260888. This excellent French place is a bit
pricey (the three-course set menu is 65,000K), but choose
wisely and you can enjoy the delightful ambience on
the cheap. The croque monsieur, for example, costs just
35,000K. Daily except Tues 10am-9.30pm.
Hompha VIP Latsavongseuk Rd, on the northern edge of
the New Market. Few Westerners venture into this busy
beer garden, which often has live music, but those who do
tend to end up chatting and drinking with the locals. The
papaya salad (15,000K) is brutally spicy. Daily 11am-11pm.
★

ROUTE 9: THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL
AND THE VIETNAMESE BORDER
Route 9 weaves east through a series of
drab towns from Savannakhet to the
Lao Bao border crossing into Vietnam.
While most travellers barrel through on
the direct buses, the frontier is not
without points of interest, and there are
Ho Chi Minh Trail sites open for tourism
on both sides of the border.

Lin's Café Latsaphanit Rd, just north of the town
square T 020 9988 1630. Ideal spot for a coffee or coconut
milkshake (10,000K), with free wi-fi and a wide selection
of books about Laos. The food menu runs from organic
salads to home-made veggie curries. Daily except Wed
8.30am-8pm.

Xepon
A dusty village in the foothills of the
Annamite Mountains, 45km from the
Vietnamese border, XEPON is a pleasant
rural stopover between Vietnam and

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange The Lao Development Bank and
the BCEL are near the intersection of Latsavongseuk

OPERATION LAM SON 719
In 1971, US President Richard Nixon ordered an attack on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in order to cut
off supplies to communist forces. US ground troops were prohibited by law from crossing the
border from Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia, but US command saw this as a chance to test
the policy of turning the ground war over to the South Vietnamese (“Vietnamization”). During
the operation, code-named Lam Son 719 , ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) troops
were to invade Laos and block the trail with US air support. The objective was Xepon , a town
straddled by the Trail, which was 30-40km wide at this point. In early February, ARVN troops and
tanks pushed across the border into Laos. Like a caterpillar trying to ford a column of red ants,
the South Vietnamese troops were soon engulfed by superior numbers of North Vietnamese
(NVA) regulars. Halfway to Xepon, the ARVN stopped and engaged the NVA in a series of
battles that lasted over a month. US air support proved ineffectual, and by mid-March scenes
of frightened ARVN troops retreating were being broadcast around the world.
The most tangible relics of Operation Lam Son 719 are two rusting American tanks that sit
on the outskirts of Ban Dong, on Route 9. Ban Dong is said to have been cleared of UXO, but
it's still a good idea to ask a villager to show you the way to any war relics, rather than blazing
your own trail.