Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TheremotenortheastofLaoswas,untilrecently,difficult toreach,owingtomountain-
ous terrain and poor roads, which largely kept it isolated from tourism. Despite great
improvementstotheinfrastructure-it'snowpossibletoreachSamNeuainlessthana
day from Luang Prabang, with no change of bus - the region remains one of the least-
visited parts of the country due, partly, to being short on typical tourist sights, and be-
cause it doesn't fit too neatly with the typical north-south itinerary. However, there's a
real frontier friendliness among the inhabitants, who come from more than two dozen
ethnic groups, and it's a great area (especially north of Phonsavan) in which to feel as
though you're getting off the beaten track. In addition, history, both ancient and mod-
ern, feels particularly tangible in the area.
Topographically diverse, the northeast region extends from the towering peaks that border the
Vientiane Plain, across the Xieng Khuang Plateau, over the jagged backbone of the Annam-
ite Mountains, and into the watershed of the Nam Xam river, which flows into Vietnam. The
area encompasses
Hua Phan
and
Xieng Khuang provinces
, and part of
northern Luang
Prabang province
. Historically, this swathe of Laos was the domain of two independent
principalities - the Tai federation of Sipsong Chao Tai in Hua Phan and the Phuan Kingdom
of Xieng Khuang. Sandwiched between expansive empires to the west and east, both entities
struggled to maintain their sovereignty until the late nineteenth century, when the French fi-
nally folded most of their territory into unified Laos.
The kings of the defunct royal house of
Xieng Khuang
came from the same family tree
as those of Luang Prabang, both kingdoms claiming descent from Khoun Borom, the celeb-
rated first ancestor of numerous Tai-Lao legends. Yet, unlike in Luang Prabang, few physical
traces of Xieng Khuang's splendour survive. In the place of the distinctive Xieng Khuang-
style temples are bomb craters doubling as fishing holes and houses erected on piles craf-
ted from bomb casings - reminders that this was one of the most heavily bombed pieces of
real estate in the world, and a testimony to the rugged perseverance of the Phuan, Black Tai,
Hmong and Khmu peoples who inhabit the province. Much of the bombing was directed at
the strategic
Plain of Jars
, which takes its name from the fields of ancient, giant funerary
urns that are the northeast's main tourist draw. For most visitors a trip to the region means
little more than a flying visit to Xieng Khuang's provincial capital
Phonsavan
to see the Jar
sites, sometimes coupled with a quick side trip to nearby
Muang Khoun
, the former royal
seat of Xieng Khuang, where a handful of ruins whisper of the kingdom's vanished glory.
It's remarkable that even with greatly improved roads, few travellers make the journey to
Hua Phan
, an impenetrable sea of rugged green mountaintops lost in mist and shallow val-
leys, far from the Mekong river and the traditional centres of lowland Lao life. The only pro-
vincial centre in Laos east of the Annamites is Hua Phan's capital
SamNeua
, a frontier town
closer to Hanoi than Vientiane, a proximity that lends it a distinctly Vietnamese flavour. This
lightly populated region is home to more than twenty ethnic groups, most of them Tai, in-
