Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Nam Ou River Valley
Starting on the China border, the
Nam Ou
drains all of Phongsali province and flows down
through western Luang Prabang province to meet the Mekong above Luang Prabang. Much
of the Phongsali province watershed is devoid of roads and still well covered with old-growth
forests, and despite the threat from ongoing
dam construction
,
for now the river and its many
tributaries remain in many ways much as they were when nineteenth-century French ex-
plorers passed through.
The main urban centre of the upper Nam Ou is
Phongsali
, though the town itself lies an
hour's drive west of the river, with dusty
Hat Sa
effectively acting as its port. The other two
towns of significance on the Nam Ou are Muang Khoua and Nong Khiaw:
Muang Khoua
sits astride the river, an important staging post between Oudomxai and the Vietnamese bor-
der, while
NongKhiaw
is located where Route 1 crosses the river on its way from Oudomxai
to Hua Phan province in the extreme northeast. All of the towns listed in this section can be
reached by both road and river - though as yet there are no bus services to tiny
MuangNgoi
.
Undoubtedly, however, the river is the more enjoyable option.
DAM LIES: SINOHYDRO AND THE NAM OU
One of only two rivers in Laos navigable for most of their extent - the other is the Mekong
itself - the
NamOu
(“Rice Bowl River”) is the lifeblood of the subsistence arable farmers
and fisher folk who live along its banks. Sadly, their way of life is under severe threat -
as is the future of the river itself as the region's principal artery - by a $2 billion project,
under way since 2011, to
dam
the river along three-quarters of its 450km length. Under the
terms of the agreement, the Lao government has granted Chinese construction giant
Sino-
hydro
development rights for the whole of the Nam Ou basin until 2026, after which (once,
cynics suggest, the dams begin to deteriorate) ownership returns to Laos. Three dams are
already under construction - due for completion in 2018 - with four more in the pipeline.
Though Sinohydro's impact assessments have been kept secret, the potential environment-
al consequences on the region (which includes the hitherto pristine ecosystem of
Phou Den
Din NBCA
) are catastrophic, with Nam Ou's 84 fish species under particular threat. Local
communities meanwhile, many of which have been or will be forced to resettle, have been
kept in the dark about Sinohydro's plans, or fed misinformation, with compensation for
loss of land and livelihood minimal or in some cases non-existent. For more information,
Nong Khiaw
Resting at the foot of a striking red-faced cliff, amid towering blue-green limestone escarp-
ments, the dusty town of
NONG KHIAW
, on the banks of the Nam Ou river, lies smack in
