Introduction
Xieng Khouang has the dubious distinction of being one of the most heavily bombed provinces in the most heavily bombed country on earth. For centuries, it has been at the crossroads of war, culminating in the U.S.'s "secret war" against the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese Army. The former capital city of Muang Khouang was so thoroughly destroyed by American bombing raids that the capital was moved in 1975 to Phonsavan, itself heavily damaged. However, the people do not seem to harbor any ill will and have taken the tragedy of the war years in stride, incorporating the remnants of war into their daily lives. Halved bombshells serve as pig troughs, ammunition cases function as lunchboxes, metal tracks airlifted for makeshift runways are converted to convenient driveways, and there is even a village dedicated to and decorated by found shrapnel and bomb material. Today, Xieng Khouang is gaining recognition as home to the Plain of Jars, a little-understood group of archaeological...
more local info
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Plain of Jars: Sites 2 and 3
These sites are both off the beaten track and require some fancy driving and a bit of picturesque rice-paddy and pasture walking to reach, but...
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Plain of Jars: Site 1
If you're short on time, this is the one to see. Set on a high hill is one of the largest of the jars, called the Doloman jar, amid a cockeyed...
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