LAOS - NORTHERN HERITAGE HOUAPHANH

HOUAPHANH

CAPITAL : XAM NEUA

TOTAL AREA: 16500 SQUARE KILOMETRES

POPULATION :317946

Located in the north east of Laos, the beautiful and natural Houaphanh shares its eastern boundary with Vietnam and borders Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang to the north –west and west .High above sea level, the mountainous topography of the province is broken by long narrow valleys and 3 main rivers-Nam Mar, Nam Xam and Nam Neun.

 During the Indochina War the network of caves in the province served as a base for the Neeo Lao Hak Sad revolutionaries that went on to liberate the country and establish the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975.Thus Houa Phanh isoften referred to as the “Birthplace of the Lao PDR”.

Houaphanh has many unique and beautiful natural attractions. The provincial capital, Xam Neua, is a quiet and rustic city on the Xam River.Here you will enjoy markets trading produce from China and Veitnam and a variety of handicrafts produced by the Hmong, Tai Dam,Tai Daeng and Tai Lu ethnic groups.

 Also of interest in Xam Neua is Wat Phoxainaram, home to an impressive bronze Buddha possibly dating back to 1565 and an interesting series of murals depicting the life of Buddha and scenes from Lao history.

Viengxay, located northeast of the capital, boasts over 100 limestone caves, 10 of which have immense national and historical significance as the hidden headquarters of the Neo LaoHak Sad from 1961-1975.In the southeast of Houaphanh is the Nam Xam National Protected Area (NPA) , which is though to provide habitat for wild elephant, various gibbons, gaur , banteng, tiger, clouded ,leopard , Asiatic black bear and Malayan sun bear. 

South of Xam Neua located Tat Saloei is the largest NPA in Laos situated in the northwest of Huaphanh. It is best known for harboring one of the most important tiger populations remaining in Indochina. Its outstanding biodiversity includes over 30 species of large mammals and 300 species of birds.

Nat as well known, but equally as mysterious as the Plain of Jars are the ancient pillars known as Hin Tang,a collection of upright, rough stones about 2m high, some of which have tunnel like caverns beneath them. Archaeological investigations suggest that the site is associated with funerary practices however visitors to the ancient pillars are welcome to guess why this ancient site was built. Sao Hin Tang will be nominated as a World Heritage Site.

The best Tai Daeng woven textiles are produced in Houa Phanh.At local markets you will find an interesting variety of cutlery, jewellery and other items fashioned from Cluster Bomb units and war scrap that remains scattered throughout the countryside. Houa Phanh province boasts the usual variety of Lao noodles fragrant sticky rice and local dishes. The most notable are a vegetable salad flavored with sesame called “soup phak” and chili paste known as “jaeow pa baum”.