Huaphan province was the stronghold of the revolutionary movement during the 1960s and 70s, when Lao leaders took refuge in some of the province’s caves during the fi ght to liberate the nation.
Viengxay district in Huaphan province is well known as the birthplace of the Lao PDR, and it is now being further developed as a tourist site focused on the Lao revolutionary movement. Lao and foreign tourists visit the far northern province every day, attracted by its hundreds of caves and the important role it played in Lao history. Huaphan Provincial Tourism Offi ce’s Planning and Cooperation Division Head, Ms Malaythong Bounyaxay, said visitors were able to see caves which were the homes and workplaces of Lao leaders during the struggle for liberation in the 1960s and 70s. “Huaphan province contains 488 caves, the most in Laos, and Viengxay district has 28 caves which were used to house members of the Pathet Lao, but only seven of these are open to the public,” she said. “These are the caves in which various Party leaders once lived - Kaysone Phomvihane, Nouhak Phoumsavanh, Prince Souphanouvong, Phoummy Vongvichith, Khamtay Siphandone, Sisomphone Lorvanxay and Phoun Sipaseuth.” The number of tourists visiting Huaphan increases every year. About 7,200 tourists, mostly foreigners, visited the province in the fi rst six months of this year. Ms Malaythong said tourists were curious about how past Lao leaders lived and worked in the caves and enjoyed taking tours of the cave to fi nd out. She said the caves had been the district’s most popular tourist attraction since they were opened to visitors a few years ago. “Viengxay district is a revolutionary stronghold and it is an important part of global political history,” she said. “Viengxay tells us about the international communist movement and this is a reason why many tourists are interested in visiting Huaphan province. No place in the world is like Viengxay.”
Huaphan province is located in the far north of Laos. It consists of eight districts with a total population of about 300,000 people. It borders the provinces of Xieng Khuang and Luang Prabang and the three Vietnamese provinces of Son La, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An. All of the leaders’ caves have been preserved as historical sites and are valuable resources for people interested in studying the foundations of the Lao PDR.
How to get there
Viengxay is 28km from the provincial capital and about 80km from the Lao – Vietnamese border checkpoint at Nameo. A bus departs Vientiane every day for the northern provinces from the bus terminal on Asean Road (T2) in Nakham village, Sikhottabong district. The journey takes about 13 hours on a good road from Vientiane. Alternate routes to Huaphan province include taking a bus from Thanh Hoa in Vietnam and travelling through the Lao-Vietnamese border checkpoint at Nameo. Visitors coming from Luang Prabang can also travel by bus. By air, Lao Airlines fl ies every Monday, Thursday and Saturday to Huaphan from Vientiane. The Viengxay Caves Visitors’ Centre is open every day from 8am to noon and from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
More photo
Source from vientianetimes newspappers ISSUE 241
Tags: Viengxay Huaphan
