Plain of Jars, Legacy of the Indochina War – 3 Days

Today we will spend one day touring the Plain of Jars and Xieng Khouang and take you to the legend of Jars and traces of the history of the Second Indochina War.  

After breakfast, we will move on to visit the Jarls Plain. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has presented Laos with a certificate allowing the registration of the Jarls Plain as a World Heritage Site in 2019. The site encompasses hundreds of large stone jars scattered across the plateau. We will visit Thong Hai Hin, known as Jarl Site 1. It is the most visited archaeological site located 8 km southwest of the city. 

Jahr Site 2 (Hai Hin Hoo Sarat) is approximately 20 km southwest of the city. Next, at Ban Na Pia, near site 2, the villagers of Tay Puan reuse UXO scrap from unexploded bombs to make spoons, which they sell as souvenirs.

In the afternoon, we will head to the ancient capital of Muang Khoun, the 14th-century royal palace of the Phuan Kingdom and the capital of the French colonial provincial city until recently. Once a major city along with Luang Prabang, today only a few ruins remain, including Wat Piawat. The invasion of Thai and Vietnamese soldiers, the looting by Chinese bandits in the 19th century, and a bomb storm that lasted nearly a decade during the Second Indochina War left the town devastated, and the kingdom’s elaborate temples nothing remained. The parts of the town had been reduced to ruins by 1975.

Afterward, we return to Phonsavan at around 4 pm and visit MAG UXO Center and Official Tourist Information Center to deepen our understanding of history. 

Overnight in Phonsavan