The province was created in 1983 from parts of two provinces: Vientiane and Khammouane. There is also the largest artificial body of water in the country (Theun Hinboun Dam) from the water plant.
In the Lao language, the country’s name is “Meuang Lao”. The Imperial French, who made the country part of French Indochina in 1893, spelled it with a final silent “s”, i.e. “Laos” (The Lao language itself has no final ’s’ sound, so Lao people do not pronounce the word Laos).
The usual adjectival form is “Lao”, e.g. “the Lao economy”, not the “Laotian” economy–although “Laotian” is used to describe the people of Laos to avoid confusion with the Lao ethnic group.
The Plain of Jars is a large area extending around Phonsavan from the southwest to the northeast where huge jars of unknown origin are scattered about in over a dozen groupings. There are three main sites available to visit, with site 1 the closest and containing the most jars.
The purpose of these possibly 2000-year-old jars remains a mystery and without any organic material – such as bones or food remains – there is no reliable way to date them. Archaeological theories and local myth suggest the enigmatic jars were used for burial purposes.
The jars weigh as much as six tonnes (6.6 tons) and have been fashioned from solid stone, which doesn’t seem to have come from the area. Many of the smaller jars have been taken away by collectors, but there are still several hundred in the five major groups. Thong Hai Hin, the biggest and most accessible site, has two pavilions and toilets, as well as the largest jar on the plain.
The best time to visit is between November and February, when it rains least and isn’t too hot. This is also the main season for both national and regional bun (festivals). If you’re heading up into the mountains, May and July can also be pleasant. Roads can be washed out during rainy season (July to October), but there are plenty of river travel opportunities. Peak tourist months are December to February and during August, although there are relatively few visitors at any time.
Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, situated in the Mekong Valley. It is also Laos’s largest city. The estimated population of the city is 200,000 (2005) while the number of people living in the Vientiane metropolitan area (the entire Vientiane Prefecture and parts of Vientiane Province) is believed to be over 730,000. Vientiane is located at 17°58′ North, 102°36′ East (17.9667, 102.6).
Laos officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma (Myanmar) and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. After a period as a French protectorate, it gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended officially when the communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975 but the fighting between factions continued for several years.
Private enterprise has increased since the late 1990s when economic reforms including rapid business licensing were introduced. Laos is still ranked among the lowest countries in terms of economic and political freedom. The economy of Laos grew at 7.2% in 2006, 35th fastest in the world. 80% of the employed practice subsistence agriculture. The country’s ethnic make-up is diverse, with around 70% belonging to the largest ethnic group, the Lao
