Phonsavan, Xieng Khouang Province, Laos

Phou Khoun, Laos (27 December, 2005)


Phonsavan is the provincial capital of Xieng Khouang Province in Laos. It was established fairly recently, after the former capital, was virtually wiped out during the Vietnam War. You can well imagine the intensity of bombings that was carried out here. The town of that former capital has since been rebuilt, and is now renamed Muang Khun.

Phonsavan has a population of 60,000 and is rapidly expanding. As it is located in close proximity to the Plain of Jars, it is becoming a convenient entry point for visitors to the tourist attraction. Phonsavan is where the Xieng Khouang Airport - really an airfield - is located, and it was here that members of AsiaExplorers landed on our way to view the jars.

In the centre of town, there is a large market where you can see the local people sell a lot of interesting things. The things put on sale here include eels, bats, birds, huge rodents and even porcupines. It is a good place to mingle with the tribal people of Laos and admire their costumes.

Since it is located over a thousand meters above sea level, Phonsavan can get quite chilly at night, so warm clothing is advisable if you're coming during the winter months (November to February).

Getting into Phonsavan

There are four flights from Vientiane to Phonsavan per week. Alternatively, you can catch a local bus from Luang Prabang. Other than that, the best way to go to Phonsavan is by organised tour.


Ready for a meal of porcupines tonight?


The dining hut at our guesthouse, at early morning.


Scraps and remnants from the war.


AsiaExplorers group awaiting our breakfast

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.