Xaysomboun province and Phou Bia mountain
Xaysomboun province is a beautiful, largely undeveloped region of Laos just east of Vang Vieng. It is home to Laos’ tallest mountain Phou Bia (see picture).
For decades it was completely closed to foreigners, due to a very large number of UXO (unexploded American bombs that hadn’t been cleared yet) as well as occasional violence between the government and local Hmong people — most recently in 2015 and 2021.
As the government has begun to actively develop the area for tourism, I see an increasing number of questions coming up on chat groups about this area. Personally I have never been there, but following is my understanding as of February 2024, based on recent accounts from tourists there.
In 2021 the Lao Government announced a $47m plan to develop Phou Bia Mountain and its surroundings for tourism, including hiking trails, a zipline, a cable car, campgrounds, a 5-star hotel and an amusement park. This is proceeding slowly. Only recently the government has begun to allow foreign travel there. Going there now gives you a chance to see Laos as it was decades ago, including some beautiful old-growth jungle. But don’t expect anything in the way of established guesthouses, restaurants, etc. You’ll find those things in some places, but not everywhere. Basically, be ready for anything. You should be aware that relations between the government and the local Hmong people have sometimes been tense; violence erupted in 2015 and 2021, and it’s not impossible that it could happen again.
To get there from Vang Vieng, head south on Highway 13 (Laos’ main national highway) as far asTha Heua at the northern tip of Nam Ngum Reservoir. There, highway 13 turns right (southwest) toward Vientiane, while you turn left (east) toward the copper mining town of Phu Kham. (Don’t confuse this with the beautiful Tam Phu Kham cave and lagoon just outside of Vang Vieng, it’s not the same thing!). About 15 km after turning left, kep an eye out for the Rock Tiger Head landmark.
You should have no trouble finding buses as far as Phu Kham, but after that it may get trickier. Continue on to the provincial capital of Anouvong, and just beyond it the village of Ban Mouang Cha, where you must get permission from the military checkpoint to go any further. Permission is free. Two soldiers will accompany you.
The road in this area is now in the early stages of construction — parts of it are very rough and it is full of heavy construction equipment. The road is expected to be completed in 2025, but until then you need a 4x4 off-road vehicle, or else you must be a very experienced dirt biker. The road goes up the mountain and ends at a car park about 200 metres below the mountain’s summit — at present there is no view there, but there is good viewpoint partway up the mountain.
As far as I know, no hiking is currently allowed around Phou Bia at all because they still haven’t cleared all of the anti-personnel bombs that US airplanes dropped all over Laos from 1964-73.
For more information about this area, check out this blog: https://medium.com/@frazer_HX/reaching-the-most-secret-place-on-earth-and-getting-back-in-one-piece-53a20bcf31b9