Experience the best of Phonsavan

Phonsavan lies on a cool upland plateau in north-eastern Laos, more than a kilometre above sea level, a spread-out town of wide streets, markets and guesthouses. It grew as the provincial centre after the old royal town of Muang Khoun was destroyed in the heavy bombing of the 1960s and 1970s, and bomb casings still serve as fence posts and planters in villages around it.

On the grassy hills near the town stands the Plain of Jars, thousands of huge stone jars carved some two thousand years ago by an unknown Iron Age people, whose purpose is still debated. Many sites are scattered across the province, and the best-known clusters are part of a World Heritage site listed in 2019. At Muang Khoun, the old capital, the ruins of Wat Phia Wat hold a seated Buddha that survived the bombing, scarred, beside the brick base of the old temple.

Highland markets sell sticky rice, grilled meats, vegetables and bowls of khao piak sen, a Lao noodle soup. The plateau raises cattle and buffalo on its pastures, and Hmong, Tai Phuan and other communities keep their own dress and customs. Nights are cool here even in the warm months, and the heaviest rain falls in mid-year.