Xieng Khouang's main attraction is the Plain of Jars.
In the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th century, Xieng Khouang
was the center of a kingdom of the Hmong (Meo). In 1832,
it was conquered by the Vietnamese, annexing the entire region.
The town of Xieng Khouang was totally destroyed during
the Vietnam War. Even though it has been rebuilt in 1975, the
name Xieng Khouang is now primarily used in reference to the province
of the same name.
The provincial capital is Muang Kham. The most important place
near the Plain of Jars is Phonsavan with a small
airport serving the region.
The Plain of Jars is some 10 kilometres southeast
of Phonsavan, at about 1,000 metres above sea level. Scattered
over the plain are hundreds of enormous clay jars, each
about 1 to 2.5 metres high, with a diameter of about 1 meter.
There is still no explanation as to how the clay jars found
their way onto the plain, nor what purpose they served.
Archaeologists have come up with the wildest theories, among them
a claim declaring them brewery cauldrons. More likely,
the jars are enormous urns.
Many jars have been destroyed or damaged during the Vietnam
War, when American planes bombed positions of the communist
Pathet Lao.
This page: http://www.cockatoo.com/english/laos/laos_xieng.htm
