Overview
Vieng Xai (likewise Vieng Xay, Vieng Sai) is a region and town in Hua Phan Province.
Description
In the northern stretches of Laos, close to the Vietnam border, Vieng Xai today is a dusty rural outpost almost lost in the thicket of greenery around a dramatic karst landscape. But during the middle part of the 20th century, it played a pivotal, if grim, role in modern Laos history.
Located in a striking narrow valley hemmed in by jungle-capped towering karsts, the town itself has a quiet, laid-back feel that belies its war-torn history. Those limestone protrusions are riddled by caves that acted as bomb shelters and headquarters for the Pathet Lao, making Vieng Xai a compelling stop on a tour of the northern reaches of Laos or an overland trip into northern Vietnam.