In the West we are familiar with the Vietnam War, where millions of American soldiers went to fight the communist forces of the north during the 1960s and early 1970s. Few are aware however that the bulk of the carnage inflicted by both sides in that war in fact fell on Laos, desperately unfortunate in its geographic location. A strategic shortcut between north and south Vietnam, the communist forces used Laos as a supply route, and the Americans in turn dropped the equivalent of over half a tonne of bombs on the country for every Lao citizen.
Laos is in fact considered the most bombed country in the world, and the shameful campaign led by the CIA (known here as the American War) led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, and proved ultimately futile as the communists swept to power as the US troops retreated. Despite almost 35 years passing since the American departure, the legacy of the bombing lives on, as hundreds of Lao people die every year from accidents with UXO (unexploded ordinance). Of these casualties, 40% are children and the numbers are rising as poverty and an increase in demand for scrap metal mean that many are willing to risk their lives for a kilo of bomb metal, which might yield $20.
Xieng Khouang province, in the north east of Laos, is the most heavily bombed part of the country. We stayed at the lodgings of Sousath Pethrasy, the man who single-handedly campaigned for the Lao government to open this area to tourism. Sadly Sousath passed away recently, but his family continue to run the guest house and take visitors to see the military relics of the war, as well as the UNESCO recognised Plain of Jars.
Starting early, we checked in at Phonsovan’s Tourist Office to get clearance to visit the sites. There we were able to see many bombs and bomblets found in the area. Having visited the MAG (Mine Advisory Group) offices in the town a day earlier and learned about the extraordinary task of clearing the area of UXO, it was fascinating to see some of the ordinance at first hand.
On arrival at the Plain of Jars, we carefully followed our guide’s briefing on where to go and where not to stray. After all, only the marked paths had been cleared of UXO, and stepping far off the trail could lead to sudden death or worse (there are a shocking number of amputees in this region of Laos).
The jars themselves are a real mystery and well worth the visit in their own right. No-one knows how old they are (best guess is around 2500 years old), what they were used for (common assumption is that they were part of the burial ritual), and who used them. Scattered over many sites in Xieng Khouang, we visited three of the earliest excavated site that had been cleared of mines and deemed safe for tourists. The jars make for a wonderful backdrop and leave the visitor with a sense of speculating on the unknown.
We decided to walk between two of the sites. It involved a 5km hike, and as we passed over the brow of a hill between the two sites, our guide stopped us and pointed under a bush. There, before our eyes was a small bomblet; a real UXO. It was only around 30cm in length, but would be enough to cause a life-changing injury. Needless to say, there was no need for our guide to tell us not to touch!
A visit to this part of Laos is hugely rewarding. Not only does the visitor get to see one of Asia’s most impressive archaeological sites in the absence of mass tourism, but there is a frightening, sobering yet intriguing facet of recent history that is still being played out today, and will make a strong impression on almost anyone who visits.
The damage America causes in war is never forgivable. It’s a shame. Thanks for the history lesson.