Plain of Jars: The Most Bombed Province in the World Still Has a 2,500-Year-Old Mystery On Its Plateau

Xieng Khouang province in north-central Laos holds both of these facts at the same time. The archaeological mystery: thousands of large stone vessels, the largest reaching three metres tall and weighing several tonnes, scattered in clusters across a plateau at 1,000 metres elevation. Who made them, when exactly, and for what purpose remains contested. The leading theory is funerary – the jars held decomposing remains before secondary burial during the Iron Age, roughly 500 BCE to 500 CE. Direct evidence is limited and alternative theories persist.

The historical context: between 1964 and 1973, US aircraft dropped more ordnance on Laos than was used in all of World War II combined. Xieng Khouang absorbed a substantial portion, targeted for its proximity to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. An estimated 30 percent of the bombs failed to detonate. UXO (unexploded ordnance) continues to kill and injure people in the province regularly; Mines Advisory Group and other organisations run ongoing clearance programs. The jar sites that are accessible to visitors have been cleared and explicitly marked. Stay on marked paths. This is not a theoretical precaution.

The Sites

Nine jar sites are now open to visitors. Sites 1, 2, and 3 are the most visited.

Site 1 (Thong Hai Hin) is the largest, with around 334 jars, a small visitor centre, and a hilltop view over the plateau. Site 2 (Hai Hin Phu Salato) requires a short forest walk and has fewer visitors; the atmosphere is quieter. Site 3 has fewer jars but the landscape is more dramatic.

Admission is 15,000 kip per site or a combined ticket for 30,000 kip covering all sites. Taking a guide from Phonsavan is worth the additional cost for the context – particularly on the bombing campaign history and what UXO clearance actually involves.

Staying and Eating in Phonsavan

Phonsavan is the provincial capital, rebuilt largely after the war. Most buildings date from the 1980s and later. The Nisha Guesthouse and Kong Keo Guesthouse are the standard budget options at 50,000 to 100,000 kip per night. Mai Savanh restaurant on the main street serves reliable Lao food: laap (minced meat salad), jeow (dipping sauce with grilled meats), and sticky rice at 30,000 to 50,000 kip per person.

The morning markets in Phonsavan have Hmong and Phuan vendors selling local produce and prepared food from early morning – worth seeing before heading to the jar sites.

Getting There

Lao Airlines runs daily flights from Vientiane and Luang Prabang to Xieng Khouang airport (35 to 45 minutes). The overland bus from Luang Prabang takes seven to nine hours on mountain roads; the scenery is good but the journey is demanding. Most visitors combine Phonsavan with a wider northern Laos circuit.