General Information

Geography

Bokeo province is located in the north west of Laos. It is the mountainous land that shares the international borders to Thailand, Myanmar. To the east, other nearby provinces include, Udomxay and Sayabouly. Bokeo’s province capital

Is Houay Xay is near the Golden Triangle, situated on the Mekong river, which demarcates Laos from Myanmar and Thailand. It is covered by mountains with high peak which are mostly limestone or sandstone and heavily forested, so

it has beautiful scenery, plantations, swidden farminf and rice terraces make up the rest of the landscape. The majority of the population live in rural villages. A number of rivers crisscross the region, including the Nam Tha, Nam Ngao

and small streams. It consists of five districts such as Huayxai, Tonpheung, Meung, Paktha and Pa Oudom. Has a population of around 180.000 people.

Climate

The weather is cool and dry from November to February, with temperatures dropping very low at night. March and April are the hottest months. Once the rains come from May to October it cools down. These are the best months for

Kayaking, rafting and viewing waterfalls. in September and October, the rice fields are at their best lush green, turning golden and ready for harvest.

History

Archaeologists suggest people lived in the Houay Xay area thousand of years ago. as the people from Myanmar came along the Mekong river bank to search for Sapphire mine and finally they found the place had a plenty of sapphires

where is the present Houay Xay town, then they settled in this area

Burmese leader Khun Ching established Houay Xai in 1884. Tai Yuan began migrating from Myanmar and China, Hmong arrived via Vietnam followed by Yao and Lanten from Yunnan, China.

French colonials entered in 1893, prompting many northwestern residents to vanish into the hills. Japan occupied Laos during World War II, but the country gained full independence from the French in 1952. The United States had an

air base in Houay Xai from 1964 until 1973, to carry out bombing missions that leveled much of Luang Namtha town during the Second Indochina War.

Language

Although there are many ethnic dialects in north western Laos, Lao is the official language. Thai is understood in main tourist centres, and tour guides, as well as many hotel and restaurant staff will speak English. Chinese and some

French is also spoken.

Basic Vocabulary

Hello – Sabaidee

Thank you – Kop chai

Dollar – Dollah

Money – Ngun

Yes – Jao or Doi

No – Baw

Goodbye – La kone

Hotel – Hong haem

Toilet – Hong nam

Hospital – Hong mor