Updated 1 January 2019
Plain of Jars
The ‘Plain’ of Jars is a bit of a misnomer: there are more than 90 jar sites scattered along valleys and foothills of the Xiangkhoang Plateau in Northern Laos containing from a single to four hundred megalithic stone jars.
Only a handful of these can be visited though because the US dropped more than 2 million tonnes of bombs on Laos between 1964 and 1973 and about a third of these didn’t explode.
Clearing mines
Lao guide Mr Yeng points out the safe area cleared by the Mine Advisory Group and shown with coloured concrete markers.
Since 1994 the Mines Advisory Group (www.maginternational.org) has been training people to clear contaminated areas but it’s a huge job. Concrete markers show safe walking areas but the farmland beyond the paths has to be tended. It’s no wonder that people are still being injured.
Each year there are now just under 50 new casualties in Laos, down from 310 in 2008. Close to 60% of the accidents result in death, and 40% of the victims are children.
More information about the work of the Mines Advisory Group here
More information about the secret war in Laos here
Or visit the Mine Advisory Group Centre in Phonsavan for videos, photographs and the chance to contribute towards a very worthwhile and necessary cause.
Sites 1, 2 and 3 are close to Phonsavan and are safe.
Plain of Jars Site 1
Plain of Jars Site 1 has over 300 megalithic sandstone jars scattered in several different groups over gently undulating hills near Phonsavan in northern Laos.
Site 1 (Tong Hai Hin) is about 8km from Phonsavan. You can see the town from the site. It’s the largest of the three sites and suffered from more than just bombs in the Second Indochina War from 1955 to 1975 (called the Vietnam War by the West, the American War by Vietnam, and including the Cambodian Civil War, the Laotian Civil War and the Secret War).
Anti-communist ground forces from the Kingdom of Laos, South Vietnam, Thailand and the US fought communist forces of Pathet Lao and North Vietnam who received military and financial support from China and the Soviet Union.
The cave in Plain of Jars Site 1 could have been a crematorium in ancient times but more recently, in the second Indochina War it was used by the North Vietnamese as a hospital.
So as well as jars, Site 1 has trenches, bomb craters, a limestone cave that once held a hospital used by the Vietnamese in the Indochina war and jars with holes cut into them for snipers. It was complicated. And the Lao people are still suffering the after-effects.
Most popular site
Plain of Jars Site 1 is the closest site to Phonsavan and is a very popular spot for locals as well as foreign tourists.
The site is very popular with tourists, both local and foreign, and is particularly busy in the morning.
There’s a large information building, a huge muddy carpark and a handicraft arcade that was only partially built while we were there but probably has six or seven separate shops now.
We took an electric trolley that whisks visitors up a hill to the start several areas of jars. From there on we meandered on grassy paths by jars, foxholes and trenches.
In places we could look over to Phonsavan town while in other spots cows grazed peacefully.
Plain of Jars Site 1 has over 300 megalithic sandstone jars scattered in several different groups over gently undulating hills near Phonsavan in northern Laos.
At Site 1 about 330 jars ranging from 1 to 3 metres in height are spread across an undulating plain. They seem to be randomly placed and some are broken or tipped over – maybe by earthquakes over the years or war damage.
The damage is continuing as tourists climb over and into the jars.
Archaeology
Nobody knows why or when the jars were made but archaeologists think they are 1500 to 2000 years old and were quarried, shaped using iron tools then transported to their destinations around Xieng Khouang province in the Lao Highlands.
Most jars are cylindrical with the bottom wider than the top and made of sandstone.
Plain of Jars Site 1 has over 300 megalithic sandstone jars scattered in several different groups over gently undulating hills near Phonsavan in northern Laos.
They could have been used as funerary urns because human bones and possible burial goods have been found in and around the jars and the limestone cave might have been a crematorium as two man-made holes in the roof could have been chimneys.
Other theories say the jars stored food or water.
But nobody knows because their ancient builders have left no records.
Future excavations could give more clues but only four sites have been cleared of unexploded bombs and mines so archaeology is on hold for the moment.
Plain of Jars Site 1 has over 300 megalithic sandstone jars scattered in several different groups over gently undulating hills near Phonsavan in northern Laos.
Legends
According to local legends Lao king Khun Cheung made the jars to store vast quantities of lao lao wine to celebrate defeating his enemies after a long battle.
Our guide, Mr Yeng, a Hmong, had many other great stories about the jars including battles between gods and dragons, burials, cremations and elephants being used to transport finished jars from quarries to the plains. Laos was once called the land of a million elephants so a pachyderm transport system is more believable than gods and dragons.
Plain of Jars Site 1 has over 300 megalithic sandstone jars scattered in several different groups over gently undulating hills near Phonsavan in northern Laos.
Plain of Jars Site 2
Site 2 ( Hai Hin Phu Salato) is about 20km from Phonsavan.
The road to this site passes between two low hills on either side of a shallow valley. About ninety jars are spread across these, in amongst trees and bushes some of which have grown through and around the jars.
This tree on Plain of Jars Site 2 grew on the spot where an old man passed away and is celebrated during festivals by the local villagers.
We visited this site in the morning and were the only people there although two more people arrived as we were leaving.
Yeng told a story about an old man long, long ago, who climbed the hill and decided it was time for him pass on. In the spot where he died a tree grew and nowadays, on festivals, the villagers still come up the hill to light candles.
Plain of Jars Site 3
Site 3 (Hai Hin Lat Khai) is 10km from Site 2 near the village of Ban Xieng Di.
This was actually the first site we visited.
We passed through a farmyard and crossed a wooden bridge over a small stream then had a beautiful walk along rice field dykes to a low foothill.
The rice had already been harvested so the fields were full of stubble sometimes with cattle grazing. This far north the weather is cooler so there is only one crop a year. Further south in Vientiane there are two.
The path had concrete MAG markers on either side. Very important to keep between these as there’s no guarantee all the bombs have been cleared if you stray.
There are about 150 jars at Plain of Jars Site 3 which is reached after a pleasant walk through rice fields.
The main area here is about the size of a soccer field and has about 150 jars in amongst the trees and there are lovely views over the surrounding countryside.
Check out our video of Site 3.
Travel details
We visited the Plain of Jars on an organised pre-tour before a ten-day cruise along the Mekong River in Laos.
We flew from Vientiane to Phonsavan on a Lao Airlines ATR-72. The flight takes about 35 minutes and there are several flights a week.
You can also get there by bus. The bus journey from Vientiane takes about 10 to 12 hours. Bus from Luang Prabang takes about 8 hours. Bus from Vang Vieng takes 7 to 8 hours. The roads are apparently paved but very winding. If you suffer from motion-sickness take pills!
There are several travel agencies in Phonsavan that can arrange bike, motorbike and car rentals as well as guided tours to Sites 1, 2 and 3. Your hotel can also probably organise this.
Tours will include entrance fees to the sites. If you make your own way it costs 10,000 Kip for Lao people – 15,000 Kip for foreigners at each site.
More …
Check our other videos from Laos on this website.
See details of Pandaw’s pre-cruise extension to the Plain of Jars
Note. This extension can only be added to the upstream cruises.
Read our other posts about Laos on this website.
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