The Plain of Jars is essentially a load of giant stone jars that are scattered around the Xieng Khouang plain of Khuang Province, northern Laos. They lie in the Lao Highlands of the Annamese Cordillera Mountains.
During the Vietnam War, the Plain of Jars represented the whole Xieng Khouang plain as opposed to just the cultural site. Some of the jars are as high as 10 feet and there are literally hundreds of them. They all lie along the flat high plateau and were carved out of solid chunks of rock from the region.
No one is entirely sure why they are where they are and more importantly, why they were built. One of the more plausible theories is that they were constructed to store dead bodies, perhaps after sacrifice, while others say they were made to store wine to celebrate the conquest of Xieng Khouang (Pakhanh City).
There are also many other artifacts of archaeological interest in the area, including Buddhist statues and colonial items, along with a huge amount of scrap metal left over from the bombings during the Vietnam War. Surprisingly, more bombs were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 than were dropped worldwide during WWII.
Unfortunately the Plain of Jars still remains a hugely dangerous archaeological site due to the amount of unexploded ordinance left over from the Vietnam War. It comes mainly in the form of cluster munitions as a significant number never go off when deployed. These bombs remain active for years and kill and maim people every week. It is thus essential that you follow the signs and not veer off path. Jar sites 1, 2 and 3 are the safest sites to visit at the Plain of Jars.
Sights to see in the region apart from the Plain of Jars include the hot springs at Meuang Kham district and Tham Piu cave. The cave was used as a bomb shelter during the Vietnam War by the villagers.
Getting There & Away
Buses run to Phonsavan from Vientiane daily and take around 7 hours via Route 7 and Route 13. You can then get to Ban Hang Village from Phonsavan by local transport or motorbike. Vientiane has an international airport (Wattay International Airport) receiving flights from all over the region. It is just a few miles outside town.