Muang Xay

Muang Xay
Muang Xay Location in Laos
Coordinates: 20°42′N 101°49′E / 20.7°N 101.817°E / 20.7; 101.817Coordinates: 20°42′N 101°49′E / 20.7°N 101.817°E / 20.7; 101.817
Country	Laos
Admin. division	Oudomxai Province
Government
– Mayor
Population
– Religions	Buddhism
Website	http://www.oudomxay.info

Muang Xay (Lao: ເມືອງໄຊ) is a capital city of Oudomxai Province, Laos. It is located at around 20°42′N 101°59′E / 20.7°N 101.983°E / 20.7; 101.983. The town is served by the Oudomsay Airport.

Naming

Legend has it that in the year 1323, the inhabitants of the village Ban Luang Cheng in "Takka Sila" Town were in the forest to cut bamboo. While they were making some fishing utensils out of it, they saw a monk coming from the forest walking towards them. He had left to the forest long before to practice meditation. The monk asked the villagers what they were doing and they replied that they were making a fishing basket and offered him some food. Because of that experience, the villagers changed the town's name from "Takka Sila" to "Muang Xay", as the monk's name was Paxay.^[1]

History

In 1987, Muang Xay became the capital of Oudomxay Province instead of Ban Nahin.

Infrastructure

Oudomxay is connected to Luang Prabang by National Road 1.

The town has got an airport (IATA: ODY, ICAO: VLOS), from where Lao Airlines flies to Vientiane three times a week. The airport is located about 10 walking minutes from the town center.

A sufficient electricity supply is genereally given in Muang Xay.

Demography

Hmong women in Oudomxay

The residents of the town are mainly Lao Loum, but the presence of the ethnic group Khmu - which in the whole province forms a majority of about 60% of the population^[2] - has got an important impact on the town. In the past years, many ethnic Khmu moved from Khmu villages to Muang Xay and now live and work there, as in the town they see better opportunities to earn money. Also Hmong (in total forming a 15 % of the whole province population) have an influence on the town scape. As an example, typical Hmong-Products like colorful textile handicrafts are sold inside the market building. Many women from the surrounding villages of different ethnic groups come to Muang Xay to sell their products at the town markets, often spending many hours walking, as they can achieve better prices there.

Some families living in the surrounding villages send their children to a school in the province capital. The way, which is often many kilometers, is covered either by bicycle or by foot by the children. Some sons and daughters also go to the so called "Ethnic School", a boarding school in Muang Xay for children from more remote villages.

In Muang Xay there are many Chinese immigrants, which influence the town scape through restaurants and a chinese market.

Geography and climate

Muang Xay is located in a mountain basin in between green hills. Two opposed hills soar above the town, on one being the "Oudomxay Museum", on the other one a Buddhist temple with a stupa.

Oudomxay Province has got a moderate monsoon climate. Due to high altitudes there are more variations in temperature during the year and a colder dry season in northern Laos as in the rest of the country.^[3]

The yearly amount of rain is about 1,900mm–2,600mm. Temperatures in February and March average between 18 and 19 °C, from April to May temperatures climb over 31 °C.^[4]

Especially in the cold months (October to January) there are high variations in temperature from day to night. Due to Oudomxay's location between hills and mountains, fog coveres the town from evening to morning and detains sunlight. In the course of the day, the fog starts to dissolve, so that in the cold season, it gets warmer not before about noon.

The river Nam Kor flows through Muang Xay.

Tourism

The stupa of Oudomxay on Phou That mountain

Since some years, efforts are taken to support tourism in Oudomxay, which is considered a chance to minimize poverty of the population. Since 1997 there is a tourism office in Muang Xay, which is supported by German Development Service (DED) since 2005. The support of DED aims to raise the incomes especially of the rural population and small-scale enterprises by tourism and thereby protect natural resources. .^[5] In August 2007 the tourism office was upgraded to a “Provincial Tourism Department”.

Development

Due to Oudomxay’s location as the most important traffic junction in northern Laos (the only road from Luang Prabang up north crosses Oudomxay), in the past few years the province was mainly visited by foreigners on the journey through.

The average length of stay was low. Oudomxay had the image of being a touristically undeveloped cross-point, which, in 2004 was also reflected in the articles about the town in popular tourist guide books.

Since some years, this image is changing. Oudomxay is nowadays more seen as a province in which discovering the “original” Laos is possible, especially in terms of ecotourism. Since some years the tourism office offers guided trekking tours^[6], a Lao cookery course and a workshop in traditional paper making.^[7] In Oudomxay there are now two travel agencies, one of them offering guided bicycle tours through Laos.

According to the „Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos 2008“ by the „Lao National Tourism Administration“, the number of tourists has increased from approximately 18.600 to 102.000 from 2001 to 2008. According to the statistic, approximately 17% of all 1,7 Mio. tourists visiting Laos in 2008 came to Oudomxay as well. Oudomxay disposes of eight hotels and approximately 52 guesthouses.^[8], most of them located in the province capital Muang Xay and the riverine traffic junction Pak Beng.

Potential

Passage in Chom Ong Cave with a ceiling height of 35 Meters

Overall, about 1286 beds were available in Oudomxay in 2006.

In 2008, occupancy rates of these available beds have been approximately at 60% (comparison with Luang Prabang: 73%).^[8]

Bad infrastructural conditions though often impede an optimal exhaustion of touristic potential in Oudomxay province. This gets especially clear considering the example of the recently new discovered “Chom Ong Cave”:

Chom Ong Cave, located about 45 km from Oudomxay, is the biggest known cave in northern Laos. It has got a length of more than 16 km, ceiling heights up to 50m, a stream course flowing in the cave^[9] and is entitled “exceptional” ^[10] and “the most significant find and the biggest highlight” ^[9] in northern Laos by several speleological magazines.

It is accessible in around an hour's walk from the village Ban Chom Ong Thai but access to that village is by very bad, mud roads which become especially difficult in the rainy season.

Summarizing, touristic commercialization of the cave is very difficult due to lacks of infrastructure – a situation which can be seen as a case study for the difficulties in developing touristic structures in Oudomxay.

Concerning other offers, as for example trekking tours to villages of ethnic minorities (e.g. Khmu), these infrastructural limitations do not have an impact, so that these offers are a bit more often purchased.

References

1. ^ Khana Sinam Gaan Khon Khua Hiabhiang (Provincial Government Leader Group of Research and Data Collection): "Phavatsaat Muunsya Khweeng Oudomxay" (History of Oudomxay Province), 2004, p. 19-28
2. ^ Schätzungen laut Provinzregierung
3. ^ Leek 2007: Rural Livelihood Strategies and Natural Recources in Oudomxay, Lao PDR p.1
4. ^ W. Roder Slash and Burn Rice Systems in the Hills of Northern Lao P.D.R.: Description, Challenges, and Opportunities. 2001
5. ^ Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst: Jahresbericht Oudomxay 2009
6. ^ Trekking Tours Website des Provincial Tourism Department Oudomxay. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
7. ^ Activities in Town. Website des Provincial Tourism Department Oudomxay. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
8. ^ ^{a b} Lao National Tourism Administration; Planning an Cooperation Department; Statistics Unit: "2008 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos"
9. ^ ^{a b} British Cave Research Association: Speleology, 13. Mai 2009, S.34
10. ^ Michael Laumanns/Francois Brouiquisse La nouvelle plus longe grotte du Nord Laos In: Spelunca Nr. 113, 2009, S. 9.