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Laos, Phongsaly Province
Project gen by hotsia
Phongsaly Province, Phongsaly City, Phongsaly, Travel Phongsaly, Getting to Phongsaly (You must read this), Phu Fa Stupa.. Phongsaly, Eating at a local Phongsaly home, The city on the way to Dien Bien Phu. I woke up early with excitement to see what Phongsaly looks like. After last night's rain, the morning promised clear weather. I got out of bed, leaned out the window to look at the front of the accommodation, and realized my place was on a high hill overlooking the villagers' houses in the valley below.
Phongsaly City is a valley with only a few houses. The photo above was taken from the path up to Phu Fa Stupa. You can see it is a narrow valley surrounded by complex high mountain ranges. If you imagine a map, Phongsaly is like a peninsula of Laos extending into China's Yunnan province. I took care of personal matters, grabbed my trusty camera, and went down to explore. Phongsaly is quieter than I expected. At first, I thought it might be similar to Pai or Mae Hong Son.
But in reality, this town is much quieter. There are few cars, mostly hill tribe people walking to the market but not many. Even at the small vehicle station near my accommodation, there were hardly any people. My accommodation was on a hill, so I walked down. Villagers were starting to tend their gardens, but overall it was peaceful. After some exploration, I gathered some information: Phongsaly has two coffee shops on the main road before my accommodation. One sells pho and coffee; the other is near the old village area.
Phongsaly does not have typical made-to-order restaurants like back home. The places that serve rice are Chinese restaurants, two in total. Locals know exactly where they are. The Chinese restaurant owners can speak Lao. Food prices are cheaper than Oudomxay and Luang Namtha, and definitely much cheaper than Luang Prabang. Phongsaly has a fresh market open from early morning. The market is not very lively because in Laos and Vietnam, mountain towns like this have scheduled market days once a month.
Different hill tribes come to buy necessities on those days because descending from high mountains takes days and is not as convenient as flatlands. For example, the Bac Ha market in Vietnam only happens twice a month. The morning market in Phongsaly offers rare green frogs and white mushrooms. I started by sipping Lao coffee and then walked around the morning fresh market. The market sells vegetables, chicken, and pork. Outdoors, villagers sell large bamboo rats tied up for sale.
There are strange-looking green frogs. The market has three pho shops. Pho comes in two types: fresh beef pho and boiled beef pho. The popular choice is fresh beef pho, like the one I ate at Mik Huay Sai. After finishing the morning market walk, I rested and ate pho, chatting with Lao locals who were also eating pho. Then I went to buy a new hat at the market above my accommodation, which sells clothes and daily items. I found a hat I liked, a Lao military-style hat priced at 80 kip.
I planned to wear it when climbing Phu Fa Stupa today. Phongsaly is home to many ethnic groups. In the city, there are several Chinese-Ho households. Here, some still have small feet due to an old tradition, but only a few remain worldwide. To see this, you must rent a car and travel several dozen kilometers. I didn't visit this time but plan to next trip. Eating pho at the Phongsaly morning market, sitting and sharing a table with Khmu women. I checked the map to locate Phongsaly city.
I found that Phongsaly lies on the same latitude as Hong Kong, higher than many Chinese cities. Surrounded by mountains and forests that remain largely untouched, Phongsaly enjoys cool weather year-round. Locals told me that even during their New Year (Water Festival in mid-April), the weather is cool enough to wear jackets. Traveling to Phongsaly independently like me doesn't require booking guesthouses or hotels in advance. Accommodations are sufficient for tourists.
When looking for lodging, compare prices at more than one place. Phongsaly has dozens of accommodations, so no fear of no vacancy. Unless you want a more comfortable, beautiful hotel like in Luang Prabang or Vientiane, you can book cheap hotels through my service at the top menu. Here, locals enjoy eating sausages.
The elder Phu Fa with whom I had breakfast :0 After coffee and the morning market, I started walking around the town visiting homes. I came across a couple about my age eating breakfast. They smiled and invited me to join, a basic hospitality shared by Lao and Thai people. I sat and talked with them. The man was the elder of Phu Fa. He climbs up and down Phu Fa daily to take care of it.
He then served me some Phongsaly food to try. Haha, it was delicious, so I promised to come back for dinner and bring food to share. What is Phu Fa? What is Phu Fa Stupa like? Why do all tourists visiting Phongsaly climb Phu Fa? Even locals here climb it. Next trip, I will take you to Phu Fa, which is 1,626 meters above sea level. Great things await. ...Mr.Hotsia May 2010. Phongsaly Specifications:
Located near the borders of China and northern Vietnam, Phongsaly is the northernmost province of Laos. It borders China and Vietnam, making it a strategic area historically contested by major cities. Today, Phongsaly is the provincial capital with a population of 167,181. The city sits at 1,400 meters elevation in the Phu Fa mountain area, resulting in cool weather year-round. Due to its strategic location between China and Vietnam, the French placed great importance on this area, establishing military camps.
French architectural traces remain visible in various alleys, though mostly obscured by practical Chinese commercial buildings. In the morning mist, you can see Phu Fa Stupa and Phongsaly city. Historically, Phongsaly was one of the Tai Lue cities in China's Xishuangbanna region but was taken by the French from China in the 1895 treaty. Later, it became part of Laos, making it one of the most ethnically diverse provinces with Hmong, Akha, Yao, Tai, and other tribes, including Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants.
The Lao government promotes unity in diversity, combining 23 ethnic groups. The Ethnic Museum displays traditional clothing, tools, and ornaments of various tribes for visitors.