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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 Phongsaly local's home, Muang Khwa to Dien Bien Phu, Phongsaly Bus Station 2014, Guesthouses in Phongsaly, Boat from Had Sa to Muang Khwa, Phongsaly Morning Market 2014. 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 and peeked through the window to look at the front of the accommodation.
I just realized my accommodation is on a high hill, overlooking the villagers' houses in the valley below. Phongsaly City is a flat valley with only a few houses. The picture 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 City is like a peninsula of Laos extending into China’s Yunnan province. I took care of my personal things, grabbed my trusty camera, and went down to explore immediately.
Phongsaly City is quieter than I expected. At first, I thought it would be similar to Pai or Mae Hong Son, but it is much quieter. There are few cars, mostly hill tribe people walking to the market, but not many. Even at the small vehicle queue near my accommodation, there were hardly any people. Since my accommodation is on a hill, 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.
One is on the main road before my accommodation, selling pho and coffee. The other is near the old village area. Phongsaly does not have typical Thai-style made-to-order restaurants. 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 valley towns like this have scheduled market days once a month. Different hill tribes come to buy necessities on those days since descending from high mountains takes days and is not as convenient as flatlands. For example, Bac Ha market in Vietnam only happens twice a month. At Phongsaly morning market, I found rare green frogs with white spots. I started by sipping Lao coffee.
Then I walked around the morning fresh market. The market sells vegetables, chicken, and pork. Outdoors, villagers sell goods including large bamboo rats tied up for sale and strange-looking green frogs. There are three pho shops at the market. 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 other Lao diners.
After that, 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 soldier's hat, priced at 80 kip, perfect for wearing to climb Phu Fa Stupa today. Phongsaly has many ethnic groups. In the city, there are several Chinese-Ho households. Here, some still practice the tradition of small feet, a custom from the past now rare worldwide.
To see this, you must rent a vehicle and travel several dozen kilometers. I did not visit this on this trip but plan to next time. Eating pho at Phongsaly morning market, sitting and sharing a table with Khmu girls in Phongsaly. Looking at the map for Phongsaly’s location, it 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 all year round. I spoke with locals who said even during their New Year (Water Festival in mid-April), the weather is cool enough to wear jackets. Traveling to Phongsaly independently like me does not require booking guesthouses or hotels in advance. You can just arrive; accommodations are sufficient for tourists. When looking for lodging, compare more than one place for prices.
Phongsaly has dozens of accommodations, so don’t worry about availability. Confirmed. Unless you want a more comfortable and 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. I had breakfast with an old man from Phu Fa :0 After coffee, morning market, and pho, I started walking around the town visiting houses. I came across a couple having breakfast.
They smiled and invited me to eat, a basic hospitality shared by Lao and Thai people alike. I sat and talked with them. During the conversation, I learned the man is the old man of Phu Fa. He climbs up and down Phu Fa daily to take care of it. Then he served me some Phongsaly food to try. Haha, I tried it and liked it, 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 do it. Next trip, I will take you to Phu Fa, which is 1,626 meters above sea level. There is definitely something great waiting. ...Mr.Hotsia May 2010. Specifics about Phongsaly: It borders China and northern Vietnam, at the northernmost part of Laos. Phongsaly is a land bordering China and Vietnam, making it a strategic area historically contested by major cities.
Currently, Phongsaly is the provincial capital with a population of 167,181. The city is located on a 1,400-meter-high mountain in the Phu Fa range, 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 can still be seen in various alleys.
Although 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 a treaty in 1895. Later, as part of Laos, it became one of the most ethnically diverse provinces, home to Hmong, Akha, Yao, Tai, and various tribes.