For centuries Huay Xai in laos was a disembarkation point for Yunnanese caravans led by the Hui (Chinese Muslims) on their way to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in ancient Siam; today Chinese barges from Yunnan are able to navigate this far, so there is still a brisk trade in Chinese goods. Thailand’s Chiang Khong, on the opposite river bank, is also a significant source of trade. Speed- boats seen along Laos’s northern rivers are imported from Chiang Khong, for example.
Wat Jom Khao Manilat
Nowadays Huay Xai is a bustling riverside town where the biggest commercial district is cent red around the vehicle and passenger ferry landings for boats to Chiang Khong. Many new shop houses have been constructed along the main street, which curves along the base of a hill overlooking the river.
In Chiang Khong
A set of naga stairs ascends this hillside to Wat Jom Khao Manilat, a thriving temple that overlooks the town and river. Constructed in 1880, the teak Shan-style temple houses a 1458 stele donated by a former Chiang Khong prince. Many of the brightly coloured jataka paintings that decorate the exterior of the sim were sponsored by Lao refugees who had been repatriated from the US.
Wat jom kaew maneerat
French-built, high-walled Fort Cannot, atop an adjacent hill and clearly visible from the Thai side of the Mekong, is occupied by Lao troops and off limits to visitors
whisky bottles with snakes on display in Huay Xai
Huay Xai’s main morning market, Talat Muang Bokeo Huay Xai, or simply Talat Sao, is in the southern part of town. This is also the main road transport depot. For most ferry arrivals from Chiang Khong, Huay Xai is just a stopover before boarding a boat south-east to Pakbeng or Luang Prabang, or catching a truck north- east to Luang Nam Tha.
