Udomxai

Introducing Udomxai

Udomxai is a booming Laos-China trade centre riding on imported Chinese wealth. Although few people visit Udomxai as a tourist destination, it’s an important northern crossroads where Rtes 1, 2 and 4 intersect. Thus it’s difficult to avoid if you’re travelling to Luang Nam Tha or Phongsali from points south.

After roughing it through some beautiful countryside along the Mekong River and along Rte 2 from Pak Beng (or from the east via Nong Khiaw and the Nam Ou), the town seems fairly bland. Modest in size, it features tidy asphalt strips lined with modern buildings and some very comely houses. More traditional thatched houses are spread across the rim of the valley towards the base of the surrounding mountain range. If you get off the main street you can find some very picturesque villagelike sections.

The town is roughly 60% Lao Thoeng and Lao Soung, 25% Chinese and 15% Lao Loum. Thousands of Chinese workers may be in the area at any one time, and the Yunnanese dialect is often heard more than Lao in the cafés and hotels.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009