Village artisans eagerly await return of tourists

The charming village of Xang Hai in Laos’ Luang Prabang province used to be a popular tourist attraction but today the dusty narrow streets are empty of visitors, since foreign tourists were barred entry to Laos when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020.

A potent liquor made from rice is distilled and stored in large pottery vessels.

Ban Hang Hai is known for its production of traditional whisky, which is made from glutinous rice and distilled in large pottery vats. Many of the local residents are also weavers and turn out colourful and intricately made textiles.
The village is located alongside the Mekong, about 20 kilometres north of the provincial capital Luang Prabang, and can be reached by river or road.  By river, it is on the way to another popular tourist destination - Ting or Ou Cave - which contains hundreds of small Buddha images.
A visit to Xang Hai village makes a convenient stop off when taking a boat to the cave, and travellers can sample the fiery whisky, shop for textiles, and observe the making of these fine local products.
More than 90 percent of visitors come from other countries so when the pandemic hit, it killed all of the businesses in the neighbourhood.
Normally, this time of year is the high season for tourism, but now the village is completely empty of visitors.
Village chief Mr Bounkhong Khamphonsouk described the bleak situation to this reporter, saying that the village is dependent upon tourism and that when travel restrictions came into force practically all of the businesses died and now people have nothing to do.
In the past, most people had some land on which they grew rice, sweetcorn and vegetables but most of the land was sold when it was found that more money could be made from tourism.
After months of financial hardship, some villagers are going hungry and some have found work in local factories, but there aren’t many factories in this area.
No one has provided any help.
“Right now we’re just hoping that the pandemic will soon be over so that tourists can return and people can revive their businesses,” Mr Bounkhong said.
I have visited this village several times over the years to unwind in the laid-back environment, enjoy the beauty of the area, and observe local traditions in practice.
My first visit was in 2013 when I took a boat trip to Ting Cave. The boat driver dropped us off at Xang Hai for about 30 minutes so we could sample the whisky and stroll around to see the various kinds of textiles on sale.
My most enjoyable visit was in 2018 when the village was full of textiles and most houses had some hanging out in front. There were also some quaint restaurants and coffee bars, which were well used by visitors.
Tourism used to be the life blood of this village and I wondered how it would develop in the future. But today many of the villagers have time on their hands and struggle to make a living.
A silk weaver, Ms Bountheuay Xaiyavongsa, said she doesn’t have anything to do nowadays and stays at home while her husband works at a sawmill.
Some of the women in the village also work at the sawmill but it’s quite hard work and they don’t earn much.
Ms Bountheuay invested a lot in her shop and has quite a lot of silk and cotton fabrics stored at her house, which she hopes to sell at some point in the future.
Some people tried to reopen their shops but got bored because there were no visitors. Some people took their goods to sell at the night market in Luang Prabang, but it was a long journey to go there and back every day.
“At some times of the year we used to have a lot of customers but that’s all changed now. I hope the pandemic won’t last for much longer,” Ms Bountheuay said.
Now that there are trains running between Vientiane and Luang Namtha province, more Lao people are coming to Luang Prabang and tourism is on the upswing.
But villages like Xang Hai that are some distance from the provincial capital are still largely abandoned. 
At the beginning of this month, the government designated certain areas as Green Travel Zones where foreign tourists may travel, but visitors have been slow to return and challenges remain in reviving Laos’ once thriving tourism industry.

By Patithin Phetmeuangphuan
(Latest Update February 4, 2022)