Viengthong District, Houaphanh

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Viengthong District is a district (muang) of Houaphanh Province in northeastern Laos.^[1] It is the gateway to the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (NPA), which is home to a number of endangered species including tigers. The park headquarters is in the town.

History[]

Before the Laotian Civil War, Viengthong District was under the same jurisdiction as Pak Seng District, Luang Prabang Province, and was a Buddhist settlement called Muang Hiem, which means 'beware of the tiger', alluding to tiger attacks in the area.

There was a temple called Vat Hiem on a nearby hill where the district government administration building sits today, but this was destroyed by US bombing during the Laotian Civil War. The only remnants are a stupa and an unexploded bomb lodged deep in the ground, deemed not to be dangerous.^[2]

References[]