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TravelTips24 : Asia : Southeast Asia : Laos : Muang Xay

Muang Xay

Muang Xay also known as Oudomxay, the capital of the multiethnic province of Oudomxay, located in the Nam Ko River Basin and surrounded by scenic mountains.

The town is formed by small villages at an important intersection between China and Vietnam, and the city has a get a unique multicultural atmosphere.

Culture and History

A free city map can be obtained in the bus station, with basic information and "things to do".

Unfortunately the multiethnic culture of the city , made some businesses have different prices and menu for Western tourist, the best thing to do when you get to a place like this (when you get a menu with amazingly high prices, though not as high as in Vang Vieng) is to nicely walk away since the price might not really be a problem but the quality of the food you'll get probably will be (make sure the carrot your eating is not a chili pepper since some places might throw whole ones into your food).

Travel to Muang Xay & Visa Requirements

Buses to Muang Xay

Buses from/to Luang Namtha cost 28,000 kip takes up to 3.5 hours. Departures from Muang Xay are at 08:30, 11:30 and 15:00.

Muang Xay attractions and sightseeing

Muang Xay city tours

The local Provincial Tourist Office (in Oudomxay City, or Muang Xay) has been offering since November 2006 some very nice hiking including nightstays in khamu family houses (not guest houses, as in other more touristy hike places, which makes the experience very special and intimate). Although not as colorful as other ethnic groups of Laos, the khamu people are very nice and happy to have foreigners visiting their villages.

Muang Xay souvenirs & shopping

There are three banks and one post office offering change for cash and travellers' cheques, BECL , about 1 km north of the bus station change travellers for 3% commission (minimum of US$3). It might be worth checking Lao Development Bank (which might offer a better value).

Muang Xay Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

  • Sinphet restaurant (700m north of the bus just after the second gas station) has a restaurant offering good food for reasonable prices. The lady owner named Ah Sin is very friendly and her husband is well verse in English, Mandarin and French.
  • Just 10m north of the Sinphet restaurant there is a really good soup shop owned by a friendly (though not smiling) local guy offering meat and vegetarian noodle soups (vegetarian soup for 5000 kip).
  • Just about 1 km from the bus station (road to Luang Namtha), there is one steamboat restaurant offering good Lao's style Korean BBQ.

Muang Xay cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

There are a number of decent guesthouses in town. Basic rooms with showers and hot water should cost around 30,000 kip.

  • Phanmixay Guesthouse - inside the bus station compound. Has clean and nice rooms. US$4 for a double room with shower, hot water and cable TV).

Cope

The town has two laundromats (one just a few meters south of the bus station) which charge per item which makes the service very expensive.

Contact

There are two Internet shops in the city (one located in the bus station), both charging 400 kip/minute.

Get out

  • There is a province bus station here in the town offering many bus services to Luang Prabang, Pak Beng, Meuang La, Phongsaly, Vientiane.
  • Beside that, just opposite the Sinphet restaurant, there are international bus from China plying the route from Kunming to Luang Prabang and Luang Prabang to Kunming. Time is around 12.00 p.m. The international bus will stop around 15 minutes for lunch at the Chinese restaurant just opposite Sinphet restaurant.

This page was last edited at 14:09, on 10 August 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Marc Paquette, Wikitravel user(s) Episteme and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.

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