The Vietnam War

This province assumed intense military strategic importance during the Indochinese military actions (commonly known as the Vietnam War) in the 1960s and 1970s. Across the territory of Laos – which was, at least officially, a neutral country in the conflict – ran the so-called Ho Chi Minh Trail. Running through the jungle on a criss-crossed network of parallel paths and roads, and bypassing the demilitarised zone, the Ho Chi Minh trail transported shipments of military aid from the Communists of North Vietnam to their partisan allies operating undercover in pro-American South Vietnam. The United States deployed saturation aerial bombardment of the ‘Ho Chi Minh trail’ in attempts to halt the supply of troops and weapons to their enemies. 

In many locations the results of this bombing can still be seen even today. In many areas the unexploded ordnance which was dropped has never been cleared. 

Over an eight year period, American warplanes dropped 6.7 million tons of bombs – of which 3 million tons fell on Laos.