South East Asian Trips

This is situated to the Northwestern part of the country in the Golden Triangle area sharing borders with Thailand and Myanmar. The town is an important trade area and for transportation. It is also famous for precious gem stones and sapphire, rubies and gold mining.

Huay Xai (also Houayxay) is the capital of the Laos province of Bokèo. It lies on the banks of the Mekong river, which forms the border to Thailand. More or less a transport stop-over, there is not much to see in the small town. The immigration office is just a few metres from the ferry on the right and issues 15-day Visa-on-Arrival (a passport-sized photo needed). There's a small bank office offering change for cash and travellers' cheques just right of the immigration. Most guesthouses and restaurants in town deal in baht, kip and US dollars at decent rates. There is no way to get a cash advance in this town. There are now numerous (slow) "high-speed" Internet cafés in town. See sunset over the Mekong River from a riverside restaurant. See the view from the temple tower at the top of the hill on the main street, near the border crossing.