Phou Bia (
Lao: ພູເບັ້ຍ) is the highest
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
in
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
. It is in the
Annamese Cordillera
The Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains (french: Chaîne annamitique; lo, ພູ ຫລວງ ''Phou Luang''; vi, Dãy (núi) Trường Sơn) is a major mountain range of eastern Indochina, extending approximately through Laos, Vietnam ...
, at the southern limit of the
Xiangkhoang Plateau
The Xiang Khouang Plateau or Xiang Khwang Plateau, also known in French as Plateau dTran-Ninh'' is a plateau in the north of Laos. The landscape is characterized by green mountains, rugged karst formations and verdant valleys with plenty of rivers, ...
in
Xiangkhouang Province
Xiangkhouang ( Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ, meaning 'Horizontal City') is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed place on Earth.
The province ...
. Owing to its elevation—2,819 m (9,249 ft), the highest terrestrial point in Laos, the climate is cold and the area around the mountain is mostly cloudy.
History
Although no snow has been reported for decades, it is claimed that as late as the first years of the 20th century, snow fell occasionally on its summit.
On 10 April 1970, an
Air America C-130A
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
aircraft crashed into the mountain.
The area is remote, covered with jungle, and has been used by
Hmong
Hmong may refer to:
* Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand
* Hmong cuisine
* Hmong customs and culture
** Hmong music
** Hmong textile art
* Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...
guerilla soldiers. In the 1970s, c. 60,000 Hmong supporting
FAC operations took refuge at the Phou Bia massif. There have been reports of smaller Hmong hideouts in the area as recently as 2006.
Phou Bia rises in a restricted military area near the abandoned
Long Chen air base, and for this reason sees few outside visitors.
Unexploded ordnance further complicates access. As of July 2008, there had been no known ascent by a non-Lao person for at least 30 years.
In 2021,
Xaisomboun Province officials announced the development of Phou Bia Mountain as a "sustainable development tourism site", valued at some US$500 million. The development will center on Phou Houa Xang Village, in
Anouvong District, Xaisomboun, under a 99 year concession.
See also
*
List of mountains in Laos
This is a list of mountains in Laos.
* Phou Bia, 2,817 m.
* Phu Xai Lai Leng
Phu Xai Lai Leng is a mountain of the Annamite Range in Southeast Asia. It is 2720 metres tall and sits on the international border between Laos and Vietnam. It is ...
*
List of Southeast Asian mountains
The following is a list of some of the mountains of Southeast Asia.
List of highest mountains
See also
*List of highest mountains
*List of highest mountains of New Guinea
*List of islands by highest point
*List of ribus (summits in Indonesia w ...
References
External links
Map of Laos (physical)
{{Highest points of Asia
Mountains of Laos
Geography of Xiangkhouang province
Highest points of countries