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Xépôn (also known as ''Tchepone'' and ''Sepon''), is a village in the Seponh District of Savannakhet Province, Laos. It was approximately east of the intersection of the Sepon River and the Banghiang River. It was the target of
Operation Lam Son 719 Operation Lam Son 719 or 9th Route – Southern Laos Campaign ( vi, Chiến dịch Lam Sơn 719 or Chiến dịch đường 9 – Nam Lào) was a limited-objective offensive campaign conducted in the southeastern portion of the Kingdom of Laos. T ...
in 1971, an attempt by the armed forces of South Vietnam and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The village now known as Old Xépôn (''Xépôn Kao'' in Lao) was destroyed. In the 1990s, gold mining began at the site, helping to create Lao's largest private industry. Expansion of mining in the area has dislocated indigenous villages around Old Xépôn.Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. ''Indigenous Women in Southeast Asia: Challenges in Their Access to Justice.'' Chiang Mai, Thailand: March 2013.
Accessed 2013-12-16.


Geography

Xépôn was on the north bank of the Sepon River at an elevation of .Collins, p. 373. The countryside is mountainous, broken, and covered in subtropical forest. Average rainfall each year is . In the rainy season (July to September), rainfall could be a month. The Sepon River runs in a trough between two natural, high ridges. The trough itself is only wide. This geologic feature begins just west of the town of Khe Sanh in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
. The northern ridge ends near Xépôn, while the southern ridge continues for another . A shallow bowl forms between the ridges (permitting north-south traffic out of the valley) near the Laotian town of Ban Dong. The southern ridge turns southwest (followed by Route 9 on the north side and the Banghiang River on the south side), and ends near the town of Mường Phìn. However, the best break in these ridges occurred at Xépôn, where land traffic could move east, southeast, and southwest.Collins, p. 371.


History

Human occupation of Xépôn goes back at least 2,000 years. There is evidence of a large copper mining complex, with some shafts up to deep, in the area around the village.Higham, p. 184. Human burial sites from the same period are also located near these ancient copper mines, making them (as archeologist Charles Higham concludes) one of the most important burial sites in all of Southeast Asia. Xépôn was most likely settled in the 1500s by settlers from the Muong Thanh Valley in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
. During the period when
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
ruled Laos as a colony, the French constructed Route 9. Opened about 1930, Route 9 ran from the major city of
Savannakhet Savannakhet (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane ( lo, ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ; th, ไกสอน พมวิหาน) since 2005 and previously known as ''Khanthaboury'' (ຄັນທະ ...
on the Thai-Laotian border in the west across the entire country to the border with Vietnam in the east. It met National Route 9, a major Vietnamese highway, at the border.Collins, p. 372. Just a few meters upriver from where the Sepon and Banghiang rivers met, Route 9 crossed the Banghiang. The bridge here had three spans, and could accommodate much traffic. Xépôn also played a role in anti-colonial movements in Laos. In the aftermath of World War II, a Laotian independence movement, the
Lao Issara The Lao Issara ( lo, ລາວອິດສະລະ ) was an anti-French, nationalist movement formed on 12 October 1945 by Prince Phetsarath. This short-lived movement emerged after the Japanese defeat in World War II and became the government ...
, formed to seek national independence. Thao Ō Anourack, a native of Xépôn, was appointed commander of all Lao Issara forces in the district. Initially successful, French forces seized the capital of
Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...
by April 1946. Most of the Lao Issara fled to
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. In September 1946, however, several Laotian leaders met in the Vietnamese city of
Vinh Vinh () is the biggest city and economic and cultural center of north-central Vietnam. Vinh is the capital of Nghệ An Province, and is a key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The city is ...
and, with the sponsorship of the
Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fr ...
movement, formed the Committee for Lao Resistance in the East to carry on the fight for independence. Thao Ō Anurak was one of the founding members of the committee. Due to its location near the ridge breaks and two major rivers, the village of Xépôn is estimated to have had about 1,500 inhabitants in 1960. Just five years later, half of the residents had fled due to war.


Air base

During the 1950s, the French military built a military airfield near Xépôn. The airfield was located about northwest of the village on the south bank of the Nam Se Kok River. At in length, the dirt airstrip was the largest in Savannakhet Province, and the second largest airfield of any in the nearby South Vietnamese provinces. The
Royal Lao Army The Royal Lao Army (french: Armée royale du Laos – ARL), also designated by its anglicized title RLA, was the Land Component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Kingdom of Laos during the North Vietnamese invasi ...
ceased defending the airfield in 1961, and it fell into North Vietnamese hands. Xépôn proved to be a critical point on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The trail was a series of supply routes along through Laos which
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
used to supply forces of both the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the
Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...
guerrilla forces, both of which were operating in South Vietnam. Route 9 provided a quick way to move supplies east. The light Vietnamese trucks could also cross the Banghiang River at Xépôn which, although across was just deep most of the year, and then travel further south. This made Xépôn the choke point for almost all motorized traffic passing through Mu Gia Pass, the main Ho Chi Minh Trail entry point into Laos. Only Route 23, which led south from Mường Phìn, provided a good alternative.Collins, p. 378. The North Vietnamese invested Xépôn in December 1958, and built a large, heavily defended military base there to defend the area.


Operation Lam Son 719

U.S. officials believed that Xépôn was abandoned by 1970. In 1971, Xépôn was the focus of Operation Lam Son 719.Nguyen and Dommen, p. 252. On 8 February, I Corps of the
Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. It is estimated to have suffe ...
(ARVN)—supported by long-range artillery, bombers, and helicopters provided by the U.S. armed forces—invaded Laos. The objective was Xépôn, where the air base was to be made operational. The goal was to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail for three months. The operation was a complete failure. Instead of attacking at the end of the rainy season (when North Vietnamese troops would be very under supplied), the attack began three months later, long after their supplies had been replenished. I Corps officers, many of whom were suspected of North Vietnamese sympathies, were told of the operation at the last minute. Press reports of the operation leaked almost as soon as the attack began, alerting North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces. Logistical planning by the South Vietnamese and the U.S. was poor. Nearly 8,000 ARVN troops were lost, and more than 100 U.S. helicopters. Nearly US$1 million in military equipment was abandoned as ARVN forces fled Laos in a near-rout on 24 March. It is not clear whether Xépôn was still occupied by the North Vietnamese troops at the time. U.S. officials reported large quantities of food, ammunition, and other supplies cached in and around Xépôn, and that ARVN troops and U.S. aircraft destroyed them. But other reports indicate that, while supply caches were destroyed, Xépôn had already been abandoned by the North Vietnamese in favor of other routes. Operation Lam Son 719 destroyed Xépôn and left it deserted.


Modern Xépôn

During the Laotian Civil War, the
Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
captured Xépôn in early May 1975. The Pathet Lao toppled the constitutional monarchy of Laos on December 2, 1975. In the years after the new government took power, a new town using the name Xépôn was built on the site of the old French airfield. By 1998, the new town had a population of about 35,600. The site of Old Xépôn (Xépôn Kao in Laotian) has few remains. A new temple was constructed on the site of the town wat, and a safe and pile of bricks marks the town's former bank. Gold was discovered near Xépôn by Conzinc Riotinto of Australia/
Rio Tinto Group Rio Tinto Group is an Anglo-Australian multinational company that is the world's second-largest metals and mining corporation (behind BHP). The company was founded in 1873 when of a group of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tint ...
in 1993. More gold deposits were identified by Oxiana in 2000. Known gold deposits total of gold. Industrial gold mining began in late December 2002. Extensive copper deposits were discovered north of Xépôn in 2000. Construction of a large copper mine, the most technologically advanced in Asia, began in 2003. Copper production began in 2005. These mines produced of copper, of gold, and of silver in 2009. The same year, the company Lane Xang Minerals Limited began a US$60.4 million expansion of the copper mine designed to raise yearly production to . As of 2010, the copper and gold mine at Xépôn was Laos' largest private business, and its largest private employer.Chandrasekaran, p. 256. Fourteen villages directly within the core mine zone had been relocated. About seventy more villages are within the mine concession but these had not yet been asked to move. Communities impacted by the Sepon mine include Makong, Tri (Try), Kri and Lao Loum, the dominant ethnic Lao. Although many of the communities have not been asked to relocate,
water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Wate ...
and
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban area, urban ...
forced many to leave their villages. Some resettled at the mine resettlement site.


References


Sources

*Burke, Andrew; Vaisutis, Justine; and Cummings, Joe. ''Laos.'' London: Lonely Planet, 2007. *Chandrasekaran, V.C. ''Rubber as a Construction Material for Corrosion Protection: A Comprehensive Guide for Process Equipment Designers.'' Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. *Cheesman, Patricia. "The Spirit Skirts of the Lao-Tai Peoples in Laos." In ''The Secrets of Southeast Asian Textiles: Myth, Status, and the Supernatural.'' Jane Puranananda, ed. Bangkok: James H. W. Thompson Foundation, 2007. *Collins, John M. ''Military Geography for Professionals and the Public.'' Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press, 1998. *Cummings, Joe. ''Laos.'' London: Lonely Planet, 1998. *Fong-Sam, Yolanda. "The Mineral Industry of Laos." In ''Minerals Yearbook. Volume III, Area Reports, International 2009, Asia and the Pacific.'' Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 2011. *Higham, Charles. "Southeast Asia." In ''The Oxford Companion to Archaeology.'' Neil Asher Silberman, Alexander A. Bauer, et al., eds. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. *"LAM SON 719, Operation." In ''Vietnam War: The Essential Reference Guide.'' James H. Willbanks, ed. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2013. *Miller, John Grider. ''The Co-Vans: US Marine Advisors in Vietnam.'' Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2000. *Nguyen, Phu Duc and Dommen, Arthur J. ''The Viet-Nam Peace Negotiations: Saigon's Side of the Story.'' Christiansburg, Va.: Dalley Book Service, 2005. * Perlstein, Rick. '' Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010. *Phraxayavong, Viliam. ''History of Aid to Laos: Motivations and Impacts.'' Chiang Mai, Thailand: Mekong Press, 2009. *Savada, Andrea Matles. ''Laos: A Country Study.'' Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1995. *Stuart-Fox, Martin. ''A History of Laos.'' Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1997. *Van Atta, Dale. ''With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics.'' Madison WI.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Xepon Populated places in Savannakhet Province Campaigns of the Vietnam War Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1971 Military history of Laos