UXO Laos Visitor Center, Luang Prabang

The UXO Laos Visitor Center in Luang Prabang is a must-visit educational center for those interested in learning about the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its impact on the people of Laos. The center showcases the problems caused by the unexploded bombs and mines that were left behind by the US Armed Forces after the war ended.

During the Vietnam War, the US Armed Forces dropped an estimated 200 million tons of explosive devices in Laos as part of a bombing campaign to stop the forces of the Communist Viet Cong and the People’s Army of Vietnam from using Laos as a staging post for its attacks on South Vietnam. Shockingly, around 40% of these bombs failed to explode on impact, leaving a deadly legacy that still affects the people of Laos today.

The UXO Laos Visitor Center highlights the courageous work of the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) in clearing this dangerous ordnance. The program was established in 1996 to rid Laos of its unexploded ordnance, and to date, an estimated 1% of potentially still live bombs have been cleared.

The center is also the headquarters of the effort to clear unexploded ordnance in the Luang Prabang area. The team has removed over 38,000 unexploded devices between 1996 and 2017, but there are still many areas in the region that the team hasn't yet surveyed. The clearance program is extremely dangerous, and the Luang Prabang chapter of the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme has lost 84 team members, with a further 95 people suffering life-changing injuries in the course of their work from 1996 to 2017.

When you visit the center, you'll learn about the tragic toll that the unexploded bombs have taken on the people of Laos, particularly in places like the Plain of Jars, which are still uninhabitable more than 40 years after the end of the bombing campaign. The center is an important reminder of the legacy of war and the importance of working towards peace.