Nong Het Explained

Official Name:Nong Het
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Laos
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Xiangkhouang
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Nong Het
Timezone:Laos Standard Time
Utc Offset:+07:00
Coordinates:19.4956°N 103.9869°W
Blank Info:Cwb

Nong Het, also Nong Haet, Nonghet, Muang Nonghet or Nonghed, is a market town in Xiangkhouang Province in northeastern Laos, located about from the border with Vietnam. It is the principal town of Nong Het District. It is located along Route 7, east of Phonsavan, along the road which passes through Muang Kham and Ban Na Sala on the way to Nong Haet.[1] Bus companies operating in the area have increased to cater for tourists.[2] The population is primarily Hmong peoples.[3]

History

Nong Het has a turbulent history of battles between the Ly and Moua warriors, Red Laotians and the Hmong. The Red Laotians once invaded, tying up local leaders and robbing the wealthy of the town.[4] Historically, two Hmong families have shared power in Nong Het, the Lo clan and the Ly clan.[5] In 1917, the French appointed Lo Bliayao of the Lo clan as chief of Non Het.[6]

The strategical position of Nong Het meant that it was an "important resupply and transshipment point" during the Indochinese and Vietnam War, and contained "approximately a dozen NVA warehouses".[7] French colonial leader Doussineau was based at Nong Het during the Japanese invasion.[8] Faydang, son of Lo Bliayao, moved his base from Xiengkhouang to Nong Het in 1961.[9] The Vietnamese built a -long road from Muong Xen to Nong Het to ease the transportation of Communist units to the Hmong base camp.[10] The town also produced some notable Hmong leaders including Touby Lyfoung and General Vang Pao.[11] Opium production is not uncommon in Nong Het district.

Vàng kham nong het

Notes and References

  1. Book: Burke. Andrew. Vaisutis. Justine. Laos. registration. 21 July 2012. 1 August 2007. Lonely Planet. 978-1-74104-568-0. 171.
  2. Book: Ray. Nick. Dragicevich. Peter. Louis. Regis St.. Vietnam. registration. 21 July 2012. 1 August 2007. Lonely Planet. 978-1-74104-306-8. 195.
  3. Book: Smalley. William Allen. Vang. Chia Koua. Yang. Gnia Yee. Mother of Writing: The Origin and Development of a Hmong Messianic Script. registration. 21 July 2012. 15 May 1990. University of Chicago Press. 978-0-226-76286-9. 87.
  4. Book: Chan, Sucheng. Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America. 21 July 2012. 27 April 1994. Temple University Press. 978-1-56639-163-4. 23.
  5. Book: Evans, Grant. The last century of Lao royalty: a documentary history. 21 July 2012. 2009. Silkworm Books. 978-974-9511-66-4. 262.
  6. Book: Lee. Gary Y.. Tapp. Nicholas. Culture and Customs of the Hmong. 21 July 2012. October 2010. ABC-CLIO. 978-0-313-34527-2. 13.
  7. Book: Webb, Billy G.. Secret War. 21 July 2012. 13 September 2010. Xlibris Corporation. 978-1-4535-6484-4. 168.
  8. Book: Quincy, Keith. Harvesting Pa Chay's wheat: the Hmong and America's secret war in Laos. 21 July 2012. 2000. Eastern Washington University Press. 978-0-910055-60-4. 67.
  9. Book: Michaud, Jean. Historical Dictionary of the Peoples of the Southeast Asian Massif. 21 July 2012. 2006. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-5466-6. 88.
  10. Book: Moyar, Mark. Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954-1965. 21 July 2012. 28 August 2006. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-86911-9. 118.
  11. Book: Mote, Sue Murphy. Hmong and American: Stories of Transition to a Strange Land. registration. 21 July 2012. 2004. McFarland. 978-0-7864-1832-9. 119.