BsE is located on the Mekong River, in the village of Khonekeo, Houay Xai District, Bokeo Province in the People's Democratic Republic of Lao just opposite Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai, Thailand, some 1,000 kilometers from the capital Vientiane. Houay Xay is mostly known among travelers as a transit between Laos and Thailand, or a slow boat trip away from the ancient capital of Laos and UNESCO World Heritage City Luang Prabang. Less is known, however, about the city itself and the province of Bokeo.

How to Get There

From Thailand:
Bangkok - Chiang Rai by air (1.5 hours) à Chiang Rai - Chiang Khong/Houay Xay (2 hours, daily buses)

Bangkok (from Morchit bus station) - Chiang Khong/Houay Xay (12 hours, daily night buses)

Chiang Mai - Chiang Khong/Houay Xay (5 hours)

From China:
Overland international border crossing at Mo Han/Boten—> Luang Namtha—> Houay Xay (total: 230 km, daily buses)

From within Laos:
From Vientiane: daily buses (total: 827km, 24 hours); flight (one hour, 3 times/week)

From Luang Prabang: buses (15 hours); daily Speedboats (6 hours), slowboats 2 days with overnight in Pak Beng.

Bokeo Province in northern Laos covers an area of 6.196 Km2 and borders Myanmar and Thailand on the Mekong River. The economy is agricultural-based with a high proportion of subsistence farming. Rich natural resources exist throughout the vast forests of the Province. Such resources and local agro/bio-diversity are yet to be efficiently utilized or correctly managed. Often, local produce, cash crops and NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Products) are exported as unfinished commodities as local processing facilities are not available. Subsequently, they are re-imported as high-value processed food to Lao consumers. This applies to most of the local produce including maize, sugarcane, ginger, peanut, bamboo, and wild tea leaves.

Located in the northwest of landlocked Laos and bordering Thailand and Myanmar, Bokeo is mountainous with 90% of the Province 500m above sea level. It is home to a population of 146,124(2007), with a density of 23.6 inhabitants per km2. 34 ethnic groups inhabit the Province, making it the second most ethnically diverse province in Laos. A few plains along the Mekong flood plain offer good potential for paddy cultivation, however, most upland agriculture still features shifting cultivation and subsistence farming. With half of upland families living below the poverty line, rural development in Bokeo generally suffers from remoteness, inaccessibility to markets and poor infrastructure.

It is also strategically located in the center of the Economic Quadrangle (Thailand, Myanmar, China and Laos) as well as the North-South Corridor (overland connection between southwestern China and Southeast Asia). A bridge connecting Houay Xay and Chiang Khong in Thailand is planned to be completed by 2011. This is likely to bring dramatic social, economic and cultural changes to the area.

BsE is looking grasp this opportunity of change and be part of a local effort to transform Houay Xay from a transit town to a tourist destination, offering information and resources on the rich culture and potential of Laos and engaging its ethnically-diverse local community to be part of this opportunity.