This undated photo shows visitors at the The Plain of Jars in Xieng Khuanag province, Laos. (PHOTO / VIENTIANE TIMES)

VIENTIANE - The spotlight is now squarely on Xieng Khuang province and this quiet region of Laos is set to become a top visitor attraction after the Plain of Jars was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO last July.

This has raised the province’s status and people are proud of the fact.

Lao officials spent 20 years working on the application for the Plain of Jars, known locally known as Thong Hai Hin, to be declared a World Heritage Site and last year, they were finally rewarded for their efforts.

Now everyone’s attention is on Xieng Khuang province as next month the National Games will take place there from March 22 to April 1, when a special ceremony will also be conducted to celebrate Thong Hai Hin’s inscription on the list of world heritage sites.

Lao officials spent 20 years working on the application for the Plain of Jars to be declared a World Heritage Site and last year, they were finally rewarded for their efforts

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This means the province will do double duty as host of the National Games and guardian of the Plain of Jars, and is preparing to accommodate thousands of visitors.

Folks should start making travel plans now because the football tournament gets going before the games’ opening ceremony.

Hopes are high that Xieng Khuang will receive more overseas tourists wanting to view the giant ancient stone jars which are believed to be about 2,500 years old.

When asked about what arrangements were being made to cope with the influx of visitors and whether transport would be provided to take people to the jar sites, of which there are several, Khamphat Chanthavong, a provincial official, said: “We won’t have any special vehicles to take people to the jar sites. However, the ceremony to celebrate their inscription will be held at the Thong Hai Hin Site No. 1”.

He believed that transport would not be a problem because private business operators would have enough vehicles available, while local people would have their own transport. He did, however, predict a fair amount of congestion.

Thong Hai Hin comprises about 80 distinct sites but only 11 fall within the officially recognized World Heritage Site as these have the highest concentration of stone jars. Similar vessels can be found in Phoukhoun district of Luang Prabang province, which borders Xieng Khuang.

READ MORE: Lao stone jars preserve centuries old secrets

Those sites that are not part of the UNESCO-recognized heritage site have no road access, but some can be reached on foot.

Three sites in particular are popular with visitors. The first is 15 km southwest of Phonsavanh in Paek district, and has about 300 jars. The second site is 25 km south of Phonsavanh and contains about 90 jars spread over two hills. The third site is 35 km southeast of Phonsavanh and has about 150 jars.

The mysterious structures were carved from sandstone and granite, and their size ranges from very small to about 3.5 meters high.

The UNESCO inscription brings the number of world heritage sites in Laos to three. The old quarter of Luang Prabang was listed in 1995 and Vat Phou (meaning mountain temple) in Champassak province was inscribed in 2001. These two places are the country’s iconic tourist attractions, luring numerous visitors.

Xieng Khuang province was once known as the land of unexploded ordnance because of the huge number of cluster bombs dropped by US warplanes during the Indochina War of 1964-1973 but, as memories of the war fade, the Plain of Jars is rapidly becoming the province’s major point of interest.