Houayxay

District & municipality in Bokeo Province, Laos

Houayxay 20°15′47″N 100°26′1″E / 20.26306°N 100.43361°E / 20.26306; 100.43361
Country	Laos
Admin. division	Bokeo Province
Elevation	398 m (1,306 ft)
Population (2015)^[1]
• Total	70,200
• Religions	Buddhism
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
Climate	Aw

Houayxay (Lao: ຫ້ວຍຊາຍ, pronounced [hȕa̯j sáːj]) (also Huoeisay, Houei Sai or Huay Xai), is a district in Bokeo Province, Laos, on the border with Thailand. Ban Houayxay is the administrative centre of the district.

The town lies on the Mekong River opposite Chiang Khong in Thailand. The Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge at Ban Houayxay, which opened in December 2013 and replaced ferry service across the river, is now the northernmost road border crossing between the two countries. Asian Highway 3, which runs through Ban Houayxay, extends north to Yunnan Province of China and south to Chiang Rai Province of Thailand.

Houayxay has a domestic airport (HOE) with regular flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang (depending on the season).

The town is the starting point for many boats (speed and slow boats, freighters, luxury cruisers for tourists and others) on the Mekong River to Pakbeng, Luang Prabang and other destinations.^[2]

Houayxay is also home to the Gibbon Experience,^[3] another highlight for tourists. It is a series of ziplines and treehouses providing a unique overnight experience.^[4]

Fort Carnot, an ancient French fort in ruins, sits on a hill overlooking the town and the Mekong River.

Town centre
Stairs to the hill of the temple
Vat Chom Khao Manilat
Border crossing to Thailand

Climate

Climate data for Houayxay (1990–2019)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28.3 (82.9)	31.0 (87.8)	33.5 (92.3)	34.2 (93.6)	32.6 (90.7)	31.8 (89.2)	30.5 (86.9)	30.5 (86.9)	31.1 (88.0)	30.8 (87.4)	29.3 (84.7)	27.3 (81.1)	30.9 (87.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	14.6 (58.3)	15.6 (60.1)	18.3 (64.9)	21.2 (70.2)	22.7 (72.9)	23.6 (74.5)	23.4 (74.1)	23.2 (73.8)	22.7 (72.9)	21.1 (70.0)	18.1 (64.6)	15.5 (59.9)	20.0 (68.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	23 (0.9)	19 (0.7)	43 (1.7)	112 (4.4)	226 (8.9)	207 (8.1)	395 (15.6)	412 (16.2)	249 (9.8)	109 (4.3)	50 (2.0)	23 (0.9)	1,868 (73.5)
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations^[5]

References

^ "Results of Population and Housing Census 2015" (PDF). Lao Statistics Bureau. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
^ "Slow Boat To Luang Prabang, Laos: How To Survive! 2023". www.backpackerswanderlust.com. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ "Home". Gibbon Experience. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ "Treehouses on top of the world: Zip-lining to lodgings in Laos". Washington Post. 12 April 2023. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ "Climatology and agroclimatology atlas of the Lao People's Democratic Republic" (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.