Laos Phongsali Province

Phongsali is the capital of Phongsali Province, Laos. The town has pleasant summer temperatures, but it has frequent rain. In winter from November to March it is, however, fairly cool, but still mostly sunny. In the center of the town are houses built in Yunnanese style with ornate wooden fronts. This is quite rare as the preserved city was not destroyed like other cities in northern Laos during the Vietnam War by bombing. A 400-year-old tea plantation is nearby in the village of Ban Komaen, which according to some tea experts has some of the oldest tea trees in the world. The large root system of the old trees extends deep into the mineral-rich soil and gives the "Phongsali tea" a distinct aroma and taste.