Xaisomboun (also Saysomboun, ) was a special zone (khetphiset) of Laos, located in the north of the country, near the capital Vientiane. The special zone was created 1994 by the military, with area split off from the provinces Vientiane and Xiangkhoang, in order to control and suppress the postwar Hmong resistance. It was officially dissolved on January 13, 2006, although the term continues to be used.

Geography

The special zone of Xaisomboun is in a mountainous region south of the Plain of Jars. It contains the tallest mountain in Laos, Phou Bia, and the protected area Phou Khao Khouay.

Military control

The area of the special zone of Xaisomboun was once controlled by the Hmong "Secret Army" and included the military bases Long Tieng and Sam Thong; today it is controlled by the Lao People's Army (LPA), which have put pressure on Hmong insurgents. Into 2016, the Laotian government continued to deny access to officials from the European Union and the United Nations, despite reports of killings by the military, including killings using chemical weapons. In 2021, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) condemned the treatment and military violence against the ChoaFa people living in the special zone of Xaisomboun, as well as "intimidation, harassment and persecution of human rights defenders, journalists, and members of minority communities through arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances".

Administrative divisions

The province was originally made up of the following districts:

History