Ban Keun salt-making site

There are several legends and tales about salt and its origins, like most of them about love, monsters from the deep ground, and ancient majesty. Generally, people consider salt is linked to their life and death. In Ban Keun, the salt is made traditionally with the supports of simple tools. Firstly, the water is pumped from below the ground into tanks which are heated by woods in about at least 2 or 3 hours. When evaporating, it leaves the salt in the tanks and people collect it into baskets weighing 75 – 80 kilograms. After that, they leave the salt to dry for another 24 hours before packaging to be sold throughout the country. During the hard process, the women play an important role in controlling the heat and stirring the salt tanks. Traveling to Ban Keun, the small admission fee that you pay and buying salt helps the local people to improve their living conditions.

The most convenient way to reach the Ban Keun salt-making site is using a private car from Vientiane which takes around 75 mins driving. The two famous UNESCO World Heritage sites nearby Ban Keun are the Ban Chiang Archaeological Site (in Thailand) and the stunning town of Luang Prabang. From Ban Keun, it is easy to go further to explore other destinations such as Muang Phon-Hong, Si Chiang Mai, Sangkhom, and Nong Khai.