Viengthong is a district

Districts of Laos

Laos is divided into 16 provinces and 1 prefecture plus capital city municipality . Furthermore, 1 so-called special administrative zone existed between 1994 and 2006, when it was re-merged into its surrounding provinces...

 (muang) of Houaphanh Province in north-eastern Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

.. It is the gatway for the Nam Et-Phou Louey

Nam Et-Phou Louey

Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area is a national park in northern Laos, covering 5,959 km2 in three provinces - Houaphan, Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang....

 National Protected Area (NPA), which is home to a number of endangered species including tiger

Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

. The park headquarters are located in the town.

History

Before the Laotian Civil War, Viengthong District was under the same jurisdiction as Pak Xeng District, Luang Prabang Province and
was a Buddhist settlement called Muang Hiem, which means "beware of the tiger", alluding to tiger attacks in the area.

There was a temple called Vat Hiem on a nearby hill where the district government administration building sits today, but this was destroyed by American bombing during the Laotian Civil War. The only remnants are a stupa and an unexploded bomb lodged deep inside the
earth, deemed not to be dangerous.

Sights and activities

There is an early morning market visited by villagers from outside the town. It's speciality is bamboo shoots. A short walk or cycle from the town there are some hot springs, with some Khmu villages nearby. There are also cycle rides to the Nam Khan River and a wooden Budhist temple in Poung Hai village.