Paper and Silk at Ban Xang Khong

A village just north of town where families make paper from mulberry bark, dry it in the sun on bamboo frames, and weave silk in their workshops.

Area

Villages & crafts

Start from

Luang Prabang old town

Distance

about 4 km by road

Time needed

half a day

Best season

November – April is best for drying paper in the sun

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Bicycle, scooter or tuk-tuk

Tickets & rules

None

Why go

Ban Xang Khong is a single long street of workshops, and the first thing you notice are the frames: dozens of wooden rectangles propped up in the sun, each holding a wet sheet of handmade paper, some with flower petals and leaves pressed into them.

It is a lovely place to see the whole process, from the pulp of mulberry bark being beaten and soaked to the final sheets being peeled off and stacked. Many families are happy to show you, and some will let you try making a sheet yourself.

The village also has silk and cotton weavers, so it makes a natural companion to Ban Phanom, and the ride there is short and flat.

The story

The paper is called saa, made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree. The bark is soaked, boiled, beaten to a pulp and floated in water; the papermaker then lifts the pulp with a frame covered with fine cloth, lets it drain and leaves it in the sun to dry. Petals, leaves and threads are scattered on the wet sheet to make decorative paper.

Traditionally, saa paper was used for religious manuscripts, festival decorations, lanterns and umbrellas. Today, much of it goes into notebooks, cards and lampshades for the tourist trade, but the method is essentially unchanged.

The name Xang Khong suggests a village of craftsmen; xang means artisan in Lao, and many of the villages around Luang Prabang are named after the crafts they once supplied to the royal town, from jar makers to silversmiths.

As the town grew, some of these villages lost their old trades, while others found new life in tourism. Ban Xang Khong is a good example of a craft that survived because it found a new market, and of families who still balance farming, workshop and shop.

Getting there

The village lies a few kilometres north-east of the old town, past the old Nam Khan bridge and along the road towards the north. It is an easy bicycle ride on mostly flat roads.

Some tuk-tuk drivers combine it with a visit to Ban Phanom; agree the route and price first.

A suggested plan

1. 9:00Ride out of town over the Nam Khan.
2. 9:30Walk the main street, watching papermaking and weaving.
3. 10:30Try making a sheet of paper or buy notebooks and cards.
4. 11:30Ride back to town for lunch.
5. AfternoonCombine with Ban Phanom or a rest by the river.

Where to stay

Stay in the old town; this is an easy half-day trip.

Good to know

• Sunny mornings are best to see the paper drying in quantity; on overcast days fewer frames are set out and work moves indoors.
• Look at the looms too: the weaving workshops at the far end of the street are often quieter than the paper shops near the road, and the weavers are glad to explain the patterns.
• Handmade paper is light and makes an easy gift to carry home.
• Carry small kip notes for purchases.