History
The province was created in 1976, when it was split off from Luang Prabang. Around 1987 the capital of the province was moved from Ban Nahin to Muang Xay.
In 1992, the districts Paktha and Pha Oudom were reassigned to Bokeo province.
According to local history books, the first people who settled in Oudomxay around the year 700 were "Khom" (also known as Khmu). About 1260, Lao Ly came from the region Sipsongpanna ("12 thousand rice fields") in Southern China and build a village called Ban Luang Cheng ("big village" or "big district") in the area of today's province capital Muang Xay. The former Lao Ly village is now part of Muang Xaya and is called Bang Cheng.
Ly culture, which was marked by Buddhism on the one hand and the old Khom traditions on the other hand, grew and became very influential on the region. Khom and Leu lived together and shared the same rice fields. To provide protection they erected fortifications between the villages of Na Sao and Na Lai.
Around 1828, Hmong tribes coming from China began to settle in Oudomxay.
Read more about this topic: Oudomxay Province
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