Phou Pha Thi (Phathi) is a "sacred mountain" in
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
"believed...inhabited by great "phi", or spirits and used for the clandestine
Lima Site 85 military installation during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. The lightly defended installation was destroyed by North Vietnamese attackers in the 10-11 March 1968
Battle of Lima Site 85. From 1994 to 2004, searches for USAF remains were conducted at the mountain, but few bodies were located. The mountain is "100 miles south of
Dien Bien Phu
Diethylenetriamine (abbreviated and also known as 2,2’-Iminodi(ethylamine)) is an organic compound with the formula HN(CH2CH2NH2)2. This colourless hygroscopic liquid is soluble in water and polar organic solvents, but not simple hydrocarbons. ...
, 160 miles west of
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, and just 25 miles from the capital of
Samneua".
The site had been used as a military site by French colonialists until seized by the North Vietnamese in 1962, and the
Hmong "Secret Army" recaptured the area and a Central Intelligence Agency airstrip was built by 1966.
Description
"Pha-thi mountain...runs from north of the Huoi-san stream to south of the Nam-het River, a distance of about 7,000 meters. It is the highest peak in the region. ... All four sides of the karst are sheer cliffs that are between 50 and 200 meters high... From about mid-way between the base and the summit of the mountain, the sides were formed by 75° to 80° cliffs, and in some spots 85° to 90° cliffs."
"The peak of Pha-thi mountain is at least 3-4 kilometers from the surrounding peaks... To the north and northeast is the 1392 meters high Phu-hin-he ridge. To the south
f Phu-hin-he ridgeis the 1148 meter
hou HuoiKha-moun
idge To the east are the 1425 meter Phu-bao ridge, the 1223 meter Phu-hin-sa ridge, and the 1442 meter Phu-den-dinh ridge. To the south and southeast are the 1586 meter Phu-huoi-hao ridge and the 1225 meter Phu-huoi-na ridge. To the west and southwest are high points 1443, 1088, 1052, 1148, and 1007" (Do Chi Ben, 1996).
References
Mountains of Laos
{{Laos-geo-stub