The old French military camp, formerly known as Fort Carnot, in Houayxay District, Bokeo Province, was officially inscribed as a local-level national heritage site on 19 August.
To commemorate the occasion, provincial officials held a cultural ceremony to officially declare the site as a local-level national heritage site.
According to officials, the French colonial administration built the site in the early 1900s.
Covering 10,154 square meters, the fort featured two 15-meter-high observation towers, underground bunkers, and mortar positions on the east and west sides. Its front gate was flanked by heavy guns on both sides.
The construction reflected Houayxay’s strategic importance during the French protectorate period, when the town served as a frontier outpost guarding British Burma (present-day Myanmar) and Siam (modern-day Thailand).
The fort was named after Comte Carnot, a politician and engineer who pioneered innovative fortification designs later adapted for French colonies.
After Laos gained independence from France in 1954, the Royal Lao Army continued to use the fort during the Second Indochina War (Vietnam War) until 1975. Following the founding of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, it was placed under the care of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Army.
In 2010, with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the camp was developed into an information center for tourism and historical exhibits, including displays on Indochina War-era military artifacts.
In October 2024, the province opened the former French military camp, namely Fort Carnot 1990 Es Café, as a new historical tourism attraction.
Today, the former military site has been officially transferred to the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.