Bombies is what Laotian refer to UXO which is basically an abbreviation of unexploded ordnance. As a background, Laos is the most bombed countries in the world especially during The Vietnam War. Even to this day, its effect remains and UXO is part of threat especially in the remote areas of Laos where people of all ages could be affected and lose part of their body due to unexploded ordnance. To raise awareness of this, in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, there is an effort called Cope Center, a non-profit govt supported to help people recover and also educate them about UXO.

At first, I didn’t know about this place until I met a girl from Guatemala who wanted to go there. Since I didn’t have a plan and was mostly flexible, I went with her without any expectation. I have very little knowledge of Laos other than it is landlocked and the smallest country in SouthEast Asia but after visiting Cope Center, I learned a lot more of their history and how the Vietnam War affected them and how it remains their reality even today. This is what I want to share with all of you, the story of bombing in laos and the reality of Laotian dealing with UXOs even today.

How To Get To Cope Center

Cope Center is reachable by tuktuk, songthaews or even car. You can also walk, which is something I did with the Guatemalan girl. However walking isn’t advisable as the heat of vientiane is currently a bit unforgiving. It was also an hour walk from downtown to the Cope Center. So, Unless you are into walking and want to save money on transportation, it is not recommended.

The beauty of walking to the Cope Center is that you will pass the central bus station, the market, the presidential palace and some landmarks and historical buildings in Laos. Also, the Cope Center is located within the National Rehabilitation Center.

Is there an entrance fee?

It is totally free to visit this small museum but you can also donate and buy items from the gift shop and all these goes to support the rehabilitation effort and also to those who don’t have money to buy the prosthetic leg and their rehabilitation due to affected by UXO.

Inside Cope Center

Entering the place, you will be greeted by the friendly staff and then enter a room where you will read about the history of bombing by the United States and some figures about UXO in Laos. This is where I got all the information that Laos is the most bombed country in the world. You will also see art displays of cluster bombs and bombs that are found in Laos.

The first part of the museum was displaying different types of bombs and how cluster bombs affect the lives of Laotians.

Then, there will be a puppet show that teaches children about “bombies” in which these awareness efforts are made because usually when these little kids play, sometimes they will stumble upon UXOs and this puppetry will show them how to deal with it.

As you move through the exhibition, you will see a Laotian house that is commonly found in the village.

However, what was intriguing was that the house was full of casing of the UXOs as the locals utilise the metals for daily tools from knives to even lamps.

In that house, it was shown that cooking with fire can be dangerous especially if there is UXOs on the ground which will be activated if it’s triggered by heat.

You will then read stories of how people were casually doing their day like farming but suddenly got injured due to the bombs.

But there are also tools that are used to detect the UXOs and some of them are made by integrating local tools. It was shown that in the village there is a collective effort to make their environment safer from UXOs.

As you get down from the house, you will see prosthetic legs and how to make one. The rehabilitation is part of the Cope Center to help the people affected by UXOs.

These legs are life changing and people could go on about their life and lead a normal life again. Some of these stories are really moving and shows just how dangerous cluster bombs can be.

Is it worth it to visit?

I have to say that it’s very worth it visiting this museum as you can learn about Laos and Laotian a little bit more. Personally, it was an interesting story because Laotian history and the Vietnam war were something foreign to me. It wasn’t necessarily something taught and exposed to me. But after visiting the museum, I learned something new and the effect of the Vietnam war that is also affecting its neighbouring countries and even years after, it continues to haunt the Laotians especially in the northern part of Laos.

Inside the museum, I also met a woman and two lovely children from Australia. We had a small chit-chat and I got to teach the children how to use the camera. I find them really polite and they were able to speak in English, French and Australian Sign Language. Then after, I was getting a postcard from the store which was 20000 kip and the message was quite funny. I find that some of the postcards have a dark joke but I picked one with the most neutral message of them all.

If you are in Laos, make sure to visit Cope Center to learn about the history and also to know that in some parts of the world, cluster bombs still poses threat and is daily reality for some.