Text and photos by Matthew Aslett
Southeast Asia’s enigmatic allure attracts millions of visitors a year. It is a region rich with mystique, food, people and culture. During the Western colonial expansion of the 18th century Southeast Asia was irrevocably reshaped to facilitate the commercial and industrial exploitation of the land and its peoples, the legacy of which ripples through to the present day.
The Indochina Wars
Following the Second World War, the power vacuum of the Japanese defeat and a lack of Western authority, anti-colonial movements began to develop which demanded independence and often followed communist ideologies, even if ostensibly non-aligned. Western nations perceived this as a threat and challenge to their democracies and the free-market system which fueled their economies. The Soviet Union was at that time the world’s most powerful communist state and it encouraged the regional growth of people’s communist movements. Western states and their local allies grew increasingly concerned and started to develop their own plans to fight any growing communist insurgencies. Thus, Southeast Asia became a de facto battleground in a proxy war between global superpowers, now referred to as the Indochina Wars.
At the heart of French Indochina was the sleepy landlocked country of Laos, bordered by Vietnam to the East, Thailand to its West, China to the North and Cambodia to its South. For centuries Laos has formed a buffer zone between states and ideologies. The rugged mountainous northern massif has traditionally provided a place of sanctuary for ethnic hill tribes fleeing the lowland states. Its proximity to both the Mekong River and neighbouring countries made it a valuable trade route permitting the movement of people and goods throughout the region. Today Laos is a quiet and peaceful place where monks collect alms at dawn and the streets are adorned with ornate Buddhist pagodas and wats. However, it retains a dark, more sinister legacy; one that stems from a secretive covert war and the heaviest aerial bombing in human history.
Standing on the runway at the edge of the town of Vang Vieng I’m confused. Firstly, the runway is huge, big enough to rival an international airport. But there are no planes here. I turn to my companion, a well travelled fellow of the road and repository of knowledge. My interest was piqued when they tell me “This is where the CIA used to fly in planes and transport opium.” And so began my research. I found out I had been standing on Lima Site 16 (LS16), CIA code for Landing Site. There are in fact hundreds more Lima Sites scattered all over Laos and I discovered that together, piece by piece they told the story of a secret war waged between 1961 and 1973 which involved the Royalist Lao Army, the American CIA and both Vietnamese and Lao communist forces. I also uncovered stories of a secret CIA city hidden in the mountains and of an airstrip that at the peak of operation was said to be the busiest in Asia. It was called Long Tieng, LS20A, or simply ‘Alternate’. But it was also known by another name, The Most Secret Place on Earth.
As a visual documentarian concerned with ideas and methods around the visualisation of conflict I began to think about how to tell the story of a covert war that didn’t officially happen. What kind of visual materials existed and how could they be used? I turned to Google and found myself in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room studying declassified reports, maps and looking at aerial surveillance photos of bombing. Eventually my online search led me to a repository of maps annotated with coordinates. My initial task was to locate as many Lima Sites as I could and verify their existence, to see if I could find any physical remnants. To accomplish this I turned to remote sensing. Remote sensing uses satellite images to locate and interpret geological features, in this case landing sites and airstrips. Using declassified CIA documents, archived maps and reports I cross referenced the coordinates with images and had some encouraging results. However, there is only one way to officially verify what I thought I was looking at and that was to ‘ground truth’ my findings. I needed to physically visit these places and see them with my own eyes.
I knew that I was going to be travelling to secretive historical sites in regions that previously hadn’t been easily accessible to foreigners. I reached out to the Carryology team to ask if they would be interested in including a couple of Lima Sites in the Carryology Global Expedition Project. They of course jumped at the opportunity to help me tell the story whilst setting a few more challenges for the carry community along the way. Top of my list were Lima Site 85 and the hidden city of Long Tieng. It wasn’t going to be an easy journey and I had to be cautious. The friction of the terrain, infrastructure, people and languages were all factors that would cause trouble and had to be negated. A number of sites would still be under the control of the Lao People Armed Forces (LPAF), and there was no clear information of whether those sites I intended to visit were open or even accessible. I knew I was going to be visiting some pretty remote locations and was looking at multiple days on the road living out of a vehicle. So I planned the routes in a set of loops that would take me back to a town or village for resupply and hopefully a proper bed for the night. I would still need to hike on occasion and carry multiple loads of varying equipment.
Gear
Inside my Mystery Ranch ASAP SB were two cameras, tripod, water, an iPad and a drone. The drone I didn’t use as Phou Phi Ti despite being open to visitors is still under military control and I thought it best to avoid any confrontation or misunderstanding. During this journey the DJI Mavic Pro drone and Fujifilm X-Series cameras were transported in different modules or cubes that size nicely with each other allowing my load out to change depending on the demands of the day.
When not needed spare equipment is reorganised and kept close at hand inside an XS North Face Base Camp Duffel. My clothing, wash kit and larger equipment is kept in a Medium North Face Base Camp Duffel which is my air travel check in bag. All my packs and bags are AirTagged just in case one should go missing.
I also carry a camera shoulder bag which I keep on the passenger side when driving and is useful for moving around cafes, markets, temples and bars in the evenings. After a decade of carrying the venerable Domke FX5B, I’ve recently changed to the Wotancraft Pilot 7L, which in my opinion is a truly modern and worthy successor.
The Wontancraft Pilot 7L allowed me to switch from carrying a pair of smaller f/2 to slightly larger aperture f/1.4 lenses. It also permits the carrying of an iPad Pro M2, which is my mobile workstation and LiDAR scanner.
Lima Site 85
The journey up to Lima Site 85 was an easy one. Although road conditions were worse than expected, after slipping my Ford Ranger into 4WD and carefully negotiating the narrow track I arrived safely at the visitors’ centre at the foot of the mountain and grabbed my pack. The sacred mountain of Phou Pha Ti on which Lima Site 85 was constructed is the highest of its kind in the region. From the summit there is a direct line of sight to Northern Vietnam and Hanoi.
During The Secret War LS85 was the site of a top secret radar installation used to coordinate the bombing of Hanoi and clandestine targets in Laos. This operation was known as the Commando Club. Using powerful tracking radar, radios and computers to calculate and transmit bombing solutions directly to B52s and other aircraft, Commando Club would take over the release operations from the aircraft, a process referred to as Ground Directed Bombing (GDB). The in-country CIA knew such a high value target would draw significant attention and were concerned. The site was eventually lost in 1968 and is remembered as the largest single ground combat loss of USAF personnel during the Vietnam era.
Solemnly I reached the summit and found the remains of the TACAN radar, trenches and the remnants of steel containers that used to house the computers and radios. I made my photos and scanned the remains with a light detection and ranging camera (LiDAR) which is able to generate 3D models from what it sees. I placed Carryology Global Expedition Project Patch 094, paid my respects and descended the steel staircase back to my vehicle.
The Plain of Jars & Long Tieng
Prior to leaving the North I stopped by my favourite Indian restaurant in Laos, Sabaidee Odisha in Vang Xai and topped off my tiffin tin with a glorious curry. Closing my Northern loop I then drove over two days back to Luang Prabang, the royal capital and one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. I then switched vehicles and started out for Phonsavan, a town located on the large central Plain of Jars.
During the Secret War the Plain of Jars was decimated by continuous ground battles and sustained bombing. It is said that more bombs were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 than in the entirety of the Second World War. Most troubling is that an estimated 30% of the munitions used failed to detonate and remain in the ground as Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), or Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). Local farmers and children still find UXO buried in the landscape which can cause serious injury or fatalities. Fortunately the international community is currently funding a number of local and international NGOs that specialise in public education and the safe removal of UXO. Due to the type of munitions used such as small but deadly anti-personal cluster munitions the process of making the land safe will be ongoing for decades.
I visited with UK charity the Mines Action Group (MAG) and using a simple studio setup I made illustrative photos of defused ordnance so they can be used to help identify and educate people about the dangers of UXO. I also met with local charity COPE who provide prosthetics and physical rehabilitation to survivors of UXO related injuries.
For the final Carryology Global Expedition Project Patch placement there was only one location left: The Most Secret Place on Earth, the hidden city of Long Tieng.. I left Phonsavan early one morning unsure about the road conditions heading South into the mountains. After an hour or so I found myself navigating off-road along dusty tracks weaving amongst mountainous valleys punctuated by towering karst monoliths. Then, in the distance the familiar shape of Skyline ridge emerged. I was getting close to my destination.
Long Tieng or simply ‘Alternate’ was once the American CIA’s headquarters in Laos. A small city of 30,000 inhabitants consisting of CIA trained Hmong Special Guerrilla Units (SGU), their families, Thai mercenaries, Americans CIA advisors, technical staff and aviators. Taking advantage of the local geography Alternate’s main apron was constructed nestling between a horseshoe of large karst hills, its long runway seeming to end at a vertical karst hillside nicknamed the vertical speed break. It could easily be an imaginary lair in a James Bond movie. On my last visit in 2019 I was treated with suspicion and questioned by three plain clothed policemen who visited my guest house one evening. This time around there was no such issue, it was quite the opposite. Long Tieng is now open and welcoming to visitors with new guest houses and restaurants being built along the old runway with views of the karsts. There is also a lookout from which you can see the layout of the base from above, which is also where you will find Carryology Global Expedition Project Patch 090.
Although the physical remnants of the base are still there it lacks any kind of museum or information for tourists, the roads in and out are also underdeveloped but more properly sealed roads are under construction. Having made the pictures I needed the next morning it was time to move on. I thought I would close this loop by returning to Lima Site 16 at Vang Vieng via LS14 then a direct shortcut through the mountains. I made coffee and checked the GPS which told me the journey would take around two and a half hours. Several hours later just before dark and after well over 100km of extremely sketchy off-road driving I arrived safely at LS16, mostly intact.
Travelling through Laos is always an adventurous and rewarding experience. I look forward now to finally assembling all the visual fragments I’ve collected over several years of work on this project into a book that will help to preserve the visual history of The Secret War.
Remember adventure travel abroad can be exciting and exhilarating, but when things go wrong they can do so in a spectacular fashion. Which is why reliable and comprehensive travel and medical insurance is a necessity, not an option. If you would like to learn more about Laos, the Hmong and the deadly legacy of The Secret War more information is available at The Legacies of War website. Many thanks to Carryology, COPE, MAG, and the SGU Veterans and Families of USA for their support and kind assistance with this project.
For updates on the Lima Sites project and book release follow me on Instagram, or visit my website at: www.matthewaslett.com.
A modified version of this article was first posted on Carryology.
Matthew Aslett has supported humanitarian missions for over twenty years, and documented the effects of major global crises since the late 2000s. He’s extensively involved in researching and developing strategies for visualising and documenting human conflict, environmental issues and indigenous communities impacted by international development. Matt has been training and mentoring photographers throughout his career. He’s also a consultant to international safety advisories, and has supported photographers in conflict zones for more than a decade. Matt has been based in Singapore since 2016.
