Attapeu Province
The province was part of the Lane Xang Kingdom during the reign of King Saysetthathirath. Earlier to this it was a habitat of wild buffaloes known as « Idkabue » (meaning, ‘buffalo dropping’), which, in the French colonial regime, became « Attapeu ». During the revolutionary war against the French, the province was the headquarters of the National Liberation Front; the pro-Royalist militia group led by General Vang Pao. By the end of the war, some of the area was destroyed, remnants of which can be seen in some stretches of the Ho Chi Minh Road.