in the early 1960s. three young cia officers arrived in laos. a mountainous country with over 2 million people, mostly rice farmer. their mission stopped the spread of communism and fighting the

shadow war against the north vietname vietnamese. the war in laos was secret. the chinese knew and the laotians certainly knew. the only people that did not was the american public and congress. ♪ ♪

♪ though we are never at war with laos, we were fighting with neighboreri neighboring vaietnam.

the united states dropping more bombs here than in germany and japan and all of world war ii combined. this is only apart of the largest covert military operation in history. the conflict that's became known as the secret war. there were three intelligence officers, key players in the skee secret war who depends on who they talk to were greatly loved or fears or dispice. >> bill lare, a world war ii vet was a cia officer. vince lawrence was recruited

even though he was a history teacher. by the end, they were harming even children. >> what happened here presumably in the cause of freedom of democratic western values resonates still. an estimated 30% of the bombs dropped on laos failed to detonate. they remain on the ground to continue to live. ♪

>> when you get off. what's the most recognizable? >> the river as well and the smoke. >> and the fluids. >> yeah, yeah. >> for the first time i heard of laos, i was hooked and filled with the desires to see the place. once a storybook kingdom of misty mountains and opium. border china and thailand and cambodia and vietnam.

♪ >> the best restaurant ever. all these women butcher. >> this is the first thing i get off the plane and i find these. >> he learns how to cook from his mother and never looked back until recently. >> crispy pork. >> blood cake. >> beef broth. >> steaming hot. james' family like many fled the fighting in laos and the communists taken over. now a day, things are looking up and some like james is returning. >> it is so homey and it takes

me to a place. >> what is it like being back? >> i totally get it. it is a common thing and refugees living in the states for a couple of years and willingly to come back. >> she wants to move back and having a relax life. i said that's hard work. >> was she happy? >> she's happy, super happy and looks a lot younger now ever since she moved back. >> less stress, i guess. >> yeah, yeah. ♪ >> this village, we call it long lai. >> rice farming? >> yes, they're doing rice

farming. >> northern laos, sparsely populated by remote mountains and home to monks. this is where the cia recruited trained and armed over 1,000 fighters. >> they start to build this road since the 1983. >> before that, how did you get up and down? walk? >> in these mountains but on the other side of the conflict there were people like mr. lee now in his 80s who fought. during the secret war, he fought other monks. >> oh, fantastic. >> wow.

>> this is chicken. and this is chicken also bu but -- every mung family knows this. >> beautiful. >> he was here when the french were here, yes? >> how is he injured?

>> in the end when the last chopper hurriedly left vietnam, laos and many laos were left behind, too. what had been a kingdom is a communist regime. yes, the bad guys won. >> a few unwilling to serve camps are worst never surrendered and all these years later, they were hiding in hills like this. mun mung were killing mung. literally for several years. if the same people he tried to

kill came back now, how would he feel about that? evacuations are underway as a meteor heads toward the metro area. go, go, go, go, go! we can fit more! there's still more room! we gotta go.

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we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®. ♪ lao's ancient capitals, temples. they enthusiastic observe a big party marking the end of buddhist's life. a fire lantern festival of the symbolic casting away of your

sins. >> this morning, the laos are watching and drinking as others are racing to the finish line. >> a boat festival? >> yeah. >> each boats are women from the same village? >> yes, each team sponsored by a local buddhist monastery. >> we enjoy the boat. >> how old is this tradition? >> long time ago, many generations, we start maybe on our 6th century.

>> oh, what are we doing? >> lao-lao. >> it is mixed with sticky rice so it is good. >> oh, it is quite strong. >> whoo! >> oh, it is close. >> both of you born here? >> yeah. >> i am the older and she's y younger. >> how did the country changed? >> it changed a lot. it is good for the local people and economy and local people can earn money from visitors and tourists. >> president obama was just here a few months ago. >> yeah, he offered a lot of help and education. >> $90 million. >> that's a lot of money. >> helps a lot. >> this one the locals' next. >> chicken feet and buffalo t

tendo tendons. >> dry squid. >> i love it. >> when we eat, we enjoy food. ♪ >> your hotel. >> how long has it been open? >> it has been about ten years. >> i am having lunch at the hotel. during the secret war, it was american foreign aid building. the building was uncovered for cia headquarters. >> it used to belong to usa or cia, i don't know. >> usa had a lot of over lap.

>> mama ha who i met her is making lunch and elaborate dishes. these recipes are left over from imperial timetimes? >> what do we have here? >> we cook with garlic, chillies and coconut milk and pork. >> river crab? >> yep. >> see? >> it is good. >> you can eat the shells. >> yes. >> and ginger, sauce and teeat e pork skin snoch. bon appetit. >> food like these. have these disappeared in the recipe or is it still here?

sometimes they do it and not the way they're supposed to do it. they change ingredient a lot. my grandma teach me how to do this. >> you were born here? >> yes. michelle? >> you have lived here all your life? >> in france >> by the age of 11, i went to france and study and i came back in 1971. >> a difficult times. yes, still the world. >> mama wong's long time friend michelle ace journalist. it is necessarily different than what you and i would define it as. >> when i came here, what we need is tourists. >> that's why you get your job. >> that's how i became a journalist. >> obama just came here to

visit. what do you think it means for laos? >> one important thing is the ordinances. they came on missions, everyday, everyday. after they have to go back and learn. they are not so they have bombs left, they would drop them at random. that's why we have so, so many and in, in so many provinces. >> anthony: what do you think it means though, that the president came here? this is a, look, this is a small country. only 7 million and change people. >> mama and michel: yes. yeah. >> anthony: not a lot of mineral resources. >> michel: no, not really. >> anthony: uh, no oil. if you were a cynical person. >> michel: i'm not. [ laughter ] >> anthony: why do you think he came? >> michel: well you have china,

you have russia, you have, ah -- >> anthony: you think we need a -- you think that maybe we think we need a friend in the neighborhood? >> michel: i think ah, everybody needs friends. [ laughter ] >> anthony: nice answer. ifsh

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♪

anthony: so you were born in a refugee camp? >> james: yes. >> anthony: moved to the states, what age? >> james: two. i don't really remember much. my dad never once talked about the secret war. he never explained why we had to come to the states, and you know, it was just like, we're here. enjoy it. [ laughter ] ♪ >> anthony: almsgiving is a daily ritual, but this is special. >> mr. see: people always sit out along the street. >> anthony: right. >> mr. see: wait for the man coming and give sticky rice. most people they give sticky rice. >> monks celebrate with a once a year halloween-like bonanza

where in addition to the usual sticky rice all manner of treats are offered. >> mr. see: i was a novice, come from my home village to live in the temple in luang prabang. i finish a monk. >> anthony: in orange robes, the whole bit? >> mr. see: mm-hm. >> anthony: now, do most young men go to the temple to -- >> mr. see: to get education, yes. >> james: it's a little like public education, just to become a novice. >> mr. see: yes, yes. >> anthony: ahh! >> james: yeah, unless, unless -- >> anthony: so everybody. >> james: everybody, yeah. that's where you learn english. >> mr. see: yeah. >> james: and you speak french too? >> mr. see: no, no. >> anthony: mr. see lives with his extended family on the outskirts of luang prabang. ♪ >> anthony: looks awesome.

so, what do we got here? >> james: our lamb is an iconic lao dish. with mushrooms, and dill. the key ingredient is the pepperwood. these, ah, wooden blocks with has like ah, white peppers. >> anthony: that infuses the dish, you don't eat it? >> james: it's like a -- you don't eat it. it's a very herbaceous, peppery, really rich. >> mr. see: yeah. >> anthony: unlike anything i've ever had. >> james: mmhm. we have two types of larb, one's raw, one's cooked. >> anthony: mmhm. so it's cooked buffalo, raw buffalo. >> james: buffalo. but yeah. >> anthony: man, it's really good. >> james: yeah. this was kinda improvised. um, "lut bang." lut bang translates to, ah, "fixed blood." so, it's buffalo blood. it's a really tricky way to prepare the dish, because you want the blood to set, so the way you do it is to dilute the blood with water. >> anthony: right. >> james: and just pour it over herbs and that's it. laos panna cotta. [ laughter ] >> anthony: mmm, this is really, really good. you know the balance is so beautiful. >> james: this meal kinda represents like the, lao table. you always got to have a soup. you always got to have some kind of larb, a stew. some kind of muddled salad. sticky rice, of course, and dip. >> anthony: and beer lao. >> james: and beer lao. yes.

>> anthony: let's get some beer. >> mr. see: beer lao. [ all toast in foreign language ] >> anthony: your parents left laos, in what? >> james: ah, '81. >> anthony: '81. >> james: and you know, we migrated to a community of other laotians. and you know, it was pretty much a community like this. we all share, we barter. >> anthony: scratching out a living. i mean, if you were laotian and you wanted to make money back then, you were cooking thai food. >> james: exactly. my mom worked in thai restaurants, and -- >> anthony: what does your mom think of your lao cooking? >> james: i think she's pretty impressed, surprisingly. she's like, first thing she does when she walks through my kitchen is she goes to the waste bin. and she goes, looks in the trash, and goes -- >> anthony: why are you throwing this out? >> james: yeah. yeah, she's like, cilantro stems. >> anthony: so how many years were you a novice? >> mr. see: ah, three years. >> anthony: three years? >> mr. see: yes. >> james: well what's the minimum? >> mr. see: ah, minimum seven days. >> anthony: wow, that's easy. >> mr. see: easy. >> anthony: i, i don't have time.

what's life like at the temple? sleep on the floor? do you sleep in a bed? >> mr. see: normally we sleep on the floor. ah, lately i sleep on bed. >> james: one meal a day, right? >> anthony: one meal a day? >> mr. see: two. >> james and anthony: two. >> mr. see: breakfast and lunch. >> james: oh, yes. they get a snack from, ah, almsgiving. >> mr. see: yes, snack and drink. coffee, ovaltine. >> anthony: coffee and ovaltine, did he say, yeah? >> mr. see: ovaltine. >> james: yeah. >> mr. see: this one in here? >> james: he got it, here's the cup. there you go. >> mr. see: oh, ovaltine. >> james: yeah. [ laughter ] >> mr. see: cheers! [ monks singing and chanting ]

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♪ anthony: the american experience in this part of the world is something that everyone wants to pretend never happened. more bombs dropped here than all of world war ii. >> french guy: this is the gold medal of laos, is they say one ton per person.

and if they continue to clean the country at that, more 600 years to clean. >> man 1: okay, come on, 'kay, come on! come on, come on! >> man 2: ah no, this is the strong stuff. >> man 1: you like? drink four times a day, good for you! hello! one, two, three! ♪ >> anthony: motorbike. the only way to see this part of the world. the thick, unmoving air. the smell past rice paddies, water buffaloes, what feels like

another century. laos is a kind of place that could easily capture your heart and not let you go. >> anthony: it's what you do, right? i mean, if you're thinking of a place to open a bar or a restaurant, you're gonna put it by the river. right? >> french guy: yeah, yes, yes. >> anthony: nice breeze, nice view. >> french guy: and you see lao, lao people, they come here during the afternoon. they have a drink. it's nice. >> french guy: perfect. >> anthony: more than a few people came here for vacation, and never went home, like ben. >> anthony: so how long have you been in laos? >> french guy: in laos, oh, around 15 years. i haven't been back to france for a long time. >> anthony: when you first came here, what was it like? >> french guy: heh. ah, it was just opened, you know, it was beginning of 2000. >> anthony: what do you mean by "just opened?" >> french guy: before it was very difficult to travel, you know? no, if you have a permit to travel in luang prabang -- >> anthony: right. >> french guy: you can only visit luang prabang. you want to go another province, you need to have a special permit to change, and uh, i had a friend. my friend say, "noel, let's go to laos.

it's more protected and more, more, more natural, more authentic." i say, "okay, why not?" the first time i arrived in luang prabang, i was feeling, like ah, indiana jones discovering a beautiful city. and the point is, i fell in love and i couldn't go back. >> anthony: what's your typical day here? like, what -- if you're not working, you're on a good day, you know, sunday. >> french guy: on a good day you have a party. you have a party with old friends, ah, that's before the -- again, there is nothing special to do. it's just a way of life. >> french guy: yeah. training. >> anthony: so how has it changed over the years? i mean, you go to saigon or hanoi? ah, money, money, money coming in, foreign ownership of everything. is -- that's not happening here? >> french guy: yes, i can see there is an acceleration now. when you go to the market and you say, where is it from? they say, thailand.

vietnam, china, and to find local fruit, it's difficult. but if you talk to old people, they will say -- we are like the bamboo. we are not trees, so when there is too, too much wind, voila, we bend in the wind, we get up. i was a monk for a little bit more than one month. in fact, i signed for three weeks. after three weeks i wanted to stay a little bit. they push a lot the way to not suffer. to learn how to disconnect the important things in life. that's why the people, they drink a lot. they like to enjoy, to share. if you don't share, you are poor. more you give, more you're rich. you have money a lot, you lose your money tomorrow, some people will be upset. when you go up and going down, it's never a good feeling. as they say, look at the river. it's go up, it's go down, but always in the same way. and at the end, is the end.

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♪

♪ [ metal detector whistling ]

>> anthony: let us assume the best of the intelligence officers who served here, of the pilots and bombardiers who ran missions over laos. >> guide: watch your step. >> anthony: that they were doing their duty as they saw it, that they believed they were serving the interests of their country. >> anthony: so, this is a banana plantation? >> guide: yes, banana and lemongrass. >> anthony: that still leaves us with the unarguable fact that generations later uxo's, or unexploded ordnances, remain a huge problem. >> anthony: what's here? a cluster bomb, mostly? or bombies? >> guide: yes, yes. >> anthony: organizations like uxo laos are tasked with cleaning up the mess. you go with a metal detector, dig them out by hand, no machines? >> expert: yeah. yes, yes. >> anthony: uh, detonate them? >> expert: the technology we use

nowadays is the same that 20 years ago. >> anthony: right. [ explosion ] >> anthony: wow. [ explosion ] it's a big bang. wow. >> man: imagine how the children pick it up. >> anthony: yeah. laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in the history of the world. 80 million is the number of cluster bombs that did not detonate. since the war in vietnam ended, and we left our secret war here behind, 20,000 people, many of whom were not even alive during

the conflicts, have been killed or maimed. now most of the people who are blown up, who are they? mostly farmers? >> expert: nowadays, the pictures need, need to be changed to the children. right now, because the children is, is look like, like tennis ball. is good for playing, for children to pick up, as a toy. >> anthony: so far, only half of 1% of the country has been cleared. >> expert: 80 million cluster bombs are still left in the country. >> anthony: right, right. >> expert: twenty years. what we need is 1.4 million. just for the -- >> anthony: in twenty -- in twenty years? >> expert: twenty years. >> anthony: so that's a lot left. >> expert: that's a lot, and, many people asking me how many years to go, i, i have no answers. >> man: bomb! three, two, one, one.

[ explosion ] ♪

>> so this is bamboo soup. bamboo is very fresh because they just get it from the first up here. normally the bamboo is little bit bitter. >> anthony: um, hmm. >> translator: but he has to boil it. >> anthony: long time. >> translator: and then to take out the water. >> anthony: ah change the water. >> translator: yeah, change the water and cook it again with chicken or duck. >> anthony: right, for flavor. >> translator: yes. >> anthony: so what year was he born? how old is the gentleman? >> anthony: 1960, so born at the beginning of the, the war here. >> translator: yeah.

>> anthony: while these days the effects of the secret war are receiving more attention, much of how we got here remains off-limits. the cia's relationship with the hmong in part because there are, to this day, insurgents deep in the jungle is a sensitive with the lao government. where did the american doctors

come from? >> translator: so, uh, actually it's, i think this not, this is not a question i think. >> anthony: okay. in a communist one-party state it can be dangerous to talk politics. you tell me whether we can talk about this or not, whether it's a comfortable subject or not. but here on one hand, we have americans dropping bombs that blow this child up. >> translator: yeah. >> anthony: and then there are american doctors that put him back together. given that, is he angry?

>> anthony: i mean all of the bombing, all of the suffering, all of the death, what did he think it was all for? >> there's always more to the story. for a world of stories, travel intel, and recipes on the road, head to the all new explorepartsunknown.com. we can fit more! there's still more room! we gotta go. juicer! we don't have a juicer! the volkswagen tiguan. it fits everything you need, and everything you don't.

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♪ >> anthony: chances are you haven't been to this place. chances are this is a place you've never seen, other than maybe blurry cell phone videos, old black-and-white newsreels from world war ii.