Luang Prabang, Laos

Wat Xieng Thong one of the popular attraction.

Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang (Lao: ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ, literally: "Royal Buddha Image (in the Dispelling Fear mudra)," is the capital city of Luang Prabang Province in north central Laos. The city is located at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers about 300 km north of Vientiane. The population of the city is about 50,000. Surely to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and in 1995 it was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list, recognised as the best preserved city in south-east Asia.

Set on a peninsula where the Mekong and the Khan rivers meet, and surrounded by misty green mountains, Luang Prabang was a kingdom from the fourteenth century until the Lao monarchy was dissolved in 1975. It is the only city in Laos where the ethnic Lao population outnumbers Vietnamese and Chinese.

View of Luang Prabang area.

The surrounding area of Luang Prabang.

The old city is rightly famous for its historic temples and monasteries (there are more than 30 of them) and for its splendid Royal Palace, which now serves as a fascinating museum. There are lovely old French-Indochinese colonial houses, and two-storey shop houses featuring both French and Lao architectural influences. Two parallel streets run the length of the peninsula and one runs all the way around it on the river’s edge. These are criss-crossed by many fascinating little lanes and back streets.

Walking in Luang Prabang is a joy — several of the streets are shaded with palms and flowering trees, sweeping, gilded temple roofs can be glimpsed every few yards, colourful prayer flags flutter in the breeze and temple gongs echo around the town. You can watch the sunset from the top of Phou Si Hill or enjoy a cool drink by the river’s edge. Explore the markets or visit one of the monasteries, such as Wat Xiang Thong, and soak up the serene and spiritual atmosphere that still pervades the town despite its influx of visitors.

Many temples with beautiful decoration like this.