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Introducing Luang Prabang
.Colour is the first of Luang
Prabang’s virtues to greet
travellers. Pearly frangipanis with
their heady perfume, banks of
overgrown trees peppered with
scarlet flowers, the burnt sienna
robes of hundreds of monks and their
novices, and resplendent gold and
claret wats. The scent of fresh
coffee, river activity, produce
markets and spicy food soon follows.
And then the broader aesthetics
begin to unfold. Encircled by
mountains, and set 700m above sea
level at the confluence of the Nam
Khan (Khan River) and the Mekong
River, Luang Prabang is now Laos’
foremost tourist showpiece. The brew
of gleaming temple roofs, crumbling
French provincial architecture and
multiethnic inhabitants captivates
even the most jaded travellers, and
the quiet benevolence of the city’s
residents lulls them into a
somnambulant bliss.
Sealed highways linking Luang
Prabang with Thailand and China have
turned the city into an important
relay point for commerce between the
three countries. City governors have
wisely provided a road bypass system
that gives the city centre a wide
berth. Thus the sense of calm
antiquity that first brought
visitors to the city when Laos
opened to tourism in 1989 has been
well preserved. Moreover, the city
is Unesco Heritage listed, which
means a blessed ban on buses and
trucks. Most road activity consists
of bicycles or motorcycles, but an
even score simply go by foot.
Although the city teems with
travellers, it is not a party
destination, and the 11.30pm curfew
silences the city by midnight and
maintains its traditional
disposition.
About
Laos Tours
This land-locked mountainous country
is gaining a reputation as an
ecotourist destination. Its many
rivers criss-crossing the country
and unspoilt national parks are
ideal for activities such as
trekking, kayaking and caving. The
capital, Vientiane, and the other
major towns have been spared major
modern developments with traditional
and colonial architecture still
dominant.
Tourism newcomers
Laos is one of the few Communist
countries left in the world. Until
1988, tourists were not allowed
access to Laos, but now it is
perfectly feasible to travel all
over the country, preferably with a
recognised tour company, although
plenty of backpackers do it
independently. The number of
tourists is expected to continue
increasing over the next few years
as more and more people discover the
 delights
of this laid-back country of
mountains and rivers.
Unspoilt and undeveloped
For now, Laos remains relatively
isolated and undeveloped. Its
capital, Vientiane, is more like a
big village than a crowded Asian hub
and life throughout the country is
slow paced. Most people come to Laos
and make a brief tour of Vientiane
and UNESCO World Heritage-listed
Luang Prabang with perhaps a brief
detour to the mysterious Plain of
Jars. But those who make the effort
to explore further afield will be
well rewarded with luscious
landscapes, friendly people and
unique glimpses of a country hardly
changed for over a century.
History of Laos
 Laos
traces its history to the kingdom of
Lan Xang, founded in the 15th
century by Fa Ngum, himself
descended from a long line of Lao
kings, tracking back to Khoun Boulom.
Lan-Xang prospered until the 18th
century, when the kingdom was
divided into three principalities,
which eventually came under Siamese
suzerainty. In the 19th century,
Luang Prabang was incorporated into
the 'Protectorate' of French
Indochina, and shortly thereafter,
the Kingdom of Champasak and the
territory of Vientiane were also
added to the protectorate. Under the
French, Vientiane once again became
the capital of a unified Lao state.
Following a brief Japanese
occupation during World War II, the
country declared its independence in
1945, but the French under Charles
de Gaulle re-asserted their control
and only in 1950 was Laos granted
semi-autonomy as an "associated
state" within the French Union.
Moreover, the French remained in de
facto control until 1954, when Laos
gained full independence as a
constitutional monarchy. Under a
special exemption to the Geneva
Convention, a French military
training mission continued to
support the Royal Laos Army. In
1955, the U.S. Department of Defense
created a special Programs
Evaluation Office to replace French
support of the Royal Lao Army
against the communist Pathet Lao as
part of the U.S. containment policy.
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