Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang sits on a peninsula where the Nam Khan runs into the Mekong, and it was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1995 for the way its Lao religious architecture and its French colonial buildings sit together on the same streets. The old royal capital has more than thirty working monasteries within a small area, brick and stucco shophouses along the main street, and a hill in the middle of it. The dawn alms round, tak bat, still happens daily, and how visitors behave around it has become the town's most contested question.

History

By the 8th century the Mon had pushed north to found city-states that included Muang Sua, today's Luang Prabang, bringing Theravada Buddhism with them; the town, then Xieng Dong Xieng Thong, was under Khmer suzerainty from 1185 to 1191 and in 1353 became the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom. In 1359 the Khmer king gave the Phra Bang Buddha image to his son-in-law Fa Ngum, the first king of Lan Xang, to lend Buddhist legitimacy to his rule, and the city took its name from the image; Vietnamese forces occupied it during Lê Thánh Tông's expedition of 1478-1480. When Lan Xang broke apart in 1707 it became the capital of the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, the French later recognised it as the royal residence of Laos, and at independence its king, Sisavang Vong, became head of state of the Kingdom of Laos. In 1995 the town became a World Heritage Site, with the protected area covering 33 of its 58 villages (Wikipedia, Luang Prabang).

The main sights

• The monasteries - more than thirty working wats on the peninsula, Wat Xieng Thong the best known.
• The colonial street - shophouses and villas along Sisavangvong Road, most now guesthouses and shops.
• Mount Phousi - the hill in the middle of town, climbed for the view over both rivers.
• The night market - textiles and craft laid out along the main street after dark.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season and the busiest. March and April bring haze from agricultural burning that can flatten the views for weeks. The alms round happens every morning in every season, starting around dawn.

Practical notes

The alms round is a religious obligation, not a display, and mass tourism has damaged it: monks have spoken publicly about visitors crowding the line, using flash and buying rice from vendors to hand over. The correct position is to watch from across the street or not at all. The centre is thoroughly given over to visitors, and prices reflect that.

Nearby

Kuang Si falls are forty minutes south, the Pak Ou caves are upstream, and Nong Khiaw is north up the Nam Ou.

Key facts