Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nestling in a slim valley shaped by lofty, green mountains and cut by the swift Mekong
andKhanrivers,LuangPrabangexudescasualgrandeur.Atinymountainkingdomfor
more than a thousand years and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995,
thecityisendowedwithalegacyofancientred-roofedtemplesandFrench-Indochinese
architecture, not to mention some of the country's most refined cuisine, its richest cul-
tureanditsmostsacredBuddhaimage,thePhaBang.ForthosefamiliarwithSoutheast
Asia, the very name Luang Prabang conjures up the classic image of Laos - streets of
ochre colonial houses and swaying palms, lines ofsaffron-robed monks gliding through
the morning mist, the sonorous thump of the temple drums before dawn, and longtail
boats racing down the Mekong before the river slips out of view through a seam in the
mountains.
It is this heritage of Theravada Buddhist temples, French-Indochinese shop houses and royal
mystique that lends Luang Prabang a pull unmatched by any other city in Laos. While other
urban centres in the country are heavily populated by ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese, Luang
Prabang is the only city in Laos where ethnic Lao are in the majority. This is not only where
the first proto-Lao nation took root, it's also the birthplace of countless Lao rituals and the
origin of a line of rulers, including the rulers of Vientiane, Champasak and Lane Xang. Luang
Prabang people are tremendously proud of their pivotal role in Lao history. Indeed, they're
somewhat known for their cultured ways in the rest of the country; in Lao soap operas, the
doctor or the intellectual invariably speaks with a Luang Prabang accent.
Luang Prabang's strict building code, drawn up by UNESCO, keeps it from becoming an-
other modern architectural nightmare. Indeed, after two decades of meticulous restoration,
the city's immaculate looks make it feel far removed from the rest of Laos - a state of pre-
servation that has led some detractors to label it a frozen-in-time museum piece. Inevitably,
Luang Prabang has lost some of its sleepy charm and dreamy serenity as a result of the ever-
growing influx of tourists, with almost every property in the historic centre now serving the
travel industry in some form or another, and foreigners now outnumbering locals across much
of the old city. An airport expansion completed in 2013, allowing larger planes to fly in and
out of Luang Prabang, may well result in the small-town charms of this beautiful city being
eroded still further.
Yet, for all the transformations brought by mass tourism, the city remains surprisingly laid-
back, with none of the hassle associated with other parts of Asia. And the upside of its
enormous popularity is manifest in the quality and range of its places to stay and to eat, with
a panoply of dreamily romantic, upscale hotels occupying the city's shuttered colonial-era
mansions, and a fine array of restaurants - both local and international - showcasing the
area's rich culinary traditions and influences. There's nowhere better for some pampering and
recuperation if you've been investigating the rougher charms of the rest of the north.
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