Luang Prabang Travel Tips

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Luang Prabang Travel Tips (29 December 2005)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Hello and Welcome to Luang Prabang Travel Tips! I created this website to introduce Luang Prabang so that you can explore it from the comfort of your computer. It's a fascinating city, and now, you don't have to go there yourself to know it. From this website, you will be able to visit many, many places in Luang Prabang, find out about each of them, as if you are there yourself! If fact, you will be seeing more of Luang Prabang than most vacationers who go there in person, and you will be doing it directly from your desk.

Luang Prabang Travel Tips is not a travelogue. It is not based on my travels. Rather it reflects my passion to know everything about this city and to share my discovery with like-minded enthusiasts.

This website is still very much a work in progress. I am writing it whenever I have the opportunity. Please bear with me as the sights are added over time. It may take me a while before I could complete what I have set out to write.

Luang Prabang (30 December 2005)
© Timothy Tyeusing this photo

About Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a city beside the Mekong River in Laos. It was until the communist takeover in 1975 the royal capital and seat of government of the former Kingdom of Laos. The city was established in AD 698 by a prince of the Tai people, Khun Lo, and was originally named Muang Sua. Khun Lo began a dynasty that ruled over Muang Sua for close to a century.

In the 12th century, with the rise of Khmer power, the town, now known as Xieng Dong Xieng Thong, was briefly a Khmer suzerainty under the famous Khmer ruler who built many monuments at Angkor Thom, Jayavarman VII. It regained its independence in 1180, and in 1358, became the capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom. Ub 1560, King Setthathirath I relocated the capital to Vientiane. When the Lan Xang Kingdom disintegrated in 1707, there emerged two different kingdoms, the Kingdom of Luang Prabang and the Kingdom of Vientiane.

Monks crossing the Mekong (28 December 2005)
© Timothy Tyeusing this photo

When the French annexed Laos, they recognised Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos, and its ruler became the figurehead of the French Protectorate of Laos, even as the capital remains in Vientiane. When Laos gained independence from France, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the king of the Kingdom of Laos.

When the communist took over Laos in 1975, they abolished the monarchy, and Luang Prabang lost its status as a royal capital. However, due to its glorious past, it is home to many exquisite temples that are the finest examples of Lan Xang architecture.

Wat Chom Si at the peak of Mount Phousi (29 December 2005)
© Timothy Tyeusing this photo

Today, Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It receives a steadily increasing stream of visitors coming to admire its heritage sites. The city has the highest concentration of functioning temples in Laos. Many of these have been restored and are now well maintained.

Meanwhile, tourism has exerted an incredible impact on Luang Prabang. Revenue from tourism has provided employment and improved standard of living in Luang Prabang. On the other hand, the pressure exerted by mass tourism has to be controlled, lest it destroys the fragile beauty of Luang Prabang.