Luang Prabang (Lao:ຫຼວງພະບາງ, pronounced[lǔaŋpʰāʔ.bàːŋ]), historically known asXieng Thong (ຊຽງທອງ) and alternatively spelledLuang Phabang orLouangphabang, is the capital ofLuang Prabang Province in north-centralLaos. Its name, meaning “Royal Buddha Image,” derives from thePhra Bang, a statue symbolizing Lao sovereignty.[4] Designated aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, the city is recognized for blending traditional Lao architecture, European colonial buildings, and over 30 Buddhist temples. The protected area encompasses 33 of its 58 villages, where daily rituals like the morning alms-giving ceremony persist.[5][6]
By the 6th century in theChao Phraya River Valley,Mon peoples had coalesced to create theDvaravati kingdoms. In the north,Haripunjaya (Lamphun) emerged as a rival power to theDvaravati. By the 8th century the Mon had pushed north to create city states in Fa Daet (modernKalasin, northeastern Thailand); Sri Gotapura (Sikhottabong) near modernTha Khek, Laos;Muang Sua (Luang Prabang); and Chantaburi (Vientiane). In the 8th century CE, Sri Gotapura (Sikhottabong) controlled trade throughout the middle Mekong region. The city states introducedTherevada Buddhism fromSri Lankan missionaries throughout the region.[7][8][9][10]: 6, 7 [11][12]
Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a period of Khmersuzerainty underJayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. In 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost ofSukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of theLan Xang kingdom. In 1359 the Khmer king fromAngkor gave thePhra Bang to his son-in-law, the first Lang Xang monarchFa Ngum (1353–1373); to provide Buddhist legitimacy both to Fa Ngum's rule and by extension to the sovereignty of Laos and was used to spreadTheravada Buddhism in the new kingdom. The capital name was changed to Luangphabang, where it was kept, named after the Buddha image.[13]: 225–226 Luang Prabang was occupied by the Vietnamese forces during EmperorLê Thánh Tông's1478–1480 expedition against Lan Xang and Lanna.[14]
Market in Luang Prabang, pre-1901
In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart because of a dynastic struggle and Luang Prabang became the capital of the independentKingdom of Luang Phrabang. WhenFrance annexed Laos, the French recognised Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with thefigurehead of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang,Sisavang Vong, became thehead of state of theKingdom of Laos.[15]
Damage caused by a communist ground attack on Luang Prabang airfield, 1967
The town was the scene of events during and in the aftermath of World War II and it was occupied by foreign countries during the war (Vichy France,Thailand,Imperial Japan,Free France, andNationalist China). Initially the Vichy French controlled the city and lost it to Thai forces following theFranco-Thai War of 1940–1941. On 9 March 1945, a nationalist group declared Laos once more independent, with Luang Prabang as its capital and on 7 April 1945 2 battalions of Japanese troops occupied the city.[16] The Japanese attempted to forceSisavang Vong (the King of Luang Prabang) to declare Laotian independence and on 8 April he instead simply declared an end to Laos' status as a French protectorate. The King then secretly sent PrinceKindavong to represent Laos to theAllied forces andSisavang Vatthana as representative to the Japanese.[16] Following Japan's surrender to the Allies, Free French forces were sent to reoccupy Laos and entered Luang Prabang on 25 August, at which time the King assured the French that Laos remained a French colonial protectorate.[16] In September the Chinese Nationalist forces arrived to receive the surrender of the remaining Japanese forces and set about buying up the Laotian opium crop.[16]
In April and May 1946, the French attempted to recapture Laos by using paratroops to retake Vientiane and Luang Prabang and drivePhetsarath and the Lao Issara ministers out of Laos and into Thailand and Vietnam. During theFirst Indochina War, theViet Minh andPathet Lao forces attempted to capture the city in 1953 and 1954, but French forces stopped them before they could reach it.[17]
A riverboat and marchers in the Lao New Year parade in Luang Prabang
Among the natural tourism sites are theKuang Si Falls,Tat Sae Waterfalls, andPak Ou Caves. Elephant riding is offered at some sites.Phou Si, in the center of the town, has views of the town and river systems. At the end of the main street of Luang Prabang is a night market where stalls sell shirts, bracelets, and other souvenirs. TheHaw Kham Royal Palace Museum and theWat Xieng Thong temple are among the historical sites. The town, particularly the main street, is dotted with smaller wats such asWat Hosian Voravihane. Every morning at sunrise, monks walk in a procession through the streets accepting alms offered by local residents. In mountain biking, people bike around the town or to the waterfalls for the day. Down the Mekong River, a 15-minute boat ride from the city centre, Ban Chan (the pottery village)[18] is another place.
Local dishes include:Or lam (O-lam, the favourite dish of Luang Prabang locals), Luang Prabang sausage, mokpa (steamed fish), andKaipen made fromMekong River moss (served fried) with the Luang Prabang's famousJeow Bong.[19]
Luang Prabang is served byRoute 13, which connects toVang Vieng andVientiane to the south, and to Boten in the north. The road is paved. Since 2014, a new road connects Kasi (close to Vang Vieng) to Luang Prabang, allowing the trip to be made in about 3 hours (compared to 5 hours via Route 13). Daily buses run from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, taking 11–13 hours.[20]
Buses regularly travel a route for 14–16 hours.[20]
Beginning December 2021, Luang Prabang is served by theVientiane–Boten railway. The railway parallels Route 13, and serve as Laos' first major north–south railway line, fromBoten at the Chinese border in the north to Vientiane in the south. The complete journey takes less than 3 hours by train instead of 3 days by road.[21][22]
Landscape with a wooden footbridge crossing the Nam Khan river, where 2 workers are working at the consolidation of this structure, holding a beam during the monsoon
^Evans, Grant (2002).A short history of Laos: the land in between. Short history of Asia series. Crows Nest NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin.ISBN978-1-86448-997-2.
^Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.).The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press.ISBN978-0-8248-0368-1.
^Manlch, M.L. (1967)History of Laos, pages 126–129.
Pengchai, Teerayut; Singkam, Anothai; Nimala, Niti (2016). "The Creative Process of Developing Identity Through Native Textile Handicraft: The World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang".Social Sciences and Humanities.24. Pertanika:159–168.
Platenkamp, Jos D. M. (2008)."The Canoe Racing Ritual of Luang Prabang".Social Analysis: The International Journal of Social and Cultural Practice.52 (3). Berghahn Books.
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