Discover Luang Prabang

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Two days of boat on the Mekong. That's what it took to reach the city of Luang Prabang from Huay Xai, our departing point Laos after crossing the Thai border in the northwest of the country. The Mekong River, which originates in Tibet, is the third in Asia and the eighth in the world in term of length. He traveled some 4500 km and successively through China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, where his famous delta results in the South China Sea. The economic importance of a river of this size hardly explains the presence, on its course, of several major cities of Southeast Asia, such as Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Luang Prabang, in its the prestigious past, is no exception.

Capital of the Kingdom of Lan Xang (Million Elephants) in the fourteenth century the city was then named Muang Java. Its importance came from its geographical location, it occupied a central position to Buddhism at the time and stood at the same time on the Silk Road. It changed its name in 1560 to become Luang Prabang (the name of a statue of Buddha reported from Cambodia), when it was decided to choose its capital Vientiane, to the south and therefore more away from Burma. The following centuries were far less glorious for the city, which had to face several crises and political domination of Thai and widespread looting in the late nineteenth century, then the appearance of the French in 1893. The latter made a protectorate of Laos until 1953, when the country regained independence and became People's Republic of Laos in 1975. King Sisavang Vong began to rebuild the city from the late nineteenth century and gave him the status of religious and royal capital, which it kept until 1946 when Vientiane was named as administrative capital.

We spend two full days to visit the town and its environment. We choose, for the first day, to discover Luang Prabang on foot and then by bicycle to discover the streets and the surrounding countryside along the banks of the Mekong. It sound a more relaxing and fascinating holiday rather than spending time in resorts or bus trip.After consulting a travel guide, we decided the next day to learn more about the city and its specificities.

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