About Luang Prabang -
World Heritage city in Laos
Nestling in a slim valley shaped by lofty, green mountains and cut by the swift Mekong and Khan rivers, Luang Prabang exudes tranquility and grandeur. A tiny mountain kingdom for more than a thousand years and a designated World Heritage site in 1995,it is endowed with a legacy of ancient red roofed temples and French-Indochinese architecture, not to mention some of the countries finest cuisine, its richest culture and most sacred Buddha image.
The name Luang Prabang conjures up the classic image of Laos - streets of large colonial houses and swaying palms, lines of saffron-robed monks gliding through the morning mist, and of course, long tail boats racing down the Mekong.
The earliest Lao settlers made their way down the Nam Ou Valley, sometime after the tenth century, absorbing the territory on which the city lies and naming it Xiang Dong Xiang Thong.
But it wasn’t until legionary Lao warrior Fa Ngum captured the town in 1353 that it emerged as the heart of a thriving ,independent kingdom in its own right. He founded the kingdom of Lane Xang Hom Khao - “The land of a million Elephants and the White Parasol” - and established the line of kings that was to rule laos for six centuries. With Fa Ngum came monks, artisans and learned men from the Khmer court, a legal code and Theravada Buddhism. Striking temples were built, epic poems composed and sacred texts copied, and in 1512, King Visoun brought the very holy Pha Bang Buddha image to the city. In 1563 With the fear of the Burmese invading the capital was moved to Vientiane and the city was renamed after the revered image.
From then on Luang Prabang had a roller coaster ride invaded first by the Burmese and then by the Siamese (who destroyed and pillaged a lot of Laos beautiful temples).The French period began in the early 19th century followed by two Indochina wars which finally ended when the royal family were forced to leave in 1975.
The country is now run by the communist Lao PDR .
Nestling in a slim valley shaped by lofty, green mountains and cut by the swift Mekong and Khan rivers, Luang Prabang exudes tranquility and grandeur. A tiny mountain kingdom for more than a thousand years and a designated World Heritage site in 1995,it is endowed with a legacy of ancient red roofed temples and French-Indochinese architecture, not to mention some of the countries finest cuisine, its richest culture and most sacred Buddha image.
The name Luang Prabang conjures up the classic image of Laos - streets of large colonial houses and swaying palms, lines of saffron-robed monks gliding through the morning mist, and of course, long tail boats racing down the Mekong.
The earliest Lao settlers made their way down the Nam Ou Valley, sometime after the tenth century, absorbing the territory on which the city lies and naming it Xiang Dong Xiang Thong.
But it wasn’t until legionary Lao warrior Fa Ngum captured the town in 1353 that it emerged as the heart of a thriving ,independent kingdom in its own right. He founded the kingdom of Lane Xang Hom Khao - “The land of a million Elephants and the White Parasol” - and established the line of kings that was to rule laos for six centuries. With Fa Ngum came monks, artisans and learned men from the Khmer court, a legal code and Theravada Buddhism. Striking temples were built, epic poems composed and sacred texts copied, and in 1512, King Visoun brought the very holy Pha Bang Buddha image to the city. In 1563 With the fear of the Burmese invading the capital was moved to Vientiane and the city was renamed after the revered image.
From then on Luang Prabang had a roller coaster ride invaded first by the Burmese and then by the Siamese (who destroyed and pillaged a lot of Laos beautiful temples).The French period began in the early 19th century followed by two Indochina wars which finally ended when the royal family were forced to leave in 1975.
The country is now run by the communist Lao PDR .
Sysomphone Guest House tel: +856-71-252543.