Laos prior to now

Laos's early history is a confusion of tribal wars and conquests between vassal states that ultimately unified because the powerful, but sparsely populated, kingdom of Lan Xang. After holding sway within the region for about three centuries, Lan Xang step by step fell to invaders, the Siamese from the south and the Burmese from the west.  

By the time the French arrived within the late 1800s, the region had reverted to a confused patchwork of Siamese, Burmese, Vietnamese and Chinese vassal states. During this period, most of Laos's temples and monuments have been destroyed - these of Luang Prabang being a notable exception. 

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, in northern Laos, is the country's historic capital and a really different proposition to the Plain of Jars. Its UNESCO World heritage listing describes it as Southeast Asia's ‘best preserved ancient metropolises - it is definitely certainly one of Indochina's ‘must-see’ destinations. 

The population is tiny - it has yet to prime 20,000, and the affect of the trendy world has been minimal. It’s positioned on a 250-hectare peninsula protruding into the confluence of the Khan and Mekong Rivers surrounded by attractive scenery. 

It became the capital of the LAN Xang Kingdom in the middle of the 12th century and remained so for practically 300 years. Its attraction is an exceptional focus of WATS and other temples in such a small space, making it a simple place to stroll around.  

Plain of Jar

Xieng Khuang Province, a mountainous limestone ‘karst’ space lying roughly midway between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, suffered badly from US saturation bombing. Most of its towns and its capital have been flattened, and large craters are still to be seen.  

As might be anticipated from a city constructed after the war, the new provincial capital, Phonsavan, is not any architectural treasure house. Nonetheless, it escaped the horrors of Soviet-fashion concrete field tenements that have been inflicted upon Vietnam. The streets are largely wide, paved and tree-lined.  

The population of about 80,000 folks includes large proportions of ethnic minority people, mostly H’mong and Vietnamese. 

In the recent past, there have been just a few situations of guerrilla activity in involving ethnic minority teams within the Xieng Khuang area, but all appears to be calm nowadays.

Vientiane

Vientiane is hardly one of the nice capitals of the world. At simply over 300,000 people with no main industries, it is not a financial powerhouse. Nonetheless, it’s a comfortable, stress-free place massive sufficient to be of curiosity but remaining intimate. This, mixed with the Laotians’ easygoing angle, makes Vientiane one of the vital drawback-free cities in the world. 

The city sits on a bend of the Mekong River, which forms Laos’ border with Thailand. It is a nice and relaxed place to spend a couple of days. 

Simply wandering around Vientiane's leafy promenades with a mixture of Laotian temples and French colonial buildings, most of them crumbling into decay, pausing at the thatched beer gardens on the river financial institution and the morning market of Dalat Sao, are a joy. No one takes much curiosity in you except you need attention, and no person seems focused on ripping you off. The native markets are a pleasing experience and an excellent place to buy native handicrafts.