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Luang Prabang

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Tripitaka Library Wat Xieng Thong

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Overview

Luang Prabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ) slows your pulse and awakens your imagination with its combination of world-class comfort and spiritual nourishment. Sitting at the sacred confluence of the Mekong River and the Nam Khan (Khan River), nowhere else can lay claim to this Unesco-protected gem's romance of 33 gilded wats, saffron-clad monks, faded Indochinese villas and exquisite fusion cuisine.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Sunset view over the city from Mount Phousi, a sacred mountain located in the heart of the former capital of Laos.

    Phu Si

    Luang Prabang

    Dominating the old city centre and a favourite with sunset junkies, the 100m-tall Phu Si (prepare your legs for a steep 329-step ascent) is crowned by a…

  • Wat Xieng thong temple at twilight time in Luang Pra bang, Laos. 358251350 ancient, antique, architecture, art, asia, asian, beautiful, believe, bright, buddhism, buddhist, building, chiang, city, culture, faith, famous, gold, heritage, historical, landmark, lao, luang, luangprabang, mekong, monk, night, old, palace, prabang, religion, spirituality, temple, thong, tour, tradition, traditional, travel, trip, twilight, unesco, urban, vientiane, wat, world, xieng, xiengthong

    Wat Xieng Thong

    Luang Prabang

    Luang Prabang's best-known monastery is centred on a 1560 sǐm (ordination hall). Its roofs sweep low to the ground and there's a stunning 'tree of life'…

  • UXO Laos Information Centre

    UXO Laos Information Centre

    Luang Prabang

    The sobering UXO Laos Information Centre helps you get a grip on the devastation Laos suffered in the Second Indochina War and how nearly 40 years later…

  • Laos Royal Palace Museum

    Royal Palace

    Luang Prabang

    Evoking traditional Lao and French beaux-arts styles, the former Royal Palace was built in 1904 and was home to King Sisavang Vong (r 1904–59), whose…

  • Ethnic clothes at Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre Museum, Phousi Hill.

    TAEC

    Luang Prabang

    Visiting this professionally presented three-room museum is a must to learn about northern Laos' various hill-tribe cultures, especially if you're…

  • Close-up of bamboo sticks used for weaving at Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre, Ban Saylom.

    Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre

    Luang Prabang

    Set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics,…

  • Laos, Luang Prabang. Monk at Wat Long Khun.

    Wat Longkhun

    Luang Prabang

    When the coronation of a Luang Prabang king was pending, he spent three days in retreat at Wat Longkhun before ascending the throne. The central sǐm …

  • Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham

    Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham

    Luang Prabang

    Wat Mai is one of the city's most sumptuous monasteries, its wooden sǐm (ordination hall) sporting a five-tiered roof in archetypal Luang Prabang style,…

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