Visiting Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos

Our visit to Laos this time we planned the route from the capital Vientiane traveling northeast to Luang Prabang, the old capital of Laos that was registered as world heritage in December 1995. It was praised as the best conserved world heritage place in the northeastern hemisphere of South East Asia. It is renowned for its numerous century old temples and for its location that situates where the river Khong and Kan converge amidst beautiful scenery. Besides the Luang Prabang town people are naturally friendly a great quality asset of the cultural heritage town.

Vientiane

We started our trip in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Many features in Vientiane are similar to Nongkhai town on the Thai side. The Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge over the Khong River links and brings the two cities closer via this more convenient way to cross over to one another. Vientiane has several places of interest that we went around for the first half morning.

That Luang is the most important stupa where a Buddha bone relic is in place for worship. This could be called the sacred center of worship by all Lao people. That Luang was build in 16th century the same period as the establishment of Vientiane.

The stupa has a feature similar to a military fort in which high rail terrace was built around the stupa including row small windows around.

Victory Gate, a monument built in 1969 in memory of the Lao people who died in war before the communist revolution. The architectural style was influent by the French Victory Gate in Paris.

Hor Prakaew was originally build in 1565 as a temple dedicated to the Lao dynasty and was once the seat of the Emerald Buddha.

Easy day in Wangwieng

In the afternoon we left Vientiane heading towards the mountainous land of Wangwieng where we made a short stop and relaxed beautiful natural surrounding and river. The town is similar to Pai twon in Mae Hongson, Thailand. It is a popular place for lot of local tourists who make their holidays there.

Song river flows pass Wangwieng. On the opposite side stands limestone mountain range. In the evening by the Song riverside, Lao people walk along a bamboo bridge and dip in water for their daily bath. Many tourists, mostly foreigners, loved to shoot down the rapid water on rubber tube raft, some enjoyed kayaking in the light of beautiful sun setting at the back of the mountain.

Luang Prabang, the heart of Lan-Xang

Our car left Wangwieng heading for Luang Prabang. Along the way at Phu Koon intersection, we stopped at a roadside market where Hmong hill tribe traders sold their agricultural produces and handicrafts. WE reached Luang Prabang in afternoon, checked in at the hotel and had a short rest before regrouping and went to visit Baan Phanom, a Thai Lue village whose inhabitants historically migrated from Sipsongpanna area. The villagers are known for their exquisite cloth weaving craftsmanship. They organized a village handicraft center where their products were displayed and sold, including a demonstration of cloth weaving method. Products on sale to tourists include ready to wear clothes, cotton bag, table cloth, and many other souvenirs. In evening we took a leisure stroll at Talad Khao Nieo (Sticky Rice Market), a walking street of Luang Prabang where you could buy local products such as hand woven clothes, and several types of embroidered fabrics.

The next morning we took the opportunity to join in offering alms to monks – the graceful custom of the Lao in Luang Prabang. Normally the Lao people would do their alms offering very early in the morning and usually there were a lot of local people doing this along the roads by the Klong river. Since there were a large number of tourists around, some number of monks walked to receive alms at Khao Nieo Road.

After breakfast we stated our sight seeing program with a visit to Luang Prabang Palace where once was the royal residence of the King of Laos. Today it is a museum. Inside the palace there are religious ceremony room, visitor room, mural paintings on livelihood of Lao people, sceneries and cultural festivals. In the palace there is also a Hor Prabang where seats the Prabang – the sacred Buddha image of Luang Prabang town.

Further from the former royal residence stands the Pra That Phusi on top of 150 meters high Phusi hill. Once you reached the top you would see the beautiful scenery of Luang Prabang and the Khong River.

Later we went to see beautiful mural paintings at Wat Saensukaram, and proceeded to Wat Chiang Thong located on a spot where the Kan and the Khong rivers converge. The main door and windows of the Ubosoth was intricately carved. Inside the walls were laid with gold leaves design. At the back of the building there is an image of golden tree made by piecing together small pieces of cut colored glass. Bu the sides of the tree were pictures of animals in the literatures. When the cut glass pictures expose to the sunshine, they reflect glitteringly and amazingly attractive.