2338, 2532, 2751, 3064, 3095 LAOS (Luang Prabang) - Town of Luang Prabang (UNESCO WHS)

2751 That Pathoun in Luang Prabang

Posted on 29.02.2016, 08.05.2016, 14.09.2016, 24.05.2017, 19.06.2017
Luang Prabang (literally: "Royal Buddha Image") is located in northern Laos, at the confluence of the rivers Nam Khan and Mekong. Actually, the main part of the city consists of four main roads on a peninsula between the two rivers. Mountain ranges (in particular the PhouThao and PhouNang mountains) encircle the city in lush greenery. It was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name, and also the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos, until the communist takeover in 1975.

2532 Wat Xieng Thong Temple in Luang Prabang

The city is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its unique, well-preserved townscape illustrates a key stage in the blending of these two cultural traditions. The richness of its architecture reflects the mix of styles and materials. The majority of the buildings are wooden structures. Only the temples are in stone, whereas one- or two-storey brick houses characterize the colonial element.

2338 Royal Palace in Luang Prabang - The King's office
during Sisavang Vong's reign (1905-1959, Reception Hall
during Sisavang Vatthana's reign (1960-1975),
a hall of National Museum since 1995.

That Pathoun (Stupa of the Great Lotus), also known as That Mak Mo (Watermelon Stupa) due to its similarities to the fruit, lies within the walls of Wat Visounnarath, the oldest temple in Luang Prabang, erected in 1513 and rebuilt in 1898. Built between 1559 and 1560 by the Lao King Setthathirath, Wat Xieng Thong is one of the most important of Lao monasteries and remains a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art.

3064 Wat Aham in Luang Prabang

There are over twenty structures on the grounds including a sim, shrines, pavilions and residences, in addition to its gardens. The building of the wat have carved gilded wooden doors depicting scenes from Buddha's life. In the sim the ceiling displays Dharmachakras - dharma wheels symbolising Buddhist law and the circle of reincarnation. The outer walls of the sim depict Lao legends and the rear gable is decorated with a glass mosaic depicting the tree of life. The outer walls of the Sanctuary of the Reclining Buddha, also known as Red Chapel, are decorated with mosaics.

3095 Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham in Luang Prabang

The Royal Palace (Haw Kham) was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. After the death of the king, the Crown Prince Savang Vatthana and his family were the last to occupy the grounds. In 1975, the monarchy was overthrown by the communists and the Royal Family were taken to re-education camps. The palace was then converted into a national museum. The architecture of the building has a mixed of traditional Lao motifs and French Beaux Arts styles.

3069 LAOS (Vientiane Capital) - Statue of King Setthathirath in Vientiane

Setthathirath (1534-1571) or Xaysettha is considered one of the great leaders in Lao history. Throughout the 1560s until his death, he successfully defended his kingdom of Lan Xang against military campaigns of Burmese conqueror Bayinnaung, who had already subdued Chiang Mai in 1558 and Ayutthaya in 1564. Setthathirath was also a prolific builder and erected many Buddhist monuments including Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang and the That Luang in Viangchan.

2760 LAOS - Laotian staff at the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille in 1906

2760 Alfred Raquez and staff of Laotian section
at the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille in 1906

In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century in many European countries (but also in the United States, Australia, South Africa etc.) were organized colonial exhibitions, intended to show the people of the Metropolis the different facets of the colonies. They gave rise to dramatic reconstructions of natural environments and monuments of Africa, Asia or Oceania. In that period the colonial empire of France was the second, behind that of the Brittish Empire.

2737 LAOS (Vientiane Capital) - Patuxai in Vientiane

Patuxai, literally meaning Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument (known by the French as Monument Aux Morts) is a war monument in the centre of Vientiane, erected between 1957 and 1968, during a turbulent period Lao history. It was built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy and was originally known simply as the Anousavali (memory), dedicated memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during WWII and the independence war from France in 1949.

2732 LAOS (Vientiane Capital) - Buddha Park

Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan (which means Spirit City), is a sculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane, in a meadow by the Mekong River. Although it is not a temple (Wat), the park may be referred to as Wat Xieng Khuan, since it contains numerous religious images. The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues. The park was started in 1958 by Luang Pu (Venerable Grandfather) Bunleua Sulilat, a priest-shaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism.

0921 LAOS (Vientiane Province) - Vang Vieng

Located on the Nam Song river, north of Ventiane, the tourism-oriented town Vang Vieng is best known for the karst hill landscape surrounding it. Even if was founded around 1353, it knew a significant expansion only during the 1964-73 Vietnam War, when the US developed an Air Force base and runway that was used by Air America. In more recent times, the town has grown due to the influx of backpackers attracted by the opportunities for adventure tourism in a limestone karst landscape. But tourism isn't only positive for the community, because, as Brett Dakin wrote, "each time a young Australian woman strolls down the street in a bikini, a bearded American smokes a joint on a guesthouse terrace, or a group of Koreans tumbles drunkenly out of a restaurant, it saps a little more of the essence of a town like Vang Vieng."

0803 LAOS - The map of the country

Placed between Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, consists mostly of mountains, with some plains and plateaus, and has a tropical climate, influenced by the monsoon pattern (with a rainy season from May to November, followed by a dry season from December to April). Though only about 4% of its area is arable, it is one of four in the opium poppy growing region known as the Golden Triangle. Actually its location has made it a buffer between more powerful neighboring states, as well as a crossroads for trade and communication. Migration and international conflict have contributed to the present ethnic composition and to the geographic distribution of its ethnic groups (about which I wrote here).

0778 LAOS - Lao Sung, the highland Lao

A true mosaic of ethnic groups, Laos has, according to Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC), 49 ethnicities consisting of over 160 ethnic groups, which speak a total of 82 distinct living languages, divided into four language groups: the Tai-Kadai family (55%), the Austro-Asiatic family (30%), the Mia-Yao family (10%), and the Sino-Tibetan family (5%). Actually a complete classification of all ethnic groups has never been undertaken in Laos, and detailed ethnographic information about many groups is lacking, so the government divided the people into three groups according to the altitude at which they live, rather than according to ethnic origin: the lowland Lao (Lao Loum) account for 68%, upland Lao (Lao Theung) for 22%, and the highland Lao (Lao Sung, including the Hmong and the Yao) for 9%.

0629 LAOS (Luang Prabang) - Nang Songkran at Luang Prabang

Songkran refer to the celebration of the New Year by the people from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, but also by the some minorities of Vietnam, Yunnan province of China, Sri Lanka and eastern of India, when the sun transits the constellation of Aries, the first astrological sign in the Zodiac. In Laos is also named Pii Mai, and lasts generally for three days, from April 13 to April 15, with few exceptions, like Luang Prabang, where lasts a week. The first day is the last day of the old year, the second is the "day of no day", and the last one marks the start of the new year.