Luang Prabang

Vietnam to Laos

On the first day of Tet holiday, I moved to Luang Prabang in Laos. It's my first time going to Laos and I used Lao airline. Flight time is around 1 hour 15 mins and flight was very comfortable, even they served a croissant. Luang Prabang airport is also compact and I passed the immigration smoothly.

Luang Prabang is a city located in northern Laos and the entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. First impression in Lao for me was "small" and "nature". The town is very compact and of course the houses looked different compared to Vietnam.

The Origin of the Name "Luang Prabang"

The name Luang Prabang actually comes from a sacred golden Buddha statue called the Phra Bang. 'Luang' means royal or great, and 'Prabang' refers to the statue itself. The city was later renamed after this revered statue, and the Kingdom of Luang Prabang took its name from the city.

I stayed three nights in Luang Prabang and below was my hotel. It seemed the owner was Chinese and they were very friendly and supportive! Especially the woman at front was very hard-working and took care of many requests from customers at the same time.

Downtown in Luang Prabang

In the next morning, I could see the town more clearly. There was less traffic but I felt a little bit dusty probably because here was also dry season and the ground was very dry.

Also, I got the impression that there were more western tourists than Asian ones. I met only few Japanese but I met many people from UK, Germany and Australia. I heard Laos is not touristy yet and most of people traveling Laos are seeking "classic Asia" - that was an interesting point of view. So that's why I saw many western style cafe and restaurants.

Laos is a Buddhist country and we can see many monks and temples in the town. Temples in Laos similar to Thai style and their roofs are sharp and have gorgeous decoration. I went to some temples but Vat Xieng Thong was the biggest and most popular.

Vat Xieng Thong

Vat Xieng Thong is one of the most important and beautiful Buddhist temples in Laos, located in Luang Prabang. Built in 1560, it's known for its distinctive low-sweeping roofs and stunning golden mosaic decorations. It served as a royal temple for centuries and is considered a symbol of Lao architecture and craftsmanship.

What I found interesting was that every statue has unique eyes - they have long eyes and half closed giving a kind and calm impression. I felt much more kindness than strength. This could be Lao style.

Great Natures in Luang Prabang

As I mentioned above, Laos has nice nature. They are not too developed by human and I saw unspoiled mountains, Mekong river and buffalos.

I climbed Mount Phou Si in the 2nd day to see sunset. It's called mountain but it was like a hill and not too tired to climb which took around 15 mins to the top of hill.

Also I joined the tour to Kuang Si Falls. The tour members were mainly solo travelers and we got close.
Kuang Si Falls locates a bit far from central and it took around 30mins by van. I was surprised the road was very very dusty and many pebbles hit the van, I thought they makes van broken lol.

In Kuang Si Falls, we also could see bears rescued by human. Not a lot but the bears looked happy because here has everything they need.

Kuang Si Falls has mainly two big falls according to our guide and we went to the one of them. It's dry season but the falls are filled by enough water. It made me surprised since water looked very green.

Why Kuang Si Falls look green?

The water gets its stunning turquoise color from limestone. As water flows through limestone rocks, calcium carbonate dissolves into it and settles on the riverbed, creating a white layer. When sunlight hits this layer, it reflects a beautiful blue-green color.

Also we saw many people are swimming but we didn't. The main fall was giant and so beautiful! We climbed to the top, which made us soooo tired, but the landscape there was also amazing. I will bring swimming pants there next time.

After we left Kuang Si Falls, we went back to central by boat on the Mekong River. As you may know, Mekong River comes from China and flows to Vietnam. We chilled on the boat with cold drink and chatting. It took around 1 hour to the central. The river looked a bit more narrow than the one I saw in Vietnam.

Head to Vientiane

On the last day in Luang Prabang, I moved to Vientiane which is capital in Laos. I used express train to go there and report in the next diary.

Continuing to Vientiane