Situated at the confluence of the Khan and the Mekong Rivers in the middle of the northern Laos is Luang Prabang, ancient capital city of the Lane Xang Kingdom during 13 to 15th centuries. Lane Xang - the kingdom that, over six hundred years ago, spread throughout present day Laos, southern China and northeastern Thailand. The name of  Luang Prabang is derived from the kingdom's palladium - the gold Phra Bang Buddha.

The Phra Bang, an 83cm, gold image of Buddha dispelling fear, was cast in Sri Lanka between the 1st and 9th centuries. It arrived in Lane Xang from Angkor in 1353 after its king, Fa Ngum, asked his father-in-law, Jayavarman Paramesvara, the Khmer king, to help him spread Theravada Buddhism throughout his new kingdom. It became the kingdom's palladium, and remains a revered devotional object of the Lao people. While housed in Vientiane, Siamese invaders twice looted the Phra Bang, in 1778 and 1827, and it was twice returned, as the Siamese king believed it would bring bad luck to his country. Returned to Luang Bang

in 1867, the palladium managed to survive the collapse of that kingdom and the city's subsequent sacking by Chinese Haw raiders in the 1890s. However, despite its tenacious relationship with Laos, the Phra Bang's whereabouts today are somewhat vague. It is reportedly locked in a deep vault and is brought out only during religious festivals. However, rumour has it that this Phra Bang is a fake and that the Pathet Lao traded the country's palladium for Soviet assistance during the seventies revolution.
Nowadays, Luang Prabang  is a small, peaceful town with a remarkably well-preserved combination of Lao and colonial French architecture, which led to UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1995.

The town was founded during the late 13th century, and in the mid-16th century the capital of the Lao kingdom (a state known as Lane Xang) was moved to Vientiane from its previous traditional location at Luang Prabang . In 1778 Vientiane came under Siamese control; in 1828 it was sacked and destroyed when the subject Laotian king revolted against Siamese hegemony. From 1899 to 1953, with the exception of the Japanese occupation in 1945,  Vientiane was in succession the seat of the French governor and the French administrative capital.

Vientiane still has some of its older wooden structures, despite its government offices, foreign embassies, and schools. Its modern industries include brewing, lumber processing, and the manufacture of brick, tile, textiles, cigarettes, matches, detergents, plastic bags, rubber sandals, and iron and steel. The Lao farmers of the surrounding area tend rice, corn , and livestock in some of the best alluvial lowlands of Laos. Before 1975 the city was the principal stock shipping and slaughtering centre of the country.

Since the shift in the country's import trade from Vietnam to Thailand, Vientiane has replaced Pakse to the southeast as Laos's principal port of entry. Nowadays,  Vientiane with a population of 464000 and an area of 180 square kilometers, is the center of culture, commerce and administration in Laos. Street signs are mostly written in Lao script only. The main streets in the central district are : Th Samsenthai, which is the main shopping area, Th Setthathirat , where several of the most famous temples are located and Th Fa Ngunn, which runs along the river . To the southeast is the mostly local residential district of Sisattanak and to the west is the similarly residential Sikhottabong.

Located in far northern Laos, Luang Namtha borders China and Myanmar, therefore it has been a crossroads of commerce and also a meeting point for different cultures in Southeast Asia. This mountainous region is populated by over twenty ethnic groups, making it the most ethnically diverse province in Laos. In the remote forested area and mountain sides are living many hill tribe groups such as Khmu, Akha, Hmong, and Yao. In contradiction, the lowland Lao, Tai Lue, Thai Neua and Thai Dam ethnic minority groups prefer to have settled in village outside Nam Ha biodiversity protected area, and in Muang Sing.

Recently opened for tourism, Luang Namtha is one of country 's most attractive destinations. The remoteness, the primeval forest, the wildlife, and the simple life style of hill tribe are a highlight of Luang Namtha although conditions are very basic.

Close to the China border is Muang Sing. This border town is surrounded by undulating mountains, rice fields and rustic hill villages, and one of the most relaxing places in this mountain region. In the early morning, many villagers walk hours to get to the centralto sell their products and buy provisions. Recently, due to the large volume of travelers discovering the charm of the region, the town of Muang Sing became very animated by souvenir vendors, but it is still a good base to see some of the country's most colorful hill tribe groups and do mountain trek. The road conditions in region are very poor , that is why the drive from Luang Namtha town to Muang Sinh may take around 2 hours to complete just 65 km.

Located in far northern Laos, Phong Saly province is covered by dense tropical forests, undulating mountains ranges, and also home to many colourful hill tribe people, who still maintain their own culture, dialect and traditional costumes. Among them, there are Iko, Loma, Akha, Pusang, Thai Dam, Thai Deng, Yao, Thai Lu, Khamou, Phai, Solo, Lao Hoy, etc. The remoteness, the breathtaking mountain landscape and also the handicrafts of Phong Saly make it one of country s' most attractive tourist destinations although conditions are very basic.

The province of Phong Saly borders China in the west and north, Vietnam in the east and Oudomsay and Luang Prabang provinces in the south. The density of the province is 9,4 inhabitants by km2.

The presence of workers and the Chinese traders are here still important. The isolation of Phong Saly makes it a difficulty controllable region, therefore the traffic in all kinds of goods, and the traditional growing of the opium have acquired some advantages.The provincial town is Phong Saly built on the side of Phou Fa mountain with a height of about 1600 meters over sea level. Due to its high altitude, the town enjoys a fresh climate in dry season, but at the time of rains it is regularly plunged into the fog. In December, in January and February, in the dark night, the temperatures considerably fall to less than 5 ° C, sometimes. The town counts about 25,000 inhabitants of which the majority is Akkha hill tribe people.

The province of Champassak is home to one of Asia's great, but least visited temples, Wat Phu.   Pakse, the capital is situated at the confluence of the Se river and the Mekong (Pakse means 'mouth of the Se') and is a busy trading town.  The province also houses much of the Bolaven Plateau, an area that is home to a number of ethnic minorities.   To the south is Si Pan Don (four thousand islands), where the Mekong reaches up to 14km wide during the rainy season and the Khone Phapeng Falls.

Pakse has a number of comfortable places to stay and is a good base from which to explore the surrounding area.  The town has one of the largest markets in the region.  Within Pakse is the Champassak Museum where you can see relics from Wat Phu as well as from the Bolaven Plateau.

Savannakhet town is situated on the banks of the   Mekong river opposite Mukdahan in Thailand.  The province bridges the country between Thailand and Vietnam and the town is a very active junction for trade between the two countries.  The town itself can be easily explored by foot and has a number of interesting temples, including Vietnamese temple and school and a large Catholic church. Much of the town's architecture is French Colonial.

Sayabouri province is quite close to Vientiane, but being quite mountainous is quite remote.   The province shares its borders with six Thai provinces. The capital of the province, Sayabouri is on the banks of the Nam Hung, a tributary of the Mekong. The province houses the Nam Phoun National Biodiversity Conservation Area which is 1150 sq km of forested hills that contain Asiatic black bear, dhole, elephant, guar, gibbon, Malayan sun bear and Sumatran rhino. The southern part of the province has many scenic waterfalls, but getting around this part of the province is very difficult.

Bolikhamsai province contains part of the wilderness area known as the  Nakai - Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area the largest conservation area in the country at 3700 sq km.  The area is home to over a dozen threatened species including Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, elephant, giant muntjac, guar, Malayan sun bear, and tiger. The saola (spindlehorn) or Vu Quang Ox - Pseudoryx nghetinhensis was discovered in neighbouring Vietnam in 1992 and sighted since then in Laos in the conservation area.  Only two other land mammals have been classified with their own genus this century.  The first live saola was captured in neighbouring Khammouane province in 1996. The capital of Bolikhamsai is Paxxan, which can be reached from Vietntiane by bus in about three hours.

Khammouane province contains two vast wilderness areas known as the Khammuane Limestone National Biodiversity Conservation Area and the Nakai - Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area. The Kahmmuane Limestone is a maze of limestone karst peaks forming a stone forest of caves, rivers and pristine jungle.  For most of the wet season, the area is not accessible by road - most 'roads' being tracks with log bridges across deeps streams.  These tracks are often routes across rice paddies near the river banks - during the rainy season, the only way to get around is by boat. The National Tourism Authority of Lao PDR is currently investigating ecotourism projects in this beautiful region.

The capital of Khammouane province is Tha Kek, situated across the Mekong from Nakorn Phanom in Thailand.

Salavan Province is best known for the Bolaven Plateau, which also extends into Attapeu, Champassak and Sekong provinces.  The Bolaven Plateau is covered in the Champassak section.The plateau is best accessed from Pakse, in Champassak province. Salavan province is home to the Phu Xieng Thong National Biodiversity Conservation Area, covering nearly 1,000 sq km in the western part of the province next to the Mekong river.  It is thought that asiatic black bear, banteng, clouded leopard, Douc langur, elephant, gibbon, guar, Siamese crocodile and tiger and inhabit this area.