Xiengthong temple, one of many cultural wonders in the World Heritage city.   --Photo Vientiane Times

Attractions of Luang Prabang and Dien Bien Phu are easily accessible

Many people combine a visit to the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang in Laos with a trip to Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam as the road link between the two places is good.
Foreign tourists often come to Laos after visiting the famous battleground in Dien Bien province, with many entering the country via the Panghok-Taichang border crossing. 
Most of them bypass Oudomxay and Phongsaly provinces and travel on to Luang Prabang province and Vientiane.
An official in Luang Prabang province, who didn’t want to be named, told Vientiane Times that the distance between Luang Prabang and Oudomxay provinces is about 240 km, while the distance to the Vietnamese border via Khua district in Phongsaly province is another 160 km.
“These routes are convenient for getting to the attractions in Dien Bien Phu,” she said.
Another popular mode of travel is by boat on the Ou River to Khua district, from where travellers can take a bus to the border and then go to Dien Bien Phu.
While the road from Luang Prabang to Dien Bien Phu is good in the dry season, it isn’t always motorable in the rainy season. This is a 104.7-km road between Phouthipheuang and Nasone areas in Luang Prabang province, that goes on to the border with Vietnam’s Dien Bien province.
While relatively small, the World Heritage-listed city of Luang Prabang, nestled between the Mekong and Khan rivers, has rapidly become very popular among domestic and foreign tourists.
Most parts of this famous city, home to the Xiengthong temple, are located along the Mekong river. Sometimes it seems like a small place when there are large numbers of visitors.
The people of Luang Prabang are keen to preserve their traditions and customs, such as the morning almsgiving ceremony when monks parade through the streets. Temples are frequented by local residents and visitors for prayer, merit-making and the chanting of scriptures by monks and novices.
Popular events in Luang Prabang include the lively Lao New Year celebrations, the boat racing festival, festivals to mark the start and end of Buddhist Lent, and the lighted boat festival.
Luang Prabang used to be the capital of the Lane Xang Kingdom, and has been variously called Muang Swa, Meuang Xiengdong and Meuang Xiengthong over the years.
On the other side of the border, Dien Bien Phu is known from the battle in central Vietnam that reflected the power of unyielding national unity, loyal combatants, and the solidarity of the Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian armies and ordinary people, who together with the support of friendly foreign countries won the day and forced the French to surrender.
Victory was secured on May 7, 1954, and the Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodia people celebrate this event each year as the heroic battle that ended French domination in Indochina.
Dien Bien province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development sent officials to Luang Prabang to teach people how to make paper from jute.
Meanwhile, industry and commerce officials in Luang Prabang have worked to bolster imports and exports, and general trade, and have encouraged local businesses to produce goods that benefit both the Lao and Vietnamese sides.
From 2016-20, the value of imports, exports and services traded between Luang Prabang and Dien Bien provinces amounted to US$47.5 million. Exports were valued at US$19.9 million and imports at about US$27.6 million.
Luang Prabang and Vietnamese provinces plan to continue economic investment, promote trade, and improve policies in accordance with laws and regulations to support business operations and investment in all sectors.
The two sides will carry out agreements made with respect to border trading, so that trade ties are more productive. Luang Prabang and neighbouring provinces in Vietnam will work towards the building of a border market in 2025.
With regard to communication and transport between Luang Prabang province and provinces in Vietnam, there are now more land and air routes between Dien Bien and Luang Prabang, and between Luang Prabang and Hanoi and other areas of Vietnam.
Phongsaly province, on the other hand, does not see many foreign visitors, even though the 200-km road that connects it to the Vietnamese border is full of great mountain views. Phongsaly is Laos’ northernmost province and its majestic scenery is deserving of more visitors.
The province is now more regionally connected through better road networks, tourism and regional trade, and it has much to offer visitors looking for a place off the beaten track and a bit of adventure.
Phongsaly borders Yunnan province in China and Vietnam’s Dien Bien province.
Chinese and Lao people travel regularly across the Lantouy-Sobhun border in Phongsaly, but few foreign visitors spend time in Phongsaly after entering Laos from Dien Bien province.

ByTimes Reporters
(Latest Update July 17, 2022)