Luang Prabang—All that Glitters MAY be Gold

Luang Prabang is no longer the capital of Laos or a French colony but it’s still the spiritual capital of this tiny, poor country that only opened up to tourism in 1989.

We came to Laos to bathe in the French Colonial atmosphere and to experience the mystical spirituality of the Buddhist temples that pervades this town. We wanted to live it before it becomes overrun with tourists and falls to the tidal wave of Chinese economic imperialism sweeping across Southeast Asia.

Main Street Luang Prabang

The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 because of its well-preserved and beautiful French Colonial architecture and its 34 UNESCO-protected wats or temples, located within the small old town centre. 

The town is trapped on a peninsula between two large rivers, the fabled Mekong on one side and the equally muddy-brown Nam Khan on the other. This prevents further expansion and may protect the heritage French-colonial buildings and the Buddhist temples. The peninsula is narrow enough at one end where most of the wats are located that we crossed it easily on foot in 10 minutes.

Nowhere else in Southeast Asia have I seen such a concentration of gold-clad temples. All are within easy walking distance on mostly safe and comfortable streets lined with French-style shops, cafes and restaurants many of which are housed in old French-style buildings. In fact, we made the rounds of the temples almost every morning passing through the day market, taking shortcuts down alleyways, and slowly checking out the coffee shops and the temples.

Major wat at former Royal Palace

Walking from our hotel on the western outskirt of town took us 45 minutes, but it was a pleasant stroll that allowed us to walk off the calories from the French croissants at breakfast and the BeerLao at lunch. We often followed one river or the other because it was cooler.

The 34 Buddhist wats are real working temples and schools, not relics or museums. They are home to over 1,000 novices and monks continuing ancient Buddhist studies and education. This isn’t just a show for tourists. Monks teach young novices restoration techniques for their heritage.

Nan Khan River with bamboo bridge

We met some of the former novices who came from poor rural villages throughout the north. They had gone to the wats for a free education and were now studying to be teachers at the university. Even though their English was poor, two were very eager to sit beside me on the boat taking us downriver in order to practice speaking to foreigners.

We often found that the first question we were asked in restaurants or hotels was “Where are you from?”. It seemed to be a standard greeting that showed me that this town was still growing into its new role as a tourist mecca.

Antique car in front of the Zurich Bakery

In 1887 a mercenary army from China destroyed virtually all of the temples. Some were restored only recently with help from foreign governments including Italy.

Red and gold facade with misty mountains

But they have been beautifully rebuilt or restored in a unique Laotian style combining traditional Buddhist and some French-colonial elements. Typically the Luang Prabang style temples have an elaborately painted red and gold front façade and sweeping roofs. I know that in Thailand and Burma, the temples and Buddha statues are covered in real gold leaf. I’m not sure if that is the case here in Laos, but the gold is everywhere glistening in the sunlight.

Sweeping intricate roofs

As you can see in the photos, the tips of the roof are adorned with finials shaped like a Naga, the mythological serpent believed to protect Buddhism. Some of these are gold, others are covered in emerald-green glass that sparkles in the sun. Another typical Laotian roof element is the miniature pagodas topped by multi-tiered parasols that you see on the peak of the roof.

Emerald Nagas protect temples

Golden miniature pagodas with parasols on rooftops

Perhaps because of the temples and its somewhat recent welcoming of tourists, Luang Prabang does feel trapped in time and more real than many other cities we have visited in Southeast Asia. But it is more expensive mainly because it is the premier tourist destination in Laos. It has become a bit “tony” as one American tourist observed to us, with more crowds and the modern invasion of busloads of Chinese tourists.

Nevertheless it is still fairly relaxed and hasn’t yet lost its authenticity and been completely overtaken by modernism and the chains of restaurants and hotels you find throughout Southeast Asia. It’s still clearly devoted to Buddhism and its past. 

Novice monk

Somedays it seemed like the town was deserted, with only a few motorbikes slowly making their way up the main street. And on Sunday, we were amazed to see that almost everything but the street market had shut down. Often we were able to walk right down the main road. The peace and quiet were only broken by the occasional roar of a motorbike or tuk tuk gliding by.

Offerings of marigolds pinned to banana leaf caps

On Sunday, sidewalks were lined with vendors carefully pinning bright orange marigold flowers onto folded caps of banana leaves for offerings at the temples. People would leave these at a temple with some incense or place them in front of their business or home to receive blessings.

In this tranquil, spiritual setting, we often sat in a quiet French cafe on the main street eating croissants, drinking tea or coffee, watching people and soaking in the ambiance. 

Elsewhere we actually saw locals casually playing petanque, a carryover from the French Colonial days, along with the croissants.

But this sleepy atmosphere is quickly changing and this is one of the reasons we wanted to see Laos now before it is completely transformed by the hordes of tourism. A new China-Laos high-speed railway is being built through northern Laos using Chinese workers to connect Southern China to the capital Vientiane, with a stop in Luang Prabang. This new modern “Silk Road” is planned to go all the way to Burma and Thailand in China’s new push for economic dominance in the region. We saw a lot of resentment about this in Cambodia, but there was no mention of it here in impoverished Laos.

One sad consequence of this new popularity and the Chinese influence is that a lot of the products we saw for sale in the famous night market on the main street were from China, not handmade in Laos.

But even though the gold and glitter of Luang Prabang may be tarnished, you can still feel the lazy, laissez-faire attitude of the French colonialists as you sit and sip your Laotian coffee with your croissant and watch the street slowly convert into the crowded red canopies of the night market.

Royal Palace temple and night market on main street