Louangphrabang, formerly spelled Luang PrabangWat Aham in Louangphrabang, Laos.© Christ Lisle/Corbistown, northern Laos. A port on the Mekong River, Louangphrabang lies 130 miles (210 km) north-northwest of Vientiane, the national capital.

From 1353 Louangphrabang, then called Muong Swa, was the capital of the kingdom of Lan Xang. Around 1563 the royal court was removed to Vientiane, and Muong Swa was renamed Luang Prabang in honour of the Pra Bang, a Sinhalese gold Buddha brought to the town probably in 1356. At the partition of Lan Xang in 1707, Luang Prabang became the capital of a new kingdom of the same name. In the reorganization of Laos in 1946–47, the kingdom of Luang Prabang was divided. Louangphrabang remained the royal residence and the religious centre of Laos, but Vientiane was made the nation’s administrative capital. The town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.

Despite its former royal status, Louangphrabang remains a relatively small town lacking modern industries. Under royal patronage, before the Communist takeover in 1975, lacquering, goldsmithing, and silversmithing crafts survived. Shop trade was largely in the hands of the Indian and Chinese minorities. There are several teacher-training schools. Among its more than 20 Buddhist pagodas is the Phu Si, alleged to enshrine Buddha’s footprint.

The region surrounding the town is one of the driest in Indochina. About half the populace of the region are valley Lao, who raise corn (maize), rice, and poultry. The uplands are inhabited largely by the Khmu of the Lao-Theng (Lao-Theung; Mountain Mon-Khmer) group, the highest areas by Meo (Miao, or Hmong) people. Pop. (2003 est.) 26,400.