Luang Prabang

Sister cities

• Chengdu
• Daejeon

History

By the 6th century in the Chao Phraya River Valley, Mon peoples had coalesced to create the Dvaravati kingdoms. In the north, Haripunjaya (Lamphun) emerged as a rival power to the Dvaravati. By the 8th century the Mon had pushed north to create city states in Fa Daet (later is Kalasin, northeastern Thailand); Sri Gotapura (Sikhottabong) near what later is Tha Khek, Laos; Muang Sua (Luang Prabang); and Chantaburi (Vientiane). In the 8th century CE, Sri Gotapura (Sikhottabong) controlled trade throughout the middle Mekong region. The city states introduced Therevada Buddhism from Sri Lankan missionaries throughout the region. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong experienced a period of Khmer suzerainty under Jayavarman VII from 1185 to 1191. In 1238 an internal uprising in the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai expelled the Khmer overlords. Xieng Dong Xieng Thong in 1353 became the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom. In 1359 the Khmer king from Angkor gave the Phra Bang to his son-in-law, the first Lang Xang monarch Fa Ngum (1353–1373); to provide Buddhist legitimacy to Fa Ngum's rule and by extension to the sovereignty of Laos and was used to spread Theravada Buddhism in the kingdom. The capital name was changed to Luangphabang, where it was kept, named after the Buddha image. Luang Prabang was occupied by the Vietnamese forces during Emperor Lê Thánh Tông's 1478–1480 expedition against Lan Xang and Lanna. In 1707, Lan Xang fell apart because of a dynastic struggle and Luang Prabang became the capital of the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang. When France annexed Laos, the French recognised Luang Prabang as the royal residence of Laos. Eventually, the ruler of Luang Prabang became synonymous with the figurehead of Laos. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became…

Most-observed species

• Common Tailorbird

  Orthotomus sutorius (Pennant, 1769) · Aves
  245
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

  Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  229
• Sooty-headed Bulbul

  Pycnonotus aurigaster (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  194
• Asian Palm-Swift

  Cypsiurus balasiensis (J.E.Gray, 1829) · Aves
  125
• Yellow-browed Warbler

  Phylloscopus inornatus (Blyth, 1842) · Aves
  115
• Common Iora

  Aegithina tiphia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  108
• Brown Shrike

  Lanius cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  99
• Greater Coucal

  Centropus sinensis (Stephens, 1815) · Aves
  91

Most recent

• M 5.5 — 2021-12-19
  53 km NW of Sainyabuli, Laos
• M 4.6 — 2021-10-31
  49 km ENE of Chiang Klang, Thailand
• M 4.3 — 2021-10-29
  52 km NW of Sainyabuli, Laos
• M 4.3 — 2019-12-12
  33 km WNW of Sainyabuli, Laos
• M 4.4 — 2019-11-28
  52 km NE of Chiang Klang, Thailand
• M 4.4 — 2019-11-21
  39 km WNW of Sainyabuli, Laos