Laos has a history dating back thousands of years. From 1353, the powerful kingdom of Lan Xang ruled the region for over three centuries. During this period, Buddhism became deeply rooted in Lao culture.
By the 1700s, Lan Xang had fragmented into smaller kingdoms that gradually fell under the influence of neighboring Siam. In the late 19th century, France took control of the region and incorporated Laos into French Indochina. Laos remained a quiet and sparsely developed colony until the mid-20th century.
After gaining independence from France in 1953, Laos became involved in the Vietnam War, during which large parts of the country were heavily bombed. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took power and established the Lao People's Democratic Republic, which continues to govern today. In the past thirty years, Laos has gradually opened to tourism.
We took this trip on Nov 1996. Again, these pictures are from our old website, and the quality is pretty bad. Sorry.
The traffic in Vientiane was heavy but not as
chaotic as most large cities in Asia.
Little family markets instead of our Alfa Beta Super Market and Home Stores
A beautiful hotel overlooking
the Mekong River in Luang Prabang
We loved our little hotel.
Lao French fusion
Students doing their morning exercises
Most of the children weren’t in school
Most of our travel was spent in the back of a Tuk Tuk
Most of the rural houses were built
on stilts to prevent damage from flooding
Fresh French bread can be purchased on every corner
We stayed across the street from a pizza restaurant and a Scandinavian bakery in the center of the capital
Except for the billboards, there was very little
to indicate that this was a communist country
A big marriage celebration spills
out into the street
Man powered “cyclo” was still a common means of getting around the capital, Vientiane
This guy wasn’t at school and spent the day practicing on his homemade coconut stilts.