Awakened from a long slumber brought on by decades of war and revolution, Luang Prabang has become Lao PDR's foremost tourist showpiece and was made a Unesco World Heritage city for both its beautiful buildings and the serenity of its natural surrounds.

Encircled by mountains and set 700m above sea level at the confluence of the Nam Khan (Khan River) and the Mekong River, the city's mix of gleaming temple roofs, crumbling French provincial architecture and multi-ethnic inhabitants tends to enthral even the most jaded travellers.