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Laos, the Land of A Million Elephants, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia lying between Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Laos traces its history back to the Kingdom of Lan Xang which existed from the 14th to the 18th century. Laos is a mostly mountainous country with some plains and plateaus. The Mekong River forms a large part of the western border with Thailand, while the mountains of the Annamite Chain form most of the eastern border with Vietnam.
Laos is a relatively less developed socialist country, which however has started implementing economic reforms in the 1980s. Development has been quite fast over the past five years with huge changes takng place since my first visit to Laos in April 2000. The villages surrounding Luang Prabang for instance mainly consisted of traditional style wooden houses with tree leaves roofs in the year 2000. In December 2005 most of these traditional houses had been replaced by houses of concrete. In all places which I visited in December 2005, even the most remote, there was cellular coverage.
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Northern Laos and Vientiane
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Vientiane
109 photos of Vientiane, the capital of Laos
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Luang Prabang
231 photos of Luang Prabang, a beautiful city and UNESCO World heritage site in northern Laos
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Xieng Khouang
140 photos of the Xieng Khouang province in northern Laos with the Plain of Jars, its capital Phonsavan and photos of scenery, villages and Lao people
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Champasak province
111 photos of the Champasak province, with the Khmer sites of Wat Phu and Um Muang, the regional capital Pakse, the Mekong river and more photos
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Bolaven plateau
168 photos of the Bolaven plateau, a highlands area in southern Laos
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Si Phan Don (4000 islands)
85 photos of the 4000 islands region, in the extreme south of Laos, where the Mekong river breaks up in a miriad of arms surrounding countless islands and islets
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©Copyright Alfred Molon |
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