Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang (Lao: ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ, pronounced Loo-ang pah-bang) is the former capital of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage city.

Set at the confluence of two rivers that almost surround the town, and beneath a temple-topped hill, Luang Prabang is a wonderful patchwork of traditional Lao wooden houses and hints of European architecture, reminders of when Laos was part of the French colony of Indochina. Golden-roofed wats (temples), decorated with mosaics and murals of the life of Buddha, sit under the gaze of wrap-around teak balconies and 19th-century shuttered windows. All of this is set against a backdrop of verdant greenery and rugged mountains.