Laos – a country that has emerged from the wilderness of instability and war
Disposed in Southeast Asia, Laos, known in ancient times as Lansang, which means the place of a million elephants, has experienced tragic moments throughout its history, and in the end this sparsely populated land gained peace after centuries of wars against Annam, China, Siam , France and the United States, opening their borders for international tourism. It should be noted that of the three countries that were part of the French Indochina, Laos was more backward, but also more mysterious, but in the recent period, bringing economic and political reforms to the forefront, introducing a free-market system, the state attracted many foreign investors and became on the path of stability.
With access to the sea and bordering on five neighboring countries, Laos is crossed by a large number of rivers, and the mountains form the dominant part of the local landscape. The rivers running along the slopes of the Annam Mountains flow into the Mekong, passing then Cambodia. The Mekong Valley and its fertile floodplains are the main agricultural regions of the country where all the rice fields are concentrated. The greater population is concentrated in the broadest river valleys, near the capital of Vientiane and Savannakhet.
Laos was inhabited since ancient times and was the land of numerous conquests of such peoples as Cambodia, Vietnam, Ham and Khmer. In the fourteenth century, Buddhism finally took root in the country, taking precedence over other religions. Passing through various conquests, already in the nineteenth century, Laos became part of French Indochina, which was the last stage before the independence of 1949. The second half of the twentieth century is characterized by political instability, which was often accompanied by tragic and bloody events, although by the early 1990s Laos was able to put an end to a string of tragic moments of history and take a course toward a peaceful future, opening up its lands for tourism.
Visit mysterious places and learn many interesting facts from the history, traveling to Laos!
The country’s capital, Vientiane, with a populace of about 200,000 inhabitants, is an amazing and charming mix of different cultures. Although it is the largest and most populous city of the state, Vientiane itself is not so large and it can be easily visited. In the center of the city are three main streets: Thanon Samsenthai and Thanon Setthathirat Thanon Fa Ngum, running perpendicularly with the large Thanon Lan Xan Avenue.
In addition to the capital, in the central part you can visit the provinces of Bolikhamsai and Khammuan, located in a moderately high mountainous area, and its center is Paksan, with the main shopping center where you can visit Phabaat Phonsan. On the other side of the Mekong is the Thai town of Beung Kang, which is the border between the Laotian and Thai sides. Nearby is Tha Khaek, which is the ancient outpost of the empires of Funan and Chenla.