Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') (
Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district as well as the capital of
Luang Namtha Province in northern
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
. The city lies on the
Tha River
The Tha River (Nam Tha) is a river in northwest Laos, and one of the 12 tributaries on the Mekong River. It gave its name to the town of Luang Namtha
Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') ( Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district as ...
(''Nam Tha'').
Luang Namtha is a popular tourist destination, and a base for
treks, biking to the surrounding hill tribe villages. The
Luang Namtha Museum Luang Namtha Museum, also Louang Namtha Provincial Museum, is a museum in Luang Namtha, Laos. Largely an anthropological museum, it contains numerous items related to local people such as ethnic clothing, Khamu
The Khmu (; Khmu: ; lo, ຂະ ...
is in the town.
History
From January through May 1962, troops from the
Royal Lao Army
The Royal Lao Army (french: Armée royale du Laos – ARL), also designated by its anglicized title RLA, was the Land Component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Kingdom of Laos during the North Vietnamese invasio ...
(RLA) fought the
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
and
People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...
in the
Battle of Luang Namtha
The Battle of Luang Namtha, fought between January 1962 and May 1963, was a series of clashes in the Laotian Civil War. It came about as a result of the turmoil following Laotian independence as a result of the First Indochina War with France. The ...
. The battle ended with the RLA's headlong retreat southward 150 kilometers across the
Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
.
Transport
In the rainy season, Luang Namtha can be reached by boat from the
Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
. It is connected by Highway 3 to both the Thai border at
Houayxay
Houayxay ( lo, ຫ້ວຍຊາຍ) (also ''Huoeisay'', ''Houei Sai'' or ''Huay Xai''), is a district in Bokeo Province, Laos, on the border with Thailand. Ban Houayxay is the administrative centre of the district.
The town lies on the Mekong ...
-
Chiang Khong () and the Chinese border at
Boten
Boten is a town in Laos in Luang Namtha Province. Boten is on the China–Laos border. It is opposite the Chinese town Mohan. While Boten is part of Laos, most of its inhabitants speak Mandarin Chinese as their native language. The main curren ...
-
Mengla County
Mengla County (; Tai Lue: , ''Mueang La''; lo, ເມືອງລ້າ; th, เมืองล้า) is a county under the jurisdiction of the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, in far southern Yunnan province, China. ''Meng'' is a vari ...
(). Luang Namtha is also served by
Louang Namtha Airport
Louangnamtha Airport is an airport in Laos, 6 km south of the city of Luang Namtha. The airport was closed between 2006 and 2008 for a renovation that extended the runway from 1,200 to 1,600 metres, allowing larger aircraft such as the ATR 72 ...
, south of the city.
Gallery
File:LuangNamtha3 tango7174.jpg, Day market
Image:Luang NamTha night market.JPG, Night market
File:LuangNamtha ThatLuangNamtha2 tango7174.jpg, Luang Namtha stupa
Image:Luang Namtha4.jpg, Harvesting rice
File:LuangNamtha4 tango7174.jpg, Riverside guesthouse
References
External links
*
*
Biodiversity Profile for Luang Namtha Province, 2003Ethnic diversity in Luang Namtha - LaosFacebook photo gallery
{{Districts of North Laos
Populated places in Luang Namtha Province