Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') ( Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district and the capital of

Luang Namtha Province Luang Namtha (, ; literally 'royal sugar palm' or "'royal green river') is a province of Laos in the country's north. From 1966 to 1976 it formed, together with Bokeo, the province of Houakhong. Luang Namtha province covers an area of . Its pr ...

in northern

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. The city lies on the Tha River (''Nam Tha''). The

Luang Namtha Museum Luang Namtha Museum, also Louang Namtha Provincial Museum, is a museum in Luang Namtha, Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China ...

is in the town.

History

From January through May 1962, troops from the

Royal Lao Army The Royal Lao Army (; – 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 invasion of Laos and the Laotian C ...

(RLA) fought the

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao (), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and political organization, organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group ultimately gained control over the entire country of ...

and

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...

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 transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

Climate

Transport

Road

It is connected by Highway 3 to the Thai border at

Houayxay Houayxay (, ; , ) (also ''Huoeisay'', ''Huai Sai'', ''Houei Sai'', ''Huay Xay'' or ''Huay Xai'') is a district in Bokeo Province, Laos, on the border with Thailand. The town lies on the Mekong River opposite Chiang Khong in Thailand. The Four ...

Chiang Khong Chiang Khong (, ; Lanna script: , ) is a district (''amphoe'') located in the northeastern part of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, with its seat being Wiang. The district borders six other districts in Chiang Rai province, with its nort ...

(), the Chinese border at

Boten Boten (, ; zh, 磨丁) is a town in Laos located in Luang Namtha Province, situated on the China–Laos border opposite the Chinese town of Mohan. Although Boten is part of Laos, most of its inhabitants speak Mandarin Chinese as their native l ...

Mengla County Mengla County (; Tai Lue: , ''Mueang La''; , ; ) is a county under the jurisdiction of the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, in far southern Yunnan province, China. ''Meng'' is a variation of ''Mueang''. Name "Mongla", "Mengla" and "Meun ...

(), and the Burmese border at Xieng Kok- Kenglat.

Air

Luang Namtha is 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 7 ...

, south of the city.

Rail

It has 2 railway stations which served by Boten-Vientiane railway: Nateuy railway station at Nateuy and

Boten railway station Boten railway station (, ) is a railway station in Boten, Laos. It is the northernmost intermediate stop, and the final stop in Laos on the Boten–Vientiane railway The Boten–Vientiane railway is the Laos, Lao section of the Laos–Chi ...

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

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Biodiversity Profile for Luang Namtha Province, 2003

Ethnic diversity in Luang Namtha - Laos

Facebook photo gallery
{{Districts of North Laos Populated places in Luang Namtha Province