Luang
Prabang,
or
Louangphrabang,
is a
city
located
in
north
central
Laos,
on
the
Mekong
River
about
425
km
north
of
Vientiane,
and
the
capital
of
Louangphrabang
Province.
The
current
population
of
the
city
is
about
103,000.
The
city
was
formerly
the
capital
of a
kingdom
of
the
same
name.
Until
the
communist
takeover
in
1975,
it
was
the
royal
capital
and
seat
of
government
of
the
Kingdom
of
Laos.
The
city
is
also
notable
as a
UNESCO
World
Heritage
Site.
