Luang Namtha
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ຫລວງ ນໍ້າ ທາ Luang Namtha |
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| Coordinates | 20 ° 57 ′ N , 101 ° 24 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Laos | ||
| Luang Namtha | |||
| District | Namtha | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | LA-LM | ||
| Residents | 3500 | ||
Luang Namtha ( Lao : ຫລວງ ນໍ້າ ທາ , also Louang Namtha or Luang Nam Tha ) is a small town in northern Laos . It is the administrative seat of the province of the same name and the district of Namtha . The place is named after the river Tha ( Nam Tha ) on which it lies.
Inhabitants and city structure
In Luang Namtha itself only about 3,200 to 3,600 people live, in the surrounding area about 35,000. Since the north of the country is only sparsely populated, the place is one of the largest cities in northern Laos despite the small number of inhabitants.
After the city was almost completely destroyed in the Second Indochina War and had problems with flooding due to its location directly on the riverbank, most of the settlement was rebuilt in 1976 after the communist takeover of power 7 km further north on higher ground. For this reason, the modern Luang Namtha has two spatially separated districts: the newly built, northern district, where most of the authorities, companies, tourist accommodation and shops are located, and the lower-lying old town in the south, which is primarily used as a residential area.
climate
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Monthly average temperatures and rainfall for Luang Namtha
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Transport and economy
Luang Namtha is important as an important traffic junction: in the city meet the streets from Muang Sing (in the northwest), Boten on the Chinese border (in the northeast) or Muang Xay (in the southeast) and Ban Houayxay on the Thai border (in the southwest ) together. The road connection from Boten to Ban Houayxay ( National Road 3 ) is the Lao section of the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway , which in turn is part of the Asian highway AH3 .
The city also has a smaller airport , which is located between the two districts and is primarily served by Vientiane . When the water level is sufficient, boats also operate on the Nam Tha to the mouth of the Mekong at Pak Tha .
Significant branches of the economy in Luang Namtha are primarily trade along the expressway and ecotourism due to the nearby Nam Ha nature reserve . In addition to traditional agriculture, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages make a living from the production of paper, silk and other handicraft products. The city has a night market .
Culture and sights
There are two Buddhist temples in town (or in the vicinity), Wat Ban Luang Khon and Wat Ban Vieng Tai , which were built in the 1950s. 3 to 4 km west of the airport is the architecturally interesting, partly overgrown brick stupa That Phum Phuk , which is said to have been built in the 17th century, restored in the 19th century and hit by a bomb during the war. Next to the stupa there is a stele with Old Laotian lettering and a modern replica.
There is a smaller waterfall at the village of Ban Nam Di. The extensive Nam Ha nature reserve begins to the north, west and south of Luang Namtha.
In the new part of the city is the Luang Namtha Museum , a regional museum that has historical finds (such as bronze drums and ceramics) and statues of Buddha as well as an exhibition on the course of the communist revolution.
literature
- Andrew Burke, Justine Vaisutis: Laos , pp. 208-215
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lonely Planet: Luang Nam Tha Museum in Luang Namtha, Laos . In: Lonely Planet . ( lonelyplanet.com [accessed December 25, 2017]).