Luang Namtha province

Coordinates: 20°57′25″N 101°23′42″E / 20.956944°N 101.395°E / 20.956944; 101.395
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Luang Namtha province
ແຂວງ ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ
UTC+7 (ICT)
ISO 3166 codeLA-LM
HDI (2018)0.576[1]
medium · 7th
This article contains
Lao script
.

Luang Namtha (

Oudomxai province to the east and southeast, Bokeo province to the southwest, and Shan State
, Myanmar to the northwest.

The province contains the

rubber producing areas of Laos with numerous plantations. There are some 20 temples in Muang Sing, including Wat Sing Jai and Wat Namkeo. The anthropological Luang Namtha Museum
is in Luang Namtha.

History

The history of Luang Namtha province is traced to inhabitants who lived there about 6,000 years ago, evidenced by archaeological finds of stone implements discovered from the Nam Jook River Valley in Vieng Phoukha. The

Tai Lue people took control of Muang Sing, attracted by its agricultural lands.[2]

In 1890, the

Sipsongpanna in Burma and northwest Vietnam also migrated to the province.[2] During French colonial rule, the provincial capital of Luang Namtha was the heart of the Sipsongpana civilization, which later moved to Yunnan province in southern China.[3]

After France withdrew from Indochina in the late-1950s, the Houa Thas were in conflict with the US-supported Royal Lao Army against Pathet Lao forces, and from 6 May 1962 the area was under Pathet Lao control. At this time the province was given its present name. The territory between Houei Xay and Vieng Phoukha, known as Houa Khong province, was royalist-controlled until the Lao People's Democratic Republic was established in 1975. From 1975 to 1983 Houa Khong and Luang Namtha were a single province and subsequently divided into Luang Namtha and Bokeo provinces.[2]

The capital of the province, Luang Namtha, had to be shifted in 1976 to a higher ground, by about 7 km, as the original city was not only prone to floods, but was also substantially destroyed during the

Second Indochina War. The city has grid pattern layout and is surrounded by green paddy fields and is a hub of economic activity.[4]

Geography

Luang Namtha province

Oudomxai province to the east and southeast, Bokeo province to the southwest, and Burma to the west.[7]
Notable settlements include Luang Namtha, Muang Sing, Ban Oua, Ban Lacha, Ban Tintok, Ban Ko, Pang Kalom, Ban Thang, Ban Nam Kanne, Ban Meo, Ban Pawi, Ban Sa Pouk, Ban He and Ban Tintok.

The Mekong River (Nam Khong) marks the northwest border of the province. Three large rivers, the

Lao National Tourism Administration. The eco-tourism activities involve trekking, river rafting, camping, kayaking, bird watching and mountain bike tours.[3]

Protected areas

The Nam Ha National Biodiversity Conservation Area (NBCA) has dense forest covering 90% of the area.

Yunnan province in China. There are 33 large mammals (of which 22 are key species), including Malayan sun bear and black cheeked crested gibbons, and 288 species of birds (of which 18 are key species). It has been designated as an Asian Heritage Site. One issue of concern is of rubber cultivation in large areas.[9][10]

The Nam Ha

Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis) and the ungulate gaur (Bos gaurus).[11]

  • Pha Yeung Waterfalls, Nam Ha NBCA
    Pha Yeung Waterfalls, Nam Ha NBCA
  • Kao Rao Caves, Nam Ha NBCA
    Kao Rao Caves, Nam Ha NBCA

Administrative divisions

The province is made up of the following five districts:[3][12]

Map Code Name Lao script Population (2015)
3-01 Luang Namtha ເມືອງຫຼວງນໍ້າທາ 54,089
3-02 Muang Sing ເມືອງສີງ 39,287
3-03
Long
 ເມືອງລອງ 34,630
3-04
Viengphoukha
 ເມືອງວຽງພູຄາ 23,928
3-05
Na Le
 ເມືອງນາແລ 23,819

Demographics

The population of the province as of the 2015 census was 175,753 persons.[13] The ethnic groups reported were the Khamu, Akha (Eko), Hmong, Yao (Ioumien) and Lanetene. Lowland Lao people, Tai Lue, Thai Neua and Thai Dam reside in villages just outside the Nam Ha National Biodiversity Conservation Area close to the town of Muang Sing.[3]

  • Akha people
    Akha people
  • Lanten people
    Lanten people
  • Mien people
    Mien people
  • Thai Dam people
    Thai Dam
    people

Economy

The province is one of the main

eaglewood, and ginger are used for internal consumption and sale. A wide range of wildlife is consumed or sold.[9][15] The province has been the site of significant investments by China as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.[16]

  • Farmers harvesting rice
    Farmers harvesting rice
  • Morning market, Muang Sing
    Morning market, Muang Sing
  • Sale of bamboo sticks with glutinous rice
    Sale of bamboo sticks with glutinous rice
  • Border crossing with China
    Border crossing with China

Transport

Road

The

Chiang Khong District,[17][18] sometimes called the Chiang Rai - Kunming R3 highway.[19] Route 13 and the upcoming Vientiane–Boten Expressway also pass through the province, though they do not enter the provincial capital Luang Namtha
.

Rail

The Boten–Vientiane railway, which parallels Route 13, serves the province.

Air

The

Luang Namtha airport (LXG) has a daily flight to and from Vientiane's Wattay International Airport VTE
, QV601/602.

Landmarks

southern China. There are many old temples of different styles, but a lot of them were destroyed during the war.[3]

There are some 20 temples in Muang Sing. Of note is Wat Sing Jai or Wat Xieng Jai, behind the Muangsing Guest House. The monastery, painted in hues reminiscent of the Caribbean, has a museum, but because its items are of high local value, it is closed to visitors for fear of theft.[20] Another major temple is Wat Namkeo. The wihan in the town are typically multi-tiered, roofed buildings typical of northern Laos, but most houses have corrugated metal roofs and wooden beams, reflecting the poverty of the area. The Buddhas, however, are golden, and typically have large long earlobes, commonly seen in Xishuangbanna, China, and the Shan State of Burma.

Luang Namtha Museum, also known as Luang Namtha Provincial Museum, is in the capital city of Luang Namtha. Largely an anthropological museum, it contains numerous items related to local peoples such as ethnic clothing,

Khamu bronze drums, textiles, ceramics, tools, household utensils, handcrafted weapons, and Buddhism-related items.[22]

  • That Luang Namtha
    That Luang Namtha
  • Wat Xieng Jai
    Wat Xieng Jai
  • Wat Xieng Jai interior
    Wat Xieng Jai interior
  • Wat Nam Keo Luang
    Wat Nam Keo Luang

Villages

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luang Namtha Province.
  1. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  2. ^ a b c "History of Luang Namtha". Luang Namtha Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h The Lao National Tourism Administration. "National Protected Area System – Ecotourism Laos". Ecotourism Laos. GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project in Lao PDR. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Luang Namtha". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Regions". Lao Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Luangnamtha Province". Lao Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  7. ^ Maps (Map). Google Maps.
  8. ^ "Namha". Official website of Ecotourism Organization. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "Nam Ha NBCA (NHA; 2)". Official Website of GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project in Lao PDR. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Nam Ha Ecotourism Project" (PDF). UNDP Equator Initiative. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Nam Ha". BirdLife International. 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.[not specific enough to verify]
  12. ^ "Provinces of Laos". Statoids.com. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Results of Population and Housing Census 2015" (PDF). Lao Statistics Bureau. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  14. ISBN 978-1-4527-9182-1
    . Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Lu Welcome to Luang Namtha, Northern of Laos". Luang Namtha Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  16. ^ Bociaga, Robert (5 March 2020). "Chinese investment upheavals anger Laos' indigenous tribes". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Heavy rainfall easily crack R3, a new regional highway". Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  18. ^ "R3 to be crucial land link". Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  19. ^ What are the current assistance projects extended by NEDA to the neighboring countries? Which types of projects are they?
  20. ISBN 978-1-85828-905-2
    . Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  21. ^ DK Travel Guides 2011, p. 180.
  22. ^ "Luang Namtha Museum". Lonely Planet/BBC Worldwide. Retrieved 20 July 2012.[permanent dead link]

General references

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luang_Namtha_province&oldid=1168561734"