Publisher & Supporter


Recognizing that Luang Prabang's unique and charming attributes could contribute to the promotion of Lao heritage locally, regionally, and internationally, in 1987, the Department of Museums and Archaeology, Ministry of Information and Culture Lao P.D.R. envisioned listing Luang Prabang as a World Heritage Site. In 1994, a consultative meeting was organized with representation from the local community and respective government agencies. Over the course of three days, participants discussed the concept of whether Luang Prabang should be preserved, for whom preservation activities should be undertaken, and the specific attributes that should be preserved. Upon reaching consensus that preservation efforts should be undertaken, the formal process of documentation, nomination, and application to UNESCO for obtaining World Heritage status was undertaken. Site evaluations were subsequently carried out by several international missions prior to the formal application being forwarded to the UNESCO Committee for final evaluation. On December 9th, 1995, Luang Prabang was officially nominated as a World Heritage Site, a distinction which confirms the genuine motivation to preserve the unique cultural and natural heritage of Luang Prabang through the concerted action of local, national, and international parties.


This cultural history publication was proposed in consonance with the agreement made during the 13th SEAMEO-SPAFA Governing Board Meeting in 1998 for more collaborative projects on cultural and historical documentation of little known heritage sites in Southeast Asia, Initiated by the Ministry of Information and Culture Lao P.D.R. and undertaken with support from the SEAMEO-SPAFA Japanese Trust Fund, this publication was conceptualized as a means to introduce Lao culture and history, as well as promote heritage tourism, while contributing to the growing number of publications on the subject of Southeast Asia Cultural Studies.


Published in 2001 with support from the SEAMEO-SPAFA Japanese Trust Fund Project Director Pisit Charoenwongsa Project Consultant Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy Text Barbara Pavlic Photography Barbara Pavlic Christa Weichert Design Michael Dempsey Printing Sirivatana Interprint Company LTD The SEAMEO Regional Center for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO-SPAFA) promotes professional competence, awareness, and preservation of cultural heritage in the fields of archaeology and fine arts in Southeast Asia. It is a regional center constituted in 1985 from the SEAMEO Project in Archaeology and Fine Arts, which provided the acronym SPAFA. The Centre is under the aegis of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). SEAMEO-SPAFA Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts SPAFA SPAFA Building 81/1 Sri Ayutthaya Road Samsen, Theves Bangkok 10300 Thailand Telephone (66 2) 280 4022-9 Fax (66 2) 280 4030 E-mail: spafa@ksc.th.com