Dam spells Luang Prabang’s doom

Perilous position: A man riding a boat in the Mekong River past the construction site of the Luang Prabang dam in Laos. — AP

Landlocked Laos doesn’t have the famous beaches of its neighbours to attract tourists, but instead relies on the pristine beauty of its mountains and rivers and historical sites to bring in visitors.

The crown jewel is Luang Prabang, a Unesco World Heritage Site where legend has it that Buddha once rested during his travels. It brings all the elements together, with its mix of historic Laotian and French colonial architecture on a peninsula at the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers.