Tourists watch the sunset over the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos, in October 2024. - NYTIMES
VIENTIANE: Laos, a place that feels stuck in time, is at the precipice of change.
Backpackers found the country decades ago, drawn by staggeringly beautiful limestone mountains, elaborate Buddhist temples and an unhurried and inexpensive pace of life. Only the most intrepid travellers followed, as Laos, South-East Asia’s only landlocked country, operated few – and no long-haul – flights, and potholed and shoddy roads were the norm.
