The charming hideaway of Luang Prabang, just a 45-minute flight north of Vientiane, is one of Indochina’s gems and the showpiece of Laos. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, the well preserved city is more of a sleepy backwater than a modern metropolis.

Wedged into the confluence of the mighty Mekong and lesser Khan river, Luang Prabang’s peaceful location sets the pace for the unhurried way of life in the second largest city in Laos. Its grid-like road network makes it virtually impossible to get lost, and the entire city can be covered on foot in a day.

This is not to say there is not much to see here: Luang Prabang is home to some cultural jewels. Formerly the seat of government and royal capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom, the city has long been a centre of religion and culture. Its well-preserved heritage is one of its main appeals as a tourist destination and the city is fast becoming an essential stop-off on the Southeast Asian tourist trail.

Visitors can enjoy the sights of monks collecting alms early in the morning, charming colonial architecture and ornate temples of distinct Laotian design, as well as spend relaxed afternoons at any one of the cafés that line the Mekong. Handmade crafts dominate the markets here, with embroidered quilts, wall hangings and scarves sold by women dressed in colourful ethnic costume.

In the evening, the otherwise dormant French restaurants spring into action to serve up refined meals of coq au vin (chicken cooked in wine), followed by crème brûlée (custard and caramel dessert) and accompanied by an imported bottle of French wine. Authentic Lao food is also a must-try, with spicy combinations eaten with the ubiquitous ‘sticky rice’ that is grown in this region.

Development under French rule was slow compared with that of neighbouring countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam. Despite a lapse in French control during the WWII Japanese occupation of Laos, the French resumed leadership at the end of the war, sparking an independence movement known as the Lao Issara among the Laos people. The movement was successfully suppressed by the French with the support of the Lao king and crown prince.

Independence was gained in 1953, the same year the First Indochina War ended, and what should have been an optimistic time for the country became a lengthy struggle. Laos quickly became unofficially embroiled in the Vietnam War, which officially began in 1959. The Viet Cong allied with the Pathet Lao, a Lao nationalist group, while the Americans and Thais supported right-wing factions. Prince Souvanna Phouma of Laos tried to remain neutral while serving as prime minister from 1951 to 1975.

But the country itself became a sad victim of the greater theatre of war in the region as American bombers tried to suppress the infamous Ho Chi Minh trail that created an arms supply network through the eastern jungles of the country. Eventually it bacame the ‘most bombed country in the history of warfare’, a legacy that continues to this day as large areas of unexploded ordnance remain off limits. While the Americans based their activities in Vientiene, Luang Prabang and much of the mountainous north was either bombed or terrorised by the Prathet Lao insurgents. Fortunately the city itself was sparred any real destruction, but the general effect on the country was devastating.