Cindy Fan

By Cindy Fan

GO: Set on a peninsula at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang boasts glittering temples, a bygone blend of Lao and French colonial architecture and a gentle, sleepy disposition. Cloistered amid the mountains of northern Laos, for years it was off the radar. But with foreign interest in its natural resources and improved air services, the outside world is encroaching. See it before it changes;